Thank you for your interest in graduate school in the Department of Biology at Colorado State University!

To apply for an MS, PhD, or PSM degree through our department, please use the Online Graduate Application.

For full consideration for fall admission, please have your application materials in by January 1st. For full consideration for spring admission, please have your application materials in by October 1st.

**Please note that the PSM only admits students for fall, and that we continue to accept and review applications until we have a full cohort.

CRITERIA

Admission to our graduate program requires a minimum undergraduate GPA above a 3.0, but our competitive applicants typically have higher grades. In addition, most of our competitive applicants have participated in undergraduate research or have had work experience in a research environment.  Finally, our competitive applicants have demonstrated a passion and curiosity about biology and a willingness to work hard to achieve their goals. GRE scores are NOT required for admission to our graduate programs. For international students, we adhere to the Graduate School’s requirements for unconditional admission: TOEFL scores above 80 (internet) or 550 (paper), or IELTS scores above 6.5.  Conditional admission for students with lower TOEFL/IELTS scores is a possibility for strong international applicants.

Final admissions decisions to the MS and PhD Programs rely heavily on finding a “match” between a prospective applicant and a graduate advisor. We encourage you to contact potential advisors about the possibility of joining their laboratories. Tell these potential advisors about yourself (e.g. your research background and goals, your academic record, as well as any work experience you may have had), and ask if they are currently taking new students. Admission to the PSM program does not require identification of a graduate advisor.

MS and PhD graduate students advised by faculty in our department can also participate in multi-departmental graduate programs including:

• Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
• Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program
• Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Neurosciences Graduate Program

If you are interested in joining and/or having your degree conferred through one of these programs, please see their website for admissions procedures.

Thank you again for your interest. We look forward to learning more about you!