Admissions
CCB no longer requires the GRE for admission (neither general, nor subject). The GRE will not be seen by the review committee, even if sent to Berkeley.
PLEASE NOTE: The application deadline is Monday, December 2, 2024, 8:59 PST/11:59 EST
We invite applications from students with distinguished academic records, strong foundations in the basic biological, physical and computational sciences, as well as significant computer programming and research experience. Admission for the Computational Biology PhD is for the fall semester only, and Computational Biology does not offer a Master’s degree.
We are happy to answer any questions you may have, but please be sure to read this entire page first, as many of your questions will be answered below or on the Tips tab.
IMPORTANT: Please note that it is not possible to select a specific PhD advisor until the end of the first year in the program, so contacting individual faculty about openings in their laboratories will not increase your chances of being accepted into the program. You will have an opportunity to discuss your interests with relevant faculty if you are invited to interview in February.
Undergraduate Preparation
Minimum requirements for admission to graduate study:
- A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution.
- Minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Undergraduate preparation reflecting a balance of training in computational biology’s core disciplines (biology, computer science, statistics/mathematics), for example, a single interdisciplinary major, such as computational biology or bioinformatics; a major in a core discipline and a combination of interdisciplinary course work and research experiences; or a double major in core disciplines.
- Basic research experience and aptitude are key considerations for admission, so evidence of research experience and letters of recommendation from faculty mentors attesting to the applicant’s research experience are of particular interest.
- GRE – NOT required or used for review.
- TOEFL scores for international students (see below for details).
Application Requirements
ALL materials, including letters, are due December 2, 2024 (8:59 PST). More information is provided and required as part of the online application, so please create an account and review the application before emailing with questions (and please set up an account well before the deadline):
- A completed graduate application: The online application opens in early or mid-September and is located on the Graduate Division website. Paper applications are not accepted. Please create your account and review the application well ahead of the submit date, as it will take time to complete and requests information not listed here.
- A nonrefundable application fee: The fee must be paid using a major credit card and is not refundable. For US citizens and permanent residents, the fee is $135; US citizens and permanent residents may request a fee waiver as part of the online application. For all other students (international) the fee is $155 (no waivers, no exceptions). Graduate Admissions manages the fee, not the program, so please contact them with questions.
- Three letters of recommendation, minimum (up to five are accepted): Letters of recommendation must be submitted online as part of the Graduate Division’s application process. Letters are also due Dec. 2, so please inform your recommenders of this deadline and give them sufficient advance notice. It is your responsibility to monitor the status of your letters of recommendation (sending prompts, as necessary) in the online system.
- Transcripts: Unofficial copies of all relevant transcripts, uploaded as part of the online application (see application for details). Scanned copies of official transcripts are strongly preferred, as transcripts must include applicant and institution name and degree goal and should be easy for the reviewers to read (print-outs from online personal schedules can be hard to read and transcripts without your name and the institution name cannot be used for review). Do not send via mail official transcripts to Grad Division or Computational Biology, they will be discarded.
- Essays: Follow links to view descriptions of what these essays should include (Statement of Purpose [2-3 pages], Personal Statement [1-2 pages]). Also review Tips tab for formatting advice.
- (Highly recommended) Applicants should consider applying for extramural funding, such as NSF Fellowships. These are amazing opportunities and the application processes are great preparation for graduate studies. Please see Financial Support tab.
- Read and follow all of the “Application Tips” listed on the last tab. This ensures that everything goes smoothly and you make a good impression on the faculty reviewing your file.
GRE
The GRE general test is not required. GRE subject tests are not required. GRE scores will not be a determining factor for application review and admission, and will NOT be seen by the CCB admissions committee. While we do not encourage anyone to take the exam, in case you decide to apply to a different program at Berkeley that does require them: the UC Berkeley school code is 4833; department codes are unnecessary. As long as the scores are sent to UC Berkeley, they will be received by any program you apply to on campus.
TOEFL/IELTS
Adequate proficiency in English must be demonstrated by those applicants applying from countries where English is not the official language. There are two standardized tests you may take: the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). TOEFL minimum passing scores are 90 for the Internet-based test (IBT), and 570 for the paper-based format (PBT). The TOEFL may be waived if an international student has completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better while in residence at a U.S. university (transcript will be required). Please click here for more information.
Application Deadlines
The Application Deadline is 8:59 pm Pacific Standard Time, December 2, 2024. The application will lock at 9pm PST, precisely. All materials must be received by the deadline. While rec letters can continue to be submitted and received after the deadline, the committee meets in early December and will review incomplete applications. TOEFL tests should be taken by or before the deadline, but self-reported scores are acceptable for review while the official scores are being processed. All submitted applications will be reviewed, even if materials are missing, but it may impact the evaluation of the application.
It is your responsibility to ensure and verify that your application materials are submitted in a timely manner. Please be sure to hit the submit button when you have completed the application and to monitor the status of your letters of recommendation (sending prompts, as necessary). Please include the statement of purpose and personal statement in the online application. While you can upload a CV, please DO NOT upload entire publications or papers. Please DO NOT send paper résumés, separate folders of information, or articles via mail. They will be discarded unread.
Interviews
The Computational Biology Interview Visit dates are yet to be determined, but will be posted here once they are.
Top applicants who are being considered for admission will be invited to visit campus for interviews with faculty. Invitations will be made by early January. Students are expected to stay for the entire event, arriving in Berkeley by 5:30pm on the first day and leaving the evening of the final day. In the application, you must provide the names of between 7-10 faculty from the Computational Biology website with whom you are interested in conducting research or performing rotations. This helps route your application to our reviewers and facilitates the interview scheduling process. An invitation is not a guarantee of admission.
International students may be interviewed virtually, as flights are often prohibitively expensive.