Admissions | PhD in Microbiology & Immunology

Prospective students may apply to our program through our GU-NIH partnership and/or through the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

GU-NIH Application

Most of our doctoral students join us through the GU‑NIH Graduate Program, a partnership with the National Institutes of Health. These students conduct their dissertation research at the NIH.

The GU‑NIH program has its own application portal. If you wish to apply to the doctoral program through GU-NIH, you should follow the instructions and deadlines in the GU-NIH portal, as they may vary from the information on this page.

Apply Through GU-NIH

Direct Application

Students interested in applying outside of GU‑NIH should review our faculty who are available for mentoring to find one whose interests align with their own:

Then, apply to the program by submitting an online application through the Georgetown Graduate School of Arts & Sciences portal.

Apply Through GSAS

Admission to our program is highly competitive. To learn more about us, please visit our contact page or fill out our Request for Information form.

Direct Application: Deadline

December 1

Final Deadline to Apply for Summer Admission

We encourage all applicants to apply early to allow sufficient time to submit all their application materials.

The program starts July 1.

Direct Application: Requirements

Applicants are to submit all required credentials and supporting documentation no later than the application deadline.

Applicants do not need to arrange a position in a laboratory prior to admission. Any prospective students who currently have positions in departmental laboratories must apply to the program through the same procedure as all other applicants.

Apply Online

A 4-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a GPA of 3.0 or higher (across all undergraduate coursework and/or institutions attended).

List your postsecondary institutions in your application, and upload a transcript for each institution. Applicants are required to list/upload copies of official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions where more than 15 credits of coursework were completed and/or where program prerequisites were completed (any number of credits). This gives the admissions committee a more complete picture of your academic preparation for graduate study.

WES  or NACES  credential evaluation services are highly recommended for international transcripts.

Follow the transcript instructions in Admissions FAQ  to ensure you upload proper documentation.

Recommendation letters may be from previous professors, research mentors, or employers in a position to appraise your potential for graduate study.

The Academic Statement of Purpose should be at least one page, but not more than two pages long, and should cover:

  • Factors (such as personal background, professional past experiences, or academic interest regarding department faculty or faculty research) that motivated you to apply for to our program
  • Research background/experience, if applicable
  • Long-term goals you wish to achieve during or after your PhD studies

Your CV/resume should include relevant professional (such as research, volunteer and intern experiences) and academic experiences with dates and descriptions/responsibilities. When applicable, items in each section should be in reverse chronological order, with the most recent experiences listed first. For experiences involving research, please note clearly the name of the principal investigator of the lab. Include citations for your publications, abstracts and presentations (if applicable). Use 11pt font size or larger; allow your CV/resume to span multiple pages if necessary.

The application fee is nonrefundable but limited application fee waivers may be available. View information about the application fee .

Applicants to any Georgetown program may choose to submit an Optional Statement that addresses diversity, personal background and contributions to community. A detailed prompt for the statement can be found in the application.

GRE and MCAT scores are not required, but we invite applicants to report these scores if they are available. View instructions for submitting official test results .

All applicants are required to demonstrate a level of proficiency in the English language sufficient to meet the admission requirement of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Follow the TOEFL/IELTS instructions in Admissions FAQ  to determine whether you need to send us test scores to prove your English language proficiency.

Prospective Students FAQ

Direct Application: International Applicants

Please note that the process of applying for a U.S. visa after being admitted to the program can take weeks or months and varies based on your country of origin. In the event that visas are not received in time, admitted students may defer their admission one time to a future open term. There is no additional admissions application fee charge for the one-time deferral.

For more information for international applicants, please see our Biomedical Graduate Education International Students page.

Direct Application: Tuition & Stipend

Biomedical Graduate Education PhD students can receive merit-based fellowship awards that cover tuition, stipend, student health insurance, dental insurance and mandatory fees. Visit BGE PhD Tuition & Stipend for more information.

Applicants with external (third-party) funding guaranteed for the entirety of their PhD program (e.g., scholarships, sponsorships or fellowships through governments, employers or any organization) should include a copy of their award/sponsorship letter with their application. If the sponsorship is awarded after you submitted your application, please send a PDF copy of the letter to BGEAdmissions@georgetown.edu to be added to your application file.

Direct Application: Training Grants

Students may apply to participate in Georgetown’s NIH-funded, externally peer-reviewed institutional training programs. Visit BGE T32 Training Grants to learn more about our programs.

Career Readiness

Our students benefit from the services of the Biomedical Graduate Education career office, including one-on-one advising, skills workshops, leadership programs and more.

PhD Student Career Services