Prospective Students

Thank you for applying to the Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP)!

The requirements for admission to the NGP PhD program are rigorous. UVA's NGP recruits a competitive group of students who will become future scientific leaders in the field of neuroscience in academia, industry, and other areas.

As NGP is part of the BIMS umbrella program, we require:

An unofficial transcript of entire post-secondary academic record (undergraduate- and graduate-level coursework)
Three letters of recommendation
Two short personal statements describing prior experience, passion for research, motivation for pursuing graduate school, and interest in UVA BIMS.
$85 non-refundable application fee (please click here for information on fee waivers)
TOEFL/IELTS scores for international applicants who have NOT obtained an undergraduate or Master’s degree from an institution where the primary language of instruction is English. Minimum scores for TOEFL is 90 (with sectional minimums of 22 in speaking, 22 in writing, 23 in reading, and 23 in listening).

Our Admissions Committee reviews all applications we receive. However, we prefer applicants who:

Have completed a Bachelor’s degree from a reputable undergraduate institution with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Have had at least one year of research in biomedical science, with a preference for neuroscience.
Have at least one letter of recommendation from a research advisor familiar with their research experience.
Have demonstrated a strong passion and commitment for research.
Have completed coursework in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Mathematics.

The application system for admission in Fall 2025 will open on September 1, 2024, and will close on December 1, 2024, at 11:59 PM. More information on the admission process can be found on the UVA Biomedical Sciences website.