Application Instructions

NOTE: there have been recent revisions of these pages. Please review what is current as of Aug 20, 2007

Admissions Criteria

This is a competitive program, with a minority of the applicants being offered admission to the department. Fulfillment of the criteria specified below is not in itself sufficient for admission. The applicants with the strongest academic records and research interests that most closely match those of our graduate faculty will be offered admission.

The Research Statement required in the application carries great weight in the admissions decision. You must describe your research interests so that we can determine if they are compatible with the current research activities of one or more of our graduate faculty. The statement also lets us evaluate your knowledge of your discipline and your ability to articulate and motivate an interesting research problem. The required letters of recommendation are also extremely important to help us discriminate among applicants on the basis of aptitude for biological studies and research experience and potential for success.

You will not be accepted into our program unless at least one faculty member shares your research interests and is willing to serve as your major professor (chair of your thesis research supervisory committee). Thus, we encourage prospective students to establish a dialog via letter, telephone, or e-mail with one or more appropriate faculty members prior to applying to our program. We encourage you to send them your CV and other relevant information and to discuss your scientific interests and research ideas. NOTE: in your submitted application you must indicate 3 potential supervisors.

We also encourage you to visit the University of Florida campus and meet with Zoology faculty and graduate students. We prefer, however, that you wait to arrange a visit until we have selected a short-list of possible candidates.

Application Deadlines and Admissions Notification

We review applications for admission to our Graduate Program one time each year. The application deadline is December 15 (the main application must be received by this time, and all supporting documents must be submitted before we can consider an application, preferably also by December 15). There is no guarantee that materials received or completed after this date will be reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Committee.

During January, the Graduate Committee will review all files. In late January, a short-list will be sent to the faculty for input, and we anticipate inviting our top applicants to visit UF in late February. In early March, we will make admission decisions for the coming Fall term, and extend offers from early March through April. Students are expected to join our program in the Fall, but under special circumstances can request a deferment until January.

Information for International Applicants

The University of Florida requires that most foreign applicants must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and score at least 80 (internet), 550 (paper) or 213 (computer), and achieve a verbal GRE of at least 320. The TOEFL requirement is waived for foreign students who have successfully completed at least one year at a college or university in the United States.

Graduate applicants from these countries are not required to submit TOEFL scores: Antigua, Australia, Anguilla, Antarctica (British), Barbados, Bermuda, Bahamas, Belize, Bophuthatswana, Botswana, British Solomon Islands, Brunei, Canada, Sri Lanka, Channel Islands, Ciskei, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, Ireland, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibralter, Grenada, Guyana, India, British Indian Ocean Territories, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Liberia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Malta, Nauru, Nigeria, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia), Philippines, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Singapore, St. Lucia, Trinidad; Tobago, Tonga, Transkei, Tuvalu, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, St. Vincent, British Virgin Islands, Venda, Virgin Islands, Vatican City, Namibia (South West Africa), Western Samoa, Swaziland, and Zambia.

Note: Puerto Rican students must submit TOEFL scores.

Florida law requires that international Teaching Assistants (students from countries in which English is not an official language) must pass the TOEFL and either 1) the Test of Spoken English (TSE) given by the Educational Testing Service, or 2) the SPEAK test given by Academic Spoken English program of the University of Florida. These tests are not required for students supported by fellowships or research assistantships.

Graduate applicants from these countries are not required to take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or SPEAK test to be appointed as teaching assistants: Antigua, Australia, Anguilla, Antarctica (British), Barbados, Bermuda, Bahamas, Belize, Botswana, Canada, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Ireland, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Gambia, Ghana, Gibralter, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, New Zealand, Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia), Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, St. Vincent, British Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands, Western Samoa, and Swaziland.

To Apply

To apply, go to the application checklist and proceed.

Information about application materials can be obtained from the Graduate Program Assistant, who can also answer basic questions about program requirements and the status of your application materials.

Questions about our academic program and admissions decisions can be directed to the Graduate Coordinator.