IGP Admission Procedure
Instructions for the online application are here. The application for Fall 2026 will open August 1, 2025.
IGP Admissions Timeline
| August 1 | Online Application available online for the following Fall semester |
| December 1 | Deadline for applications |
| January-March | On-campus interviews for selected candidates |
| April 15 | Deadline for candidates to accept offers to the graduate programs |
About application requirements, procedures and deadlines
To apply to the program, please use the online application, which is linked on this page with instructions. When you open your application, you have to specify which program within the Graduate School you are applying.
- Under Area of Study, select “Biomedical and Biological Sciences” or “Interdisciplinary Programs”.
- From the Program Selection menu, select the “IGP in Biomedical and Biological Sciences”.
The application will include:
- Personal history: education, work, publications
- CV (optional but recommended)
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcript(s), unofficial is fine.
- 3 Letters of Recommendation, up to 5 allowed
- TOEFL, IELTS or Duo-Lingo test scores if English is not your native language or if the international applicant graduated from non-English degree granting institution.
- Application fee
A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution in the United States or equivalent training at a foreign university is required. Students who will graduate and obtain their bachelor’s degree prior to the beginning of the Fall term are qualified to apply.
We do holistic review of our applications. Successful applicants have extensive independent, hypothesis-driven laboratory research experience, strong grades in their STEM courses, and strong recommendation letters that speak to the applicant’s research experience and interest.
Applications are due by Midnight (Central Time) on December 1. There is no priority deadline. Only submitted and complete applications will be reviewed by the IGP admissions committee.
Application review by the IGP Admissions Committee begins after December 1. With over 1200 applications to review, this process continues for several weeks, into February. As applications are reviewed, invitations to interview for the IGP will be issued via email. You will not see a change in your application status in the application portal. Email invitations to interview will contain instructions on selecting an interview date.
Once all applications have been reviewed, applicants will be notified if they have not been invited to interview. This typically will occur by the end of February.
Candidates who have interviewed and have been offered admission to the IGP have until April 15 to make their decision. Instructions to accept or decline admission are in the offer of admission letter from the Graduate School.
About the application
The application deadline is December 1. Applications will begin to be reviewed after that date.
No. IGP only accepts students for Fall Admission.
Our application fee is $95. We have a robust waiver process as a part of this in order to ensure that we continue to recruit those students coming from groups that could be disadvantaged by the fee.
In accordance with the interests of the US congress and its commitment to training well qualified and highly diverse students for careers in the biomedical sciences, fee waivers can be obtained for any person who has performed biological or biomedically-oriented research which has been supported by the NIH, the NSF, or any other agency or private foundation within the US. This waiver applies to US citizens, permanent residents, and international applicants. You will find this waiver on the Experiences page of the IGP application. There is more specific information on application fee waivers on the Online Application page.
Your application status will not change online. You will be notified if you have been invited to interview for our program. Otherwise, we will contact you when all interview invitations have been extended regarding your application status.
We absolutely accept international applicants, and our international students receive the same package as domestic applicants. Please see this page for more information.
No, you do not need a faculty sponsor to apply to our program. All students rotate through 4 labs before joining what will be their research thesis lab.
About interviews and admissions offers
Application review begins after the application deadline. Interview offers are sent on a rolling basis. If an applicant has not received an invitation by March 15th, they are not being considered for an interview with the IGP program.
Typically we will send an email with a link to a survey that asks about preferences for interview dates, faculty of interest, and other details. However, if you do not quickly respond to this email, we will send a follow up message. Please be sure to check your spam folder.
The IGP committee meets over several weeks, and reviews approximately 100 applications per week. After each meeting, invitations to interview are issued, so that will occur into February. Once all the applications have been reviewed, applicants will be informed of their status.
You will make your own travel arrangements, and we will reimburse you for the cost of your travel. If your travel cost exceeds our allotted cost, reach out for pre-approval for the extra cost and the approximate amount. While here for the interview, we will pay for your hotel and meals on the interview day.
You have until April 15th to make a final decision. However, once you have made a final decision (either way) we would be grateful if you share those plans with us; it helps us consider other candidates on our waitlist. If you have anything else you would like to know during your decision making process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
About the program and degree
No, the IGP is a Ph.D.-track program that feeds into the eleven basic science departments and programs in the School of Medicine as well as the Dept of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts & Science.
Yes! We prepare students for any career trajectory they are interested in. Please check out the website of our ASPIRE Office of Career Development.
About the numbers
We always shoot for a range, this year the range is 70-75 for both the combined IGP and QCB programs.
The number has been increasing for some time, but currently we have approximately 1,400 submitted applications between the IGP and QCB programs.
About funding
Yes, the IGP offers full financial support and covers all tuition, fees, and student health insurance, including dental insurance and a yearly eye exam. In addition, students receive a stipend. First year compensation for 2024-25 is $38,000 plus a relocation bonus of $2,000 to be used for upfront costs associated with relocating to Nashville. You can see comparative cost of living between Nashville and other cities under Financial Support
At Vanderbilt University, we hold the sincere belief that fostering the advancement of and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion of all students, faculty, and staff benefits all members of our community. To bring to life our vision of inclusive excellence, we are intentional about recruiting, retaining, and supporting diverse and underrepresented groups of students. We encourage individuals from all populations to apply to our graduate programs. The university does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, socio-economic background, or disability.