Admission to our graduate program is extremely competitive. Admission decisions are based on the following: transcripts, letters of recommendation, letter of interest, and GRE and TOEFL (international students) results. It is imperative that your application be complete. For admission in full standing a minimum of 1000 (verbal plus quantitative) GRE score is required for both M.S. and Ph.D. However, a higher score is recommended to be competitive for teaching assistantships.
To be admitted into Graduate School in biology you must be accepted by a faculty advisor in the Department of Biology. Your application will not be reviewed until an advisor accepts you. It is your responsibility to contact the faculty member and request acceptance as a student in his/her laboratory. You will find a list of our faculty members, their e-mail addresses, and a short synopsis of their research interests on the following page: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/biology/people/faculty/index.php.
Applications for the fall semester should be received by February 1.  Applications are not accepted for spring semester, unless the applicant is requested by a faculty member. Applications received after February 1 will be considered, but the applicant may not be included in financial-aid decisions.

The application process has two steps.

First, apply on line or mail an application to the Graduate School along with the required application fee. Applicants who have not paid application fees will not be considered for admission in the Department of Biology. The Graduate School requires: Official transcripts for all undergraduate/graduate work, and GRE and TOEFL (international students) results. Address below:
The UM Graduate School
The Graduate House
Old P.R. Building
P.O. Box 1848
University, MS 38677
Phone: 662.915.7474
Fax: 662.915.6557
You can check on your application status at this website: https://umepp3.olemiss.edu:8443/irj/portal/anonymous.

Second, the Department of Biology requires the following additional material.  It can also be submitted on line with the Graduate School application:

• area of interest within Biology (ecology, botany, physiology, fisheries, etc.).  Fill in the blank of the on-line form.
• a typewritten statement of your research interests and career goals (statement of purpose)
• at least two letters of recommendation (these should be sent directly from the recommender). You indicate the email address and name of the person, and they make recommendation on line.

Should you need to submit materials to the Biology Department, the address is below:
Chair of Graduate Studies
University of Mississippi
Department of Biology
P.O. Box 1848
University, MS 38677-1848
We no longer require the following:

• GRE subject test in Biology;
• Foreign-language proficiency.