Application Requirements and Process

The J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering graduate program is defined by our diverse, dynamic, and engaged student body. Students admitted to our programs become part of this growing family and serve as ambassadors to this department, college, university, and discipline.

We seek to evaluate students in a holistic manner, taking into account not just a student’s academic background, but also their life experience and engagement outside of the classroom. Please review instructions below that provide information as to how you can best convey all of your experiences.

Please follow the directions outlined below for successful submission of your application. Note that incomplete applications cannot be reviewed and will remain at the Office of Admissions until ALL required credentials have been received. International students should apply well in advance of the deadline, as credentials typically take longer to process.

All interested students must apply through the University of Florida Graduate Application system. Please follow the explicit steps outlined below to ensure a complete application to our BME Graduate Programs.

Applying via the UF Application System

Personal Info:
Complete all required information.

Conduct Disclosure and Application Information:
Complete requested information.

Application Type
Complete requested information.

Program of Study
Select “Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering” and then “Biomedical Engineering” with the degree you intend to apply under and select the “appropriate” term. Finally, select “Save and Confirm Program.”

Note: All PhD applicants are automatically considered for the Masters program, so you do not need to apply to both. Also, all Masters program application (MS or ME) will be routed to the same applicant pool and all applicants are automatically entered into the MS program. (Students can easily switch to the ME program once they provide validation that they earned an undergraduate degree in engineering from an ABET accredited school.)

Additional Information
Please leave this portion blank.

Note: We no longer offer the Medical Physics program through BME, so we are not accepting applications for this concentration. Any applications for this concentration will be canceled. If you are interested in the Medical Physics program, apply via the College of Medicine Medical Physics Graduate Program.

Academic Background
Select your undergraduate major and specialization (if applicable). Use the “Select a College” feature to complete your current institutions information. All applicants should upload their unofficial transcript(s) (official transcripts will only be required if admission is offered and you accept the offer). Finally, insert the total number of junior and senior-level semester/quarter hours earned for each letter grade in the appropriate box.

If an international student, check the box under “Self-Reported GPA Calculation.” If domestic, calculate your GPA by following the instructions (this expedites applicant reviews).

Activities
Complete as outlined. The site will require you to enter at least one activity. This section is not critical, as your resume can outline your activities.

Test Score Information
The GRE is no longer required for admission to our graduate programs. For international applicants, UF requires proficiency in spoken and written English and accepts the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The university’s TOEFL code is 5812. (See potential exclusions to this policy).

Note: International applicants are exempt from the English proficiency requirement if enrolled for one academic year in a degree-seeking program at a recognized/regionally accredited university or college in a country where English is the official language prior to your anticipated term of enrollment at UF, or if you are from one of the following countries.

Additional Questions
The more information the applicant can provide within this section of the Application, the easier it can be for the review committee to holistically review the student.

Statement of Purpose
The J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering values a holistic graduate application review process. Accordingly, please address the following questions in your statement of purpose. Statements are limited to 1.5 – 2 single-spaced pages in length.

Required:

  • Describe how your individual background and life experiences influenced your desire to pursue graduate education, and how UF BME will help you achieve your professional goals. Include specific details pertaining to faculty, research foci in our department, and outreach interests.
  • Describe your philosophy and/or strategy for overcoming challenges. If possible, provide specific examples how you persisted through a difficult life experience, and how that might translate to difficult situations in graduate school.

Optional:

  •  Describe any challenges you may have faced during your undergraduate or prior graduate program that is not reflected in your written academic record (e.g., research opportunities; grades; personal).
  •  Upload a technical writing sample to the miscellaneous section of the online application (e.g., journal article; lab report; senior design report; white paper; conference abstract).

Resume/Other
This section provides a means to upload additional documents.

All applicants must:

  • upload a resume in the resume section to summarize their academic experience.
    • Please note, pursuant to Florida Statute, your application requires inclusion of all post-high school education and employment, as well as information about ongoing international affiliations and research funding. Please ensure this information is included on your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.

All Ph.D. applicants must:

  • upload a completed PhD Graduate Admission Checklist in the resume section under the “Other Upload” tab.

Special Program Section
Complete the requested information as directed. Note that this section serves only to gather information regarding fellowships the applicant has applied to at the time of the application. Selecting a fellowship option in the UF Application System will not start the selected fellowship application process for the student. The student must independently apply for any fellowships via the organization’s specific process. Note: If you selected “applied to”, you must provide some form of documentation of this application to proceed to the next step. This would include any submission documents (the actual grant application is not required). If you are planning to apply for fellowships, but have not done so at this time, do not select any options or you application will remain incomplete. You are free to mention fellowships you are going to apply to in your Statement of Purpose. If interested in fellowship opportunities, please see here for a summary of some opportunities. If a student has already received a commitment of funding for their graduate work, this should be upload under the Resume/Other section.

Recommendations
Three (3) Letters of Recommendations are required to apply to our graduate program. Recommenders must be designated within recommendation section of UF application. These letters cannot be sent directly to the department and must only be received via the UF Application system. The best recommendations come from faculty or references that know the applicant beyond the classroom and can clearly convey knowledge of the applicant’s research interests, attitude, and work ethic and style.

Residency Affidavit
Complete the requested information. Note that residency status has no impact on admission decisions, only tuition rates.
Application Summary: Review application for accuracy and pay application fee to submit the application.

Application Fee
Submit the $30.00 application fee via the UF Office of Admissions online application. Note: The Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida provides PhD application fee waivers to selected PhD applicants that meet exceptional criteria. See admissions for details and request information and apply.

Additional Documents Required to Complete Application
In addition to the UF Application system, students must also send in the REQUIRED information and/or documents listed below. Only send the materials listed below, as other materials that were not uploaded in the original application (e.g. resumes, publications, and certifications) cannot be forwarded to the department or used in the review process. Admission decisions cannot be made until all required application materials have been received.

  • For International Applicants: Official transcripts and diplomas/degree certificates from all schools attended in the original language, accompanied by an official English translation

DO NOT SEND PRINTED MATERIALS, TRANSCRIPTS OR SCORES TO THE BME DEPARTMENT AS THESE MUST BE ROUTED VIA THE UF APPLICATION SYSTEM.