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Applying to a Life Sciences Program

While each program has its own admissions requirements and committee, all HILS programs take an integrated look at each application, holistically evaluating all aspects of the application rather than relying on any single factor to determine admission.

All HILS programs strive to promote and cultivate a culture of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging based on the belief that diversity in every dimension makes our programs stronger. While each program has its own admissions requirements and committee, all HILS programs take an integrated look at each application, holistically evaluating all aspects of the application rather than relying on any single factor to determine admission.

If you are interested in applying to a program affiliated with the HILS alliance, be sure to review the specific application requirements for your program of interest and the general Harvard Griffin GSAS application instructions. GRE scores are not required by any HILS program. However, some do allow the submission of scores if you choose to do so.

Applying to Multiple Programs in the HILS Federation

While prospective students are encouraged to carefully choose the HILS program that best fits their academic goals, interested applicants may apply to up to three programs and pay only one application fee. If you elect to apply to three programs, only two may be programs in the Division of Medical Sciences (these programs are biomedical informatics, biological and biomedical sciences, immunology, neuroscience, speech and hearing bioscience and technology, and virology). The fee waiver for additional applications is ONLY available for those applying to multiple programs in the HILS alliance. See Completing Your Application for information about fee waivers related to financial hardship.

You may begin and work on multiple applications through the application home page. Each application must be unique, containing a separate statement of purpose, transcripts, recommendations, and test scores. Please note that if you use the same recommenders for multiple applications, they must upload their letter of recommendation for each application.

After you submit your first application and pay the application fee, the fee will be waived for subsequent submissions.

You may submit a maximum of three applications to Harvard Griffin GSAS during the course of your academic career, which includes applications to multiple programs in the HILS federation, regardless of whether you submitted them under a single application fee.

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