Application Procedures and Forms

Please note that two sets of application materials are required: (a) one set for the Graduate Admissions Office (GAO), and (b) one set for the Department of Biology. These two sets of application materials differ from each other:

GAO Requirements (also summarized at: GAO): UNM Application One official transcript from each college or university you have attended. $50.00 application fee

Biology Requirements: One official transcript from each college or university you have attended; this is in addition to the ones required by the GAO. GRE official scores (general; see Biology's Graduate Program Admissions Requirements) Three letters of recommendation Letter of intent Departmental Applicant Information Form Curriculm Vitae (CV) or résumé Other materials you want to include (published articles, etc.)

It is your responsibility to ensure that all application materials arrive on time and contain the appropriate materials for both the Graduate Admissions Office and the Department of Biology. Please plan ahead and begin assembling these materials well in advance. In addition, please give your reviewers ample time so that their letters of recommendation can reach the Department of Biology by the application due dates.

APPLICATION DUE DATES—For best consideration, all application material should be received by the Graduate Admissions Office and the Department of Biology by January 3rd for admission the following Fall. Applications will continue to be considered throughout the Spring semester, however, availability of financial support (assistantships) may be limited.

The Department of Biology encourages all applicants to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ as early in the new year as possible, but no later than March 1st for UNM's priority deadline. This application allows accepted students to apply for scholarships they may not otherwise qualify for. UNM offers a New Mexico residents a scholarship (The 3% scholarship) that pays for tuition. To qualify for this scholarship, graduate students without departmental support must be New Mexico residents and have completed a FAFSA application. Note that students entering the graduate program without support are eligible, but that students with an Assistantship are not. More information about the "Graduate 3% Tuition Scholarship" can be found at http://www.unm.edu/~grad/funding/nmscholar.html

A) Graduate Admissions Office Application:
The on-line UNM Graduate Student application is located at http://www.unm.edu/apply/. Applicants may pay the application fee at the time they complete the application. Send transcripts to: UNM-Graduate Admissions Office, PO Box 4895, Albuquerque, NM 87196-4895.

Note for International Students Only—Special admission requirements and procedures apply to you. Please visit http://www.unm.edu/admissions/guidelines/international.html#greq for details and the application form. Do not apply using the application form for domestic applicants! In addition to the requirements listed above, international students must submit evidence of English language proficiency (e.g., TOEFL scores). Please contact the Office of International Admissions, goglobal@unm.edu, if you have any questions about admissions requirements specific to international students. Departmental materials required for international students are the same as for domestic students, and should be sent directly to the Department of Biology, as explained below.

B) Department of Biology Application:

     Send the Biology application materials to: Cheryl Martin, MSC03 2020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001.

For all applicants, the following materials must be received by the Department of Biology by January 3rd:

1. Transcripts—One official copy of your transcripts from each college you have attended must be received by the Department of Biology by January 3rd. Please note: this set of transcripts is in addition to the one official copy that you must send to the Graduate Admissions Office. Thus, for your application to be complete, one set of official transcripts must be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office, and an additional set must be sent to the Department of Biology. Transcripts may be sent directly to the Department of Biology from the university; they are required for the timely intradepartmental processing of your application, and should be in an envelope SEALED by the issuing university (do not open).
2. GRE Scores: General—The Department of Biology requires that you submit official scores from the General GRE test (Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical); UNM GRE Code: 4845. Arrange to take these tests early in the Fall semester so that the scores can reach the Department by January 3rd. Please note that it takes six weeks for the scores to be sent to the Department. Just in case these scores do not reach us in time, send a photocopy of them.
3. THREE Letters of Recommendation—The three letters of recommendation should be in envelopes sealed by the reviewers and signed by the reviewers over the seal. Or, the letters can be mailed directly by the reviewers to the Department of Biology. However, if you are not sending the letters yourself, you must indicate that the letters are arriving separately from the rest of your application materials, and the letters must be received by January 3rd. These letters should be professional recommendations that discuss your preparation, interest and capabilities for graduate school. Therefore, the recommendations should come from faculty members at institutions you have attended previously previously or from supervisors for whom you have worked in a professional capacity.
4. Letter of Intent—The letter of intent should be received by the Department of Biology by January 3rd and is considered carefully by the Graduate Student Selection Committee. In the letter, you should state your overall goals for attending graduate school and your anticipated plans for study at UNM. You also should provide a summary of your current research interests and the area(s) of future research emphasis in order to help determine which faculty members will review your application. If you have corresponded previously with a member of the Biology graduate faculty about working with him or her, you should mention that here.
5. Departmental Applicant Information Form—This Applicant Information Form should be received by the Department of Biology by January 3rd. It lets us know that your application has been sent to the Graduate Admissions Office, it tells us how to reach you if questions arise, and it allows you to request specific professors to review your file.
6. Curriculm Vitae or résumé.
7. Other Materials you want to include (publications, etc.)

A checklist of application materials to be sent to the Department of Biology is available for your convenience.