Admissions

Autumn 2026 Cohort applications will open on August 1, 2025.

Application Information

• The deadline for ALL 2026 applicants is November 13, 2025 (11:59 pm PT). Applications submitted by this deadline will be reviewed for matriculation in the Autumn 2026 cohort.
• Graduate Non-Matriculated (GNM) students will not be accepted.
• Undocumented individuals are eligible for admission; those with DACA status should refer to the DACA Students page for further details.
• The UW Graduate School application fee is $90.00. Fee waivers are available upon request via the application site. Fee waiver requests can take several days to process and should be submitted in advance of the application deadline. For more information on fee waivers visit the Graduate School Application Waiver Page.
• More information about the application process can be found here.
• Application is online only via the University of Washington Graduate Admissions site.

Application Instructions:

1. 1. Begin by going to the UW Grad School application site:
      • If you have not already done so, create a Login ID and password.
        • Follow the Neuroscience application instructions through the Graduate School website.
          • Please note that the Neuroscience program will not appear until the application is open.
   2. Academic History:
      • Please report and upload all transcripts from colleges and universities you previously attended, including colleges that you did not earn a degree or award at.
   3. Program Selection:
      In this section, select Graduate > By Degree > Doctoral > Neuroscience (PhD).
   4. Program Requirements:
      Select “Autumn 2026” for term and year of enrollment. Review and acknowledge requirements.
   5. Application Questions:
      Interest Areas:
      Select and rank a minimum of 3 (maximum of 5) interest areas from this list of 9 areas:
      • Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience (includes channels, synapses, membranes, neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, proteins, genetics, glia)
      • Cognitive function (includes learning & memory)
      • Computational/Theoretical Neuroscience
      • Development of the Nervous System
      • Disorders of the Nervous System (includes aging)
      • Motivation-Emotion-State (includes affective behaviors, brain or behavioral state, addiction, feeding, social interaction, sleep, stress, neuroendocrinology, metabolism)
      • Motor function (includes Brain-Computer Interfaces)
      • Sensory function and perception
      • Systems Neuroscience
   6. Faculty Interview Options
      List at least 5 Neuro faculty you would be interested in working with. For each faculty, indicate why you are interested in their labs and research (1,000 character limit).
      Review the Neuro faculty page for faculty who have indicated they are accepting rotating students. Given the national uncertainty around biomedical funding, applicants should be aware that we will be contacting listed faculty to confirm their ability to take students as part of the interview selection progress.
   7. Research Experience How many total hours of full-time research experience do you have? List your undergraduate and postbac research experience using the ‘Add Research Experience’ button below. Our program requires 2,080 hours (12 months) of full-time experience.* For each undergraduate and postbac research experience, you will be asked to include start dates and end dates; institution/employer; job title; hours per week; and total hours in role.

      Example: During their last two years of undergraduate study, Dubs T. Washington worked 20 hours per week as a lab assistant, including during summer. 20 hours per week for 104 weeks (2 years) = 2,080 total hours of research experience.
      *If you have less than 12 months, we will consider your application IF you use the Optional Essay to indicate your outstanding research experience via conferences, presentations, or publications.

   8. Short Answer Reponses:

      Please provide answers to the questions below, staying within the indicated character limits, which include spaces. We recommend that you write out answers to each question in a separate word-processing program and copy/paste them into the application. Make sure to review each question after pasting, as character counts may vary.

      ChatGPT / generative AI tools should be used only with caution. Your own natural writing voice will help distinguish your essays, whereas using AI to write an essay means your writing may sound too similar to other applicants using the same AI tools. Exclusively using an AI tool to write your essays is unacceptable.

      • • Question 1: Why do you want to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Washington specifically? Please keep your response to 2,000 characters.
        • Question 2: In your own words, give your scientific peers an “elevator pitch” about your most significant research experience. Tell us about the question/topic behind that experience, your hypothesis, how you tested your hypothesis, the methods you used, new techniques you learned or developed, your results, and how you analyzed those results. What might be the implications and possible applications of that work? In summation, we’d like to learn about your approach to science and how you “think like a scientist.” Please keep your response to 3,000 characters.
        • Question 3: Describe a time you navigated a challenging obstacle, scientific or otherwise. How did you handle it? Please keep your response to 2,000 characters.
        • Question 4: This next essay is two parts. Please describe the personal experiences that led you to pursue graduate education and how these experiences have contributed to your community and/or your growth as an individual. Possible topics include (but are not limited to): professional service, social and cultural experiences, leadership positions, areas of research, community engagement, equity and inclusion efforts, educational outreach, or navigating challenges in your career. (Note that there is no expectation to share detailed or sensitive information. Please refrain from including anything that you would not feel comfortable with discussing in an interview.)
        • Question 4 (part two): As a future member of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, how do you envision contributing to the neuroscience community at UW? Possible topics include (but are not limited to): joining campus or local organizations, promoting research aims or initiatives to promote wellbeing and belonging, specific advocacy efforts, local outreach, mentorship, etc. Please keep your response to 3,000 characters. 
        • Question 5 (Optional): Is there anything else relevant to your application that you would like to share that was not covered in the questions above? Note: you may also use this space if you wish to provide an explanation about low academic performance, especially if your Grade Point Average (GPA) is below the Graduate School’s 3.0 requirement. Mention if your GPA improved in your later quarters/semesters, an “upward trajectory.”  
          You may also use this space if you have under 12 months research experience to discuss your outstanding research experience via conferences, presentations, or publications. Please keep your response to 2,500 characters.

9. Application Materials:
Upload your Resume or CV as a PDF. Please include all research experience: this includes summer research internships, academic year research, post-baccalaureate, and/or work-related experiences. Also list posters, presentations, and publications. Other relevant information: education (degrees, certificates), awards, recognitions, teaching/leadership/mentorship experiences, volunteer activities, professional and social memberships, and hobbies.

10. Recommendations:

You will designate recommenders by entering their names and email addresses into the application system. We do not accept mailed (paper) recommendations. Two recommendations MUST be received by the application deadline. After the deadline, we begin reviews of completed applications ONLY; applications lacking the two required recommendations will not be reviewed.
Optional: you may designate a third recommender, although only two recommendations are required.

Review Process:

Applications are reviewed by an Admissions Committee consisting of Neuroscience faculty. All committee members use an evaluation rubric that rank the following criteria: Academic Preparation; Self-motivation & Perseverance; Commitment and Contributions to Community; Research Experience; Program Fit; Letters of Recommendation. 

Interview Process

1. 1. • After the reviews are completed, the Admissions Committee will select 50 applicants to interview.
      • We plan to notify these 50 applicants of their selection the week of December 14th.
      • It is important to us that the interviews are accessible and inclusive. We will provide resources and technical support to help prospective students participate.

Application finalists will be invited to virtually interview during one of these two time periods:

1. 1. • February 10-11, 2026
      • February 11-12, 2026

No exceptions to these dates will be made. Applicants should keep these time periods fully available, as we will have events distributed across both days.

Requirements and Prerequisites

1. 1. • We encourage students from a broad range of academic backgrounds to apply, including those with undergraduate or a Master degrees in neuroscience, biology, math, physics, computer science, or engineering.
      • Applicants must have a minimum of 12 months of research experience, preferably in neuroscience.
      • Although not required, we do recommend that prospective students have taken calculus before entering our program.

GRE Scores

1. 1. • GRE scores are not required or accepted for the Graduate Program in Neuroscience.

English Proficiency

English Language proficiency (ELP) is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. Therefore, every applicant whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency as outlined in Graduate School Policy 3.2.
The Neuroscience graduate program requires non-native English speakers to submit an official score demonstrating the “recommended score” for the accepted tests.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The Graduate Program in Neuroscience follows the Graduate School GPA policy: a minimum 3.0 grade-point-average on a 4-point scale (or equivalent measures of performance if a graduate of an institution with no grading system) for those credits earned at the institution awarding the bachelor’s degree OR at least a 3.0 grade-point-average (on a 4-point scale) for the last 90 graded quarter credits or 60 graded semester credits.

Admitted In-Person Visits

1. 1. • March 24-25, 2026

We plan to send 2026 offers of admissions the week following interviews (around February 18 -20).
Students who receive an offer of admission are invited to come visit campus. Limited spots are available as we provide travel & lodging support, and they are granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. We want to offer additional opportunities to connect our potential students to a community they can interact with in our Program, the UW, and Seattle.

Transferring To The Program

Students who are currently enrolled in a PhD program elsewhere and want to transfer to our program will need to apply through our annual application process.

If a potential transfer student is accompanying new faculty, we follow the graduate school policy 3.1.2.3 Alternate Standards for Doctoral Students Accompanying New Faculty

Once admitted, transcripts and course syllabi will be reviewed to identify which courses from the curriculum can be waived based on prior coursework completion.

UW Statement of Non-Discrimination 

The University of Washington prohibits discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns, make complaints, or direct inquiries to the Civil Rights Compliance Office. The statement of nondiscrimination is located at: uw.edu/civilrights/policies-and-guidance/statement-of-nondiscrimination/