The Graduate Studies Process, From Application to Enrollment
Complete the Application!
For Public Health Graduate Programs, use the SOPHAS Application
For the Nursing Graduate Program, use the NursingCAS Application
Becoming a UNMC graduate student begins with the application. UniCAS is the system you will use to upload certain information and monitor your application status. If you need help or have questions with the system, the UniCAS instructions page serves as your go-to guide.
Are you eligible to apply to Graduate Studies?
- A minimum of a 4-year U.S. Bachelor's Degree or international equivalent
- Minimum 3.0 GPA, based on a 4-point scale
- GRE scores for many programs (must be taken within 5 years)
- Additional information for some graduate degree programs
For complete details on admissions eligibility, read the Graduate Studies Catalog.
Step 1: Application & Materials
Make sure all of your information is submitted prior to your program's application deadline. Please use a valid email address on your application, as this is how Graduate Studies will communicate with you.
- APPLICATION — Complete the Application for Admission.
- For Public Health Graduate Programs, use the SOPHAS Application.
- For the Nursing Graduate Program, use the NursingCAS Application.
If you're applying for the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, make sure to review their application tips.
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$60 APPLICATION FEE — The fee is non-refundable, so review exemption rules BEFORE payment.
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OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS — Submit official transcripts according to the instructions below:
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International applicants: Make sure you follow all instructions here very carefully.
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Transcript evaluations from a foreign evaluation vendor may not be directly mailed to UNMC. All transcript evaluations must be submitted through a foreign evaluation vendor. Do not directly mail your transcript to UNMC.
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Domestic applicants: Make sure you follow all instructions here very carefully.
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- LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY — International applicants have additional language proficiency requirements.
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3 LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION — Give the email addresses of recommenders or evaluators, who will then submit their letters online.
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PERSONAL NARRATIVE — Describe your career goals and how your program would help achieve those goals. Submitted via UniCAS.
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RESUME OR CV — Upload a resume or CV to UniCAS.
Step 2: Application Review
After submitting your application, you’ll receive an email of acknowledgement from Graduate Studies that will give you details on how to monitor your application documents.
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PRELIMINARY REVIEW BY GRADUATE STUDIES — Once your application is submitted, the Graduate Studies Office will conduct a preliminary review. Monitor your application progress through Graduate Application Status in UniCAS.
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PROGRAM REVIEW — After you've submitted all the program-specific materials, your program's Graduate Admissions Committee will decide if your application is accepted. Non-degree students skip this process.
Committees meet on varying schedules. Contact your Graduate Program for application status information.
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FINAL REVIEW BY GRADUATE STUDIES — After the program notifies Graduate Studies of their decision, we conduct a final review by checking all eligibility, English proficiency, and funding requirements. We will notify you by email if additional materials are needed.
Note: For those expecting to hold an F or J visa, we'll ask you to contact the International Health and Medical Education Office (IHME).
Step 3: Admission & Enrollment
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ACCEPTANCE EMAIL — If you are admitted to Graduate Studies, you'll receive an email of acceptance. International students will be contacted by the international student advisor from IHME.
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ENROLLMENT — View the steps that you must complete before proceeding with enrollment here.
Additional Information You Need to Apply
Students in McNair, BRIN/INBRE, MARC, or CSC can waive the fee. You can begin your application, but do not proceed with payment. Contact the Admission Specialist in Graduation Studies to be granted a waiver. If you do proceed with payment before acquiring the waiver, the fee is nonrefundable.
When submitting your application for the IGPBS, in the Question section, you will have two options for Question 1:
- Multi-Program Application
You can apply as an IGPBS multi-program student. "Multi-program" means that you prefer to have the option to perform research rotations in any laboratory affiliated with the IGPBS program, in any of the IGPBS doctoral programs. If you choose this option, once you start filling out information in the Questions section of the application, you will be prompted to choose two (2) doctoral programs that most interest you (Questions 2A and 2B), along with a third alternate program (Question 2C). Students will commit to a doctoral program at the time their laboratory rotations are completed.
- Single-Program Application
You can apply as an IGPBS single-program student and choose to commit immediately to one of the following seven doctoral programs (Question 3).
- IGPBS Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- IGPBS Bioinformatics & Systems Biology
- IGPBS Cancer Research
- IGPBS Immunology, Pathology & Infectious Disease
- IGPBS Integrative Physiology & Molecular Medicine
- IGPBS Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology
- IGPBS Neuroscience
By applying to a single doctoral program at the time of application means that it is your intent at this time to pursue research in that particular program and plan to conduct your research rotations in labs associated only with this program.
The ETS (GRE and TOEFL) institution Code for UNMC is 6896.
GRE scores must be within 5 years in order to be valid. TOEFL or IELTS scores can be no more than 2 years old.
Submit IELTS and DAT scores to:
UNMC Graduate Studies
987810 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-7810
Graduate students are admitted into three types of categories.
- Full Graduate Standing: Students who have met the minimum requirements for admission and are accepted into a program that leads to a graduate degree.
- Provisional Status: Students who have potential for successful graduate work but also have deficiencies in prerequisite courses or other admission conditions. These students cannot become degree candidates unless recommended for Full Graduate Standing by their program’s Graduate Committee.
- Non-Degree Seeking Status: Students who meet admission requirements and wish to complete courses without a degree objective.
Seniors may receive up to 12 hours of credit for graduate courses taken at any campus of the University of Nebraska, in addition to the courses necessary to complete their undergraduate work. Credits must be earned within the 12 months prior to receiving your degree.
Seniors within the University of Nebraska system who don't need more than 9 hours of undergraduate credit to complete the bachelor’s degree, may be granted provisional admission to the Graduate College subject to receiving their baccalaureate degrees within one calendar year. Such applicants must follow the regular admission procedures.