All PhD applications must be submitted electronically. For more information about the application process, please visit our Graduate Admissions Website 

Please note that GRE scores are not evaluated as part of the admissions process and are not required. For information on fee waivers, please review the policy on the admissions website.

Applicant-Support Program

The department and university are strongly committed to equity, and inclusion. The Applicant-Support Program will offer assistance to applicants from under-served or under-resourced communities in the admissions process.  The program will connect each applicant with a current PhD student who will serve as a buddy/mentor to help navigate the process, give feedback on the resume and personal statement, and provide any other reasonable assistance necessary.  To participate students are asked to apply to participate no later than November 10th for each application cycle using the link below:

Applicant Support Program Application

Academic prerequisite requirements for the degree are an undergraduate degree in an engineering subject or an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution with a physical science, natural science or math major.

If you are an international applicant or a non-US citizen or permanent resident and English is not your native language, you must submit official scores for (1) the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), (2) the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or (3) Duolingo English Test (DET).

• The institution code for the TOEFL exam is 2888.
• Test results must be valid when you submit your application.
• You must take the exam by the application deadline.
• Test scores from at-home administration of the GRE and TOEFL exams are accepted.
• Please send your IELTS score report electronically to “University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science.”
• Please send your DET score report electronically to “ University of Pennsylvania – School of Engineering and Applied Science – Graduate.”

The GRE is not required.

The TOEFL: test with a score above 600 written test) or 250 (computer-based test) or 100 (internet-based test).

*To have this requirement waived, the applicant must, by the time of matriculation:

• Graduated from a program in the United States or,
• Attended school in a country in which English is recognized as the official language or,
• Be from an institution where the medium of instruction is English and this is indicated on the official transcript

For more information go to: https://gradadm.seas.upenn.edu/how-to-apply/
You will find additional information on these tests from the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
Test score reporting should be completed only through ETS, as only official scores received from ETS will be considered.

The Department encourages all students to apply for graduate training fellowships during their graduate studies. Students who apply for and receive fellowships prior to matriculating to Penn gain tremendous flexibility in choosing a lab for research. Fellowships are available from several sources and can allow student s to focus on a specific cross-disciplinary area, such as the NIBIB-HHMI Interfaces Program at Penn  geared toward Ph.D. training in Biomedical Imaging or a Medical Physics concentration geared toward Ph.D. training in Medical Physics. More information on fellowships and support can be found here.

A Bioengineering faculty committee reviews each application for merit. When a completed application is received, it is evaluated promptly by our Bioengineering faculty committee. Admittance is based on an estimate of the applicant’s ability to successfully complete our graduate program and on the compatibility of student interests with our programs and research. When an admissions decision is reached, the applicant will be notified directly through the online application system. Please note that admission decisions cannot be revealed over the telephone.

We consider the whole student, including undergraduate and graduate transcripts, program of study,  recommendation letters, research experiences, and the candidate’s personal statement.

Admission is competitive, and we are proud of the diverse academic, cultural, and national backgrounds of each incoming class.

Because this is an engineering research-oriented program, we suggest students submit letters of recommendation from research and independent-study supervisors, if possible, especially in engineering or applied science-related areas.

Awards are announced by the respective chairman of the graduate group for Ph.D. candidates after on-campus interviews with prospective mentors. These interviews are by invitation only, after careful evaluation of the student’s application.

After reviewing applications, we invite about 15 percent of applicants to campus in February and March. If you are invited for an interview, you will be notified via email in January.