Application & Admission

A bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, biology, biochemistry, nursing, mathematics, statistics, physics, information management, a health-related field, or a similar discipline is a basic requirement for admission to the graduate degree program. Students without a computational background are encouraged to take at least one or more introductory level courses in computer science before entering the program. Some background in biology and statistics are helpful, but not a requirement. The general university requirements for admissions are available at the Graduate School web site.

Admission: Students applying for the graduate degree program may enter only in the fall semester. The deadline by which the complete application for fall admission and all supporting credentials should reach Vanderbilt is January 15. Although highly qualified candidates, who apply after this date, may receive consideration. Applications can be completed online and the fee is $95.00. Please review the Graduate School's admission requirements for fee waivers. If you are seeking to apply after January 15, please contact Rischelle Jenkins for more information.

International Applicants:

The Department of Biomedical Informatics has very limited funds available to support foreign nationals. International students should first apply for independent funding from their country, an employer, or funding agencies that support international students

Alternatively, international applicants may apply if they can have the financial resources to pay for tuition, fees, books, and living expenses while pursuing a graduate degree in the department. Also the Department does not offer teaching assistant positions at the moment.

All international applicants are required to provide scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which is administered by the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. The Department requires applicants to meet or exceed a score of 600. International applicants who have obtained at least a masters level degree from an accredited US university are not required to provide TOEFL scores.