The MSBDS and MSIBS application opens on Sept. 1 and closes on Jan. 31. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early. For questions about our application process, please contact I2DB-Education@wustl.edu.
In addition to the online application, you will be required to submit:
- Statement of Purpose
Provide a personal statement that describes your specific interests in the field of biostatistics, data science, and/or biomedical informatics. Your essay should be up to two pages, single spaced, and should address the following:- Factors influencing you to apply to this program in Biostatistics, Data Science, or Biomedical Informatics
- Long-term career goals and why this program is a good fit for you to achieve those goals
- Relevant work, research, volunteer, or other experiences that will contribute to your overall success as a graduate student, investigator, data scientist within health research
- Specific health topics and/or research methods that interest you
- Any personal hardships or obstacles encountered that have impacted or influenced you
- CV or résumé
- Kira Virtual Interview
- Students will complete an online interview assessment, and a link to access their online assessment will become available to them upon submission of their application materials.
- Your Kira assessment gives you the flexibility to show us who you are, when and where it’s convenient for you. By removing the travel and time costs associated with face-to-face interviews, we aim to make it easier for us to get to know each other better.
- Assessing applicants in Kira Talent helps our admissions team mitigate the impact of bias in the admissions process. Your responses will be independently evaluated by multiple reviewers who will assess your strengths using competency-based criteria and structured rubrics. This process not only ensures consistency in the way that we assess and score our applicants, it also means that your success doesn’t rest on a single reviewer.
- The Kira platform is fully accessible in accordance with WCAG 2.0 AA standards, giving all applicants an equal opportunity to impress. If you’d like to request additional accommodation, please contact us.
- Institute for Informatics, Data Science, and Biostatistics Use of AI in Application Policy: It is our expectation that applicants provide materials with original thought in their verbal responses and writing. I2DB admissions staff have clearly communicated these expectations to prospective students through information sessions, one-on-one meetings, within the application instructions, and on the website.
- Three academic letters of recommendation
At least two letters should be from recent academic advisors or instructors preferably related to coursework in statistics, math, or statistical programming. A letter from a research mentor is also acceptable. - Documentation of degrees and transcripts
Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for initial application review. However, if admitted, official transcripts of all academic work at the higher education level are to be submitted either electronically to I2DB-Education@wustl.edu (preferred) or in a sealed envelope sent directly by the university to the address below. Transcripts must include the grading scale. If a grading scale is not included, Washington University in St. Louis’ grading scale will be used to evaluate course grades. A grade of C or better is required for all pre-requisite courses. - Applicants who have completed or are in the process of completing an undergraduate or graduate degree at institutions outside of the United States are required to submit academic records to complete their credential evaluation through World Education Services(WES).
- Evaluations are a required component since they determine how your academics are graded compared to the U.S. education system. Be sure to follow the steps below to secure your credential evaluation:
- Applicants can create a WES account by visiting: https://applications.wes.org/createaccount/login/login
- Select the course-by-course evaluation option to ensure that your evaluation meets our requirements for admission review.
- To ensure that Washington University School of Medicine Institute for Informatics, Data Science and Biostatistics receives an official copy of your evaluation, select it from the drop-down box and add it as a recipient.
- If you provided a WES transcript reflecting in-progress study, a follow-up WES course-by-course evaluation showing the complete academic record and degree conferral could be required. Applicants are responsible for paying all fees for such evaluations, upgrades, as well as making arrangements with WES to send and receive their documents.
- International applicants must have all transcripts officially translated into English. Both the unofficial and the English-translated version must be submitted. WES evaluations do not include translation services. WES does not provide translation services.
- Evaluations are a required component since they determine how your academics are graded compared to the U.S. education system. Be sure to follow the steps below to secure your credential evaluation:
- Official TOEFL or IELTS Scores ‡
The TOEFL or IELTS is required for all international applicants. See waiver eligibility requirements below. If you already have notification of your score, please attach a copy with your application. The test must have been taken within the last 2 years.
The official TOEFL scores should be sent directly to Washington University in St. Louis (the code is 6929). For IELTS, please send official scores electronically to Washington University in St. Louis Graduate Admissions.
English Proficiency Standards for Admission to Washington University in St. Louis & Visa Issuance U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires universities admitting international students to verify that each non-native English-speaking student has sufficient English language proficiency to succeed in the academic program. Therefore, admitting departments must present proof of this level of proficiency for each non-native English-speaking student before visa eligibility documents can be processed by the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS)
Fulfilling the USCIS Requirement To fulfill this requirement, applicants must take the TOEFL iBT or IELTS. Applicants will provide an official score report showing a score at or above the following minimum levels:
| ELP Test | University Minimum | Program Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.5 | 7.0 |
| TOEFL | 90 | 100 |
- For an applicant’s official test score to be valid for the purpose of English proficiency certification, the applicant must take the test less than two years before requesting that the score be reported to the university.†
Programs with High English Communication Demands
For programs whose students will serve as associates in instruction, do extensive reading and writing, complete a practicum or clinical experience, or otherwise meet a particularly high standard of English proficiency, departments are encouraged to establish a minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL iBT or 7 on the IELTS Academic module.‡
Waiving the English Proficiency Test Requirement
The English proficiency test requirement is waived for citizens of Australia, Cameroon, Commonwealth Caribbean nations, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe. It may also be waived for students who have completed three or more years of study in an approved English-medium academic program in any of the aforementioned countries, Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa, or the United States. If a student has completed three or more years of study in an English-medium university-level academic program in a country other than the ones listed above, the admitting department will need to request a waiver on a case-by-case basis. In this case, the department is responsible for providing documentation to support this request (e.g., proof of appropriate minimum English proficiency standards at that university). - WashU English Language Course
We will require that all students who have not completed three or more years of consecutive study in the US or a predominately English-speaking country enroll in U15-1120 English Advantage: Biostatistics & Biomedical Informatics at the student’s own expense during their first fall term. - Please note that GRE scores are not required to apply and thus will not be considered during application review.
- Application fee and waivers
I2DB application fee:
MS program: $50.00
Certificate program: $25.00
Eligibility for a fee waiver is assessed on submission of an application. Waivers are granted for a variety of volunteer service-based organizations, scholar programs, and academic pipeline programs (full list on application). Fee waivers are also available for current WashU students, alumni and employees.
If you think you may qualify for a fee waiver based on one or more of these criteria, please email I2DB-Education@wustl.edu.
Please Note: International students residing outside the United States are not eligible for a fee waiver unless you meet the above criteria.
All supporting documents should be sent to:
Electronically:
I2DB-Education@wustl.edu
OR
By Mail:
Special Programs Administrator
Office of Health Information and Data Science
Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine
660 S. Euclid Ave, Campus Box 8067
St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
Single Course Non-Degree (SCND)
Those interested in enrolling in our courses as a non-degree seeking student must submit an application. Applicants will need to submit a resume, courses interested in enrolling, and how prerequisites have been met. Official transcripts may be requested.