Application Frequently Asked Questions
We will begin accepting applications for Fall 2026 through the Slate platform. The deadline will be December 1st.
We recommend submitting your application early November. The Office of Admissions and the Pathology Department will review submitted applications and notify you by email if additional information is needed.
Below is a list of frequently asked questions. Please contact us if you have questions that are not answered below or in our Application Guidelines.
The application fee for the Microbiology and Immunology PHD is $55 for domestic applicants and $65 for international applicants. Please visit the Application Guideline page for more information.
- The application fee must be paid in order to consider your application complete.
- Application fee waiver codes are program specific and data entry errors or codes created by other programs will not be honored or credited.
- Eligible applicants may enter a program specific application fee waiver code in the field at the bottom of the Additional Materials page
- The University of Utah and the Microbiology and Immunology PhD Program cannot refund or reverse application fees paid by the applicant.
- All applicants requesting an application fee waiver to apply to the Microbiology and Immunology program are required to send their application materials to be reviewed by our department. A review committee will then evaluate your materials to determine if a code will be provided. If you would like your materials to be reviewed, please send the following information to migradinquiry@path.utah.edu
- Research Statement
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Transcripts- Please include all graduate and undergraduate coursework including community colleges or other transfer credits separately
- Letters of Recommendation
** Please note, due to a high volume of applicants, application fee waiver codes will not be provided to every student.
Please upload scans of all application materials in the Slate application system: https://futureu.admissions.utah.edu/apply/.
University policy states that International applicants should self-report English-language proficiency scores via a TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo exam, or meet the English proficiency requirement by obtaining a waiver.
Please visit the Admissions website for more information about requirements and waivers: https://admissions.utah.edu/apply/international/english-proficiency/
English test guidelines and minimum scores
Test dates must fall within two years of submitting your application and paying your application fee to be valid.
The Admissions office cannot use expired test scores to evaluate the English proficiency requirement.
The Admissions office cannot use expired test scores to evaluate the English proficiency requirement.
- Duolingo 110 or higher
- iBT/TOEFL 80 or higher
- IELTS 6.5 or higher
How to send your test scores officially
- The TOEFL Institution code is 4853. Please allow several days for processing official scores.
- IELTS: Please contact your testing center to have the score sent directly to the University of Utah.
- DUOLINGO: Please log into your duolingo account, select the "Send Results" button next to your test results, and select the University of Utah as the receiving institution.
If the name on your test result is different from the name you put on your application, please email the Admissions office with the name information so they can match the correct score with your application.
Contact the Admissions office at iao@utah.edu.
Other ways to demonstrate English proficiency:
- Meet one of the specific criteria listed on the Admissions website to demonstrate English Proficiency , for example if you are a native English speaking citizen of an approved country.
Please note that class instruction in English does not meet this requirement.
Typical English proficiency waivers are:
- An associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree from a regionally-accredited U.S. college or university completed within two years of admittance
- A bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from a regionally-accredited or ministry of education approved college or university within the past two years from one of the approved countries.
The University policy states that applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited U.S. college or university or equivalent, at least a 3.0 or higher undergraduate weighted mean GPA on a 4.0 scale, and international students must have an iBT/TOEFL 80 or higher, IELTS 6.5 or higher, or Duolingo 110 or higher. (Minimum score requirements are subject to change).
Person months is the metric for expressing the effort you devote to a specific project in the lab. Person months or research months are an important metric to demonstrate prior research experience.
Please visit the link below on how to calculate person months and part time effort in to full time research months.
Applicants do not need to reach out to Faculty directly or finalize Faculty choices before being admitted. Students who are admitted to our program complete three rotations to determine the best fit. Faculty information can be located here.
We aim for approximately 10 students per year.
- Fellowship / living stipend of $38,110 for the 2025-2026 academic year
- $1,000 starting allocation
- Health Insurance
- Full Tuition Coverage
This financial support is for all accepted students, regardless of citizenship.
More information can be found here.
It takes, on average, 6 years.
You can log back in to your online application here: https://futureu.admissions.utah.edu/apply/
If you have forgotten your password, you may request a new password with the email address and birthdate.
Three letters of recommendation must be submitted into the Slate system by your recommenders by the application deadline.
You can log back into your application and send your recommenders a reminder. You can also add new recommenders and make edits to previously added recommenders. When the recommenders information is saved, an email will be sent with instructions on how to proceed with the online recommendation.
Please note that notification emails will indicate "The University of Utah Office of Admissions" as the sender and will come from admissions@utah.edu. If your recommenders use a spam-blocking tool, please ask them to add this email address to their list of known/safe addresses.
Submit your application! Once you have completed the application questions and uploaded the required documents complete the Signature and Review process. On the Review page Slate will alert you to missing or incomplete information in the various sections.
We always recommend saving, closing your browser, and logging back in to the Slate system. You can log back in to your online application here: https://futureu.admissions.utah.edu/apply/
If you have forgotten your password, you may request a new password with the email address and birthdate.
If that does not resolve the issue, please contact us with specific information about the problem. We can be reached by email.
| December 1 | Deadline for Domestic and International Students |
| January - February | Interview visits for applicants residing in the U.S. |
| February - March | Applicants are notified of Admissions decision |
| April 15 | Deadline for accepted applicant to accept offer |