Application Guidelines

Slate Online Application

This application alone allows us to identify the most promising applicants, and should be submitted as early as possible with all of the required documents uploaded and three (3) letters of recommendation have been received.
The SLATE system is for US and International applicants.

After you create your account enter your personal information. Carefully answer all citizenship and residency questions.

Under Academic Program select “Microbiology and Immunology” The Entry Term and Year is "Fall 2025".

Choose five faculty members in your department of interest under which you desire to study. Select in order of preference. See the Microbiology and Immunology Faculty page for a complete list of options.

These choices are not binding for rotations or thesis study. This information helps guide the Admissions Committee and can be used as first choice to schedule virtual or in person interviews.

Research Statement

Your research statement should be 2-3 pages in length and include the following information:

1. A description of your present academic interests and long-range career goals
2. A summary of previous experience, including laboratory research
3. Reasons for applying to this program
4. A description of your scientific interests and a list of University of Utah faculty whose research interests are compatible with your own. Although it is not essential to have specific research interests at the time of application, it is important that students admitted to the program have several potential research advisors. Details about the research interests of participating faculty can be found in the  Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Index

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

In the “Additional Materials” section in the Slate application upload a .pdf copy your CV in the CV/Resume field.

Your CV should be 1-2 pages in length, and include academic training/educational history, teaching and research experience, awards and distinctions, conference presentations, and publications.

Research Experience

Enter the number of months of full-time research experience in the “Additional Materials” section. Research months or Person months is an important metric to demonstrate research experience.

Part-time research experience should be converted into full months. Please visit the link below on how to calculate part time effort in to full time person months.

How Do You Convert Percent Effort into Person Months?

Transcripts

In the Academic History section of the Slate application, please upload .pdf copies of ALL of your transcripts from each college or university attended (college/university level only).

You must upload a separate transcript for each institution you have previously attended. Do not upload grade summary reports, degree audit reports, or credential evaluations. For schools that do not issue transcripts, please upload a mark sheet (and degree certificate, if applicable). All documents must be in English. If your original documentation is in a language other than English, please provide a certified English translation in addition to the original documentation.

Applications that do not contain all necessary documentation are incomplete; incomplete applications will not be evaluated.
Each transcript must contain the following information:

• Name of student
• Name of institution
• All semesters of enrollment
• Course numbers and names
• Credit hours
• Awarded grades

If you earned a degree that is not included on the transcript, please also include a copy of your degree certificate or diploma. This document must contain the following information:

• Name of student
• Name of institution
• Degree awarded
• Conferral date

All transcripts submitted with your application are considered unofficial and are used for initial admissions evaluation only. If you are admitted to the University of Utah, you will be required to submit official transcripts prior to the end of your first semester of enrollment. Students will not be permitted to continue their enrollment until all official transcripts are received by the Office of Admissions.

Three Letters of Recommendation

In the “Recommendations” section, please add the contact information for three letters of recommendation writers. Add people familiar with your research potential. 3 letters of recommendation are required. The letters must be on letterhead, have a valid signature, and be submitted through the Slate Recommendation system.

Your recommenders must submit your letters of recommendation by the application deadline. 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.

TOEFL/IELTS/DUOLINGO Score (international students only)

International students should self-report English-language proficiency scores via a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo exam.

Please visit this site for more information about requirements and waivers: https://admissions.utah.edu/english-proficiency/

University policy states that applicants must have one of the following :

• Duolingo 105 or higher
• iBT/TOEFL 80 or higher
• IELTS 6.5 or higher
• Meet one of the specific criteria listed on https://admissions.utah.edu/english-proficiency/#not-required , 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 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.

  The GRE will no longer be required or accepted.