Admission Requirements & Eligibility

Eligibility

“I think the way the STAR program exposes undergraduate students to the opportunities of graduate school is amazing.”
– STAR participant 

To be eligible to participate in the STAR program, applicants must:

• be 18 years of age or older by the start of the STAR session.
• have an interest in pursuing a PhD degree. The focus of the program is to prepare participants for research careers, not a clinical career.
• be currently enrolled in an undergraduate Bachelor's degree program.
• have completed at least their sophomore year by the start of the Summer 2025 session. Applicants who have already graduated from their undergraduate college or will be graduating in Spring 2025 are not eligible for the Summer 2025 session.
• have proof of current Health Insurance Coverage that extends throughout the STAR program.
• be available to attend the entire summer session.
• be a United States Citizen (or hold permanent resident status) or an international student currently enrolled in US college/university holding a student non-immigrant visa.
• have current social security number/card for employment purposes.
• have completed relevant course work at the undergraduate level for their area of STAR program interest, as follows:
  • BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES: although no specific courses are required, competitive applicants will have taken STEM courses.
  • BIOSTATISTICS: competitive applicants will have taken at least one calculus course, a calculus-based linear algebra course, an elementary statistics course, and have basic computer programming knowledge.
  • NURSING: currently enrolled in a BSN program and taking BSN courses.
    
    Acceptance into the program is on a competitive basis. The members of the STAR program committee, the Dean of The Graduate School and/or the Director of the STAR program are responsible for all final decisions.