Admission Requirements

There is not a typical EEB graduate student profile. EEB faculty members do look for students with a superior GPA, serious research experience, curiosity, and the ability to think abstractly. The department accepts students fresh out of undergraduate programs and accepts students who have related work experience since completing their undergraduate degree. It is suggested, but not required, that you reach out early in the application process to any potential faculty adviser to discuss possible areas of research. It is the norm in EEB (and Princeton EEB) for applicants to have at least one faculty member who is willing to support their application. Bear in mind that you are applying to the department as a whole and not to a specific faculty member's research group. The faculty meet as a group to discuss applicants in order to admit the students who they feel will thrive at Princeton.

Applying

All applications for graduate study are submitted through Princeton's Graduate Admissions Office

The submission includes:

1. The application form with your personal information
2. A personal statement that describes your background and research interests
3. Transcript(s) from your educational institution(s)
4. Three letters of recommendation
5. Official TOEFL or IELTS scores for students whose native language is not English and who have not received their undergraduate education in a U.S. college or university. (Our institution code is 2672, no department code is required)
6. GRE Subject tests are not required. If you choose to submit scores our institution code is 2672, no department code is required

The Graduate School offers an Application Fee Waiver Program, please visit this page to make an assessment of your eligibility. You may contact [email protected] for more information.

Financial Support

All graduate students entering the program are supported in their first year by a First Year Fellowship or the prestigious Centenial Fellowhip provided by the Graduate School. From the second year onwards, support derives from department fellowships, training grants, external fellowships won by students, and assistantships for teaching in undergraduate laboratories and precepts.

Fellowships

All EEB graduate students are encouraged to apply for external funding to cover tuition/stipend. In addition to receiving a financial award from the university for winning an external fellowship, students are relieved of two semesters of required teaching. Below is a partial list of available funding sources. Check with your adviser and colleagues for more field-specific fellowships. 

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship - Awarded by the National Science Foundation. First and second-year grad students without a Master’s degree are eligible to apply. 

National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship - Awarded by the Department of Defense

EPA Science To Achieve Results (STAR) fellowship - Awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) International Student Research Fellowships 

Fulbright Foreign Student Program 

National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC): Canadian citizens or a permanent resident of Canada are eligible to apply.

If you have further questions, please contact Joanna Kovac.