You may have questions about . . .
 Pre-reviews:
We do not do “pre-reviews” of applications. We are only able to evaluate your materials in the form of an official application made to the Graduate School.
Minimum Background Requirements:
Applicants should have the equivalent of a B.S. degree in engineering from a recognized university; however, consideration will be given to exceptional physical and life science students, particularly to those with a strong background in mathematics. Applicants from the physical and life sciences should demonstrate completion of coursework equivalent to that listed in the SBES Course Guide for non-Engineering Applicants. In rare cases academically outstanding physical and/or life science students who do not have the background noted above, may be accepted with the stipulation that existing deficiencies in engineering and mathematics at the undergraduate level must be made up. This coursework would constitute mandatory prerequisite work that would not count toward the graduate degree.
GPA: A minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is required by the Graduate School. We are seeking students with a 3.5 or higher in an engineering curriculum, however, school attended and one’s overall record will be examined where the GPA is slightly lower than desired. In such a case applicants with excellent technical course grades in the last two years of undergraduate work along with good test scores (total GRE of 1200+) and strong references will be given consideration.
Financial Support:
SBES may offer graduate research assistantships (RAs), teaching assistantships (TAs), or fellowships to deserving candidates seeking the Ph.D. degree. Although priority is given to PhD candidates, financial support is also occasionally offered to candidates for the M.S. degree. Selection for these awards is competitive. All applications are automatically assessed during review for potential financial support offers. Offers are made in early spring on a competitive basis, and candidates will be contacted by email and letter when decisions are made. Financial support includes payment of tuition, a stipend, and on the Tech campus, an eighty per cent (80%) subsidy on the student health insurance premium (single rate). Another potential route is financial aid directly from Virginia Tech or Wake Forest University. Information on these funding opportunities can be found at:
Deferrals:
If you are accepted into the program with the intention of entering in the Fall, but something happens which prevents this, you may request a deferral on your admission to another semester. Be aware that deferrals are not automatic, and they are granted only for exceptional circumstances which must be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. To make a request you must email the Graduate Coordinator at VT (tsentell@vt.edu), explain why you need a deferral, and specify the term to which you would like to be deferred. Note that if you defer for only one semester (from Fall to Spring), you will not have to pay a fee, but if you defer for 2 or more semesters (from Fall to the next Fall), the Graduate School will require another application fee. Financial aid offers made for Fall semester will NOT be held over to Spring on deferrals.
Reconsiderations:
Reconsiderations of declined applications are not the norm at SBES. However, if you decide to re-apply, you must pay the application fee again and start the process over. You should submit new (and/or updated) materials with the application in order to increase your chances of admission.
Change of email address:
If you change your email address during the application process, be sure to inform both the Graduate School and SBES through the Graduate Coordinator at VT (tsentell@vt.edu) or the Registrar at Wake Forest (spierce@wfubmc.edu). Normally all communications that go out to students applying are sent to the email address that is given on the CollegeNet application.
For Internationals Only:
Because of different naming conventions among nations, it is essential that you clearly specify what you intend to use as your last name (family or surname), middle, and first (given) name on all documents. It is also important that you be consistent in their use. If we cannot determine your name accurately in our records, your application materials could become separated, misfiled, or lost. For Chinese applicants the most common problem results when the family and given names are switched somewhere during the application process. For applicants from India the most common problem results from inconsistent use of abbreviated forms (initials) of the name among various application documents.
I-20 immigration forms are issued to you by the Graduate School office of your HOME campus. You will need to contact that particular graduate office for help or further information.
Waiver of Application Fee:
SBES is not involved in making decisions regarding waivers of application fees. This is handled solely by the Graduate School. Contact them if you have questions.
Checking Your Application Status:
You will be able to view the status of your application at https://banweb.banner.vt.edu/ssb/prod/bwskalog.P_DisploginNon. For your protection information on application status cannot be released by telephone. Official decision notification will be sent by postal mail from the graduate school which could take six to eight weeks. Estimated date for decisions to be posted is April 1 - April 15 for complete applications received by Jan 15th. Please be aware that on-line status only indicates whether the application is complete at the VT Graduate School, not necessarily with the School of Biomedical Engineering & Sciences.
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