Find answers to frequently asked questions about our graduate program.
- What makes the Gerstner Sloan Kettering program special?
- Do all students receive financial support?
- Is the fellowship renewed each year?
- Is this a full-time program?
- In what areas of research are the graduate faculty involved?
- Is housing available for students?
- What are the admissions requirements?
- How do I apply to the program?
- What is the application deadline?
- Can international students apply?
- Who must take the TOEFL Exam?
- What are the GRE and TOEFL codes?
- Where do I mail my transcripts?
- Is there an application fee?
- What is an official transcript?
- How can I contact the program?
1. What makes the Gerstner Sloan Kettering program special?
The Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers students a training curriculum that takes advantage of the integration between the basic science and clinical arms of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Students are exposed to the knowledge required for modern biological research and an appreciation of the challenges of controlling disease. Our approach to science is broadly applicable to all human diseases.
2. Do all students receive financial support?
Yes. All matriculated students receive a fellowship package. This includes a stipend ($46,250 for 2022-2023), a tuition scholarship to cover the full cost of tuition and fees and a comprehensive medical and dental insurance package. Travel awards, which fund student travel to scientific meetings, are also available.
GSK students are strongly encouraged to apply for various competitive predoctoral fellowships, such as the National Institutes of Health’s National Research Service Award. Students who successfully compete for these awards are supplemented to our current stipend level and receive an additional $5,000.
3. Is the fellowship renewed each year?
GSK students who maintain satisfactory progress in the program automatically continue to receive financial support on a yearly basis.
4. Is this a full-time program?
Yes. All students must be matriculated on a full-time basis.
5. In what areas of research are the graduate faculty involved?
The Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School faculty are from departments and research programs of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. These include the Sloan Kettering Institute’s eight research programs – Cancer Biology and Genetics, Cell Biology, Computational Biology, Developmental Biology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry, and Structural Biology – as well as the Memorial Hospital’s departments of Medicine, Pathology, Pediatrics, Radiology, and Surgery, and the hospital-based Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program.
Our faculty conduct research in all areas of biomedical sciences including developmental biology and genetics; signals and pathways involved in the control of cell proliferation; cell-cell interactions, adhesion, and protein targeting; tumor immunology, immunotherapy, and transplantation biology; genomic integrity and human cancer genetics; drug development, drug resistance, and clinical therapeutics; and chemical biology and structural biology.
6. Is housing available for students?
Yes. All graduate students are provided affordable housing accommodations in apartment buildings nearby the school that are owned by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Studio apartments, as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments for family housing are available. Apartment assignments are made based on individual needs. Single students generally share apartments with other students.
7. What are the admissions requirements?
The program is open to highly qualified, well-prepared students who are driven by a motivation to become successful scientists. Applicants are selected on the basis of their academic credentials, recommendations from research mentors/advisors, and a demonstrated interest in participating in biomedical research. Students’ prior research experiences are of particular interest to the Admissions Committee.
Submission of General and Advanced Subject Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores is optional and not required for admission.
If English is not your first language, you may need to submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. Please see question and answer no. 12 on this list for details.
The Admissions Committee considers all data from each applicant before making its decision.
8. How do I apply to the program?
Applicants are required to submit an online application. In addition, three letters of recommendation must be submitted online by the recommenders.
Standardized test scores and transcripts should be sent to our mailing address:
(*we do not accept these documents coming directly from applicants)
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue, Box 441
New York, NY 10065
The application for admission opens in August. The deadline for submission is December 1.
9. What is the application deadline?
The application for admission to the PhD program closes on December 1. All application materials must be received by this date.
10. Can international students apply?
Yes, we do accept international students.
We assist all international students with visa requirements once accepted into the program.
Please visit this page for more information.
11. Who must take the TOEFL Exam?
Proficient command of spoken and written English is required for admission. TOEFL scores are required for all individuals whose first language is not English, unless they have earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a college or university in the United States or US Territory, in which case this requirement is automatically waived.
Exemptions may also be granted to those who receive the equivalent of a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a non-US college or university where all instruction is provided in English. To request an exemption please contact the graduate school office at [email protected].
12. What are the GRE and TOEFL codes?
The GRE School Code is 2837 (Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences). The TOEFL code is 8756 (Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences).
13. Where do I mail my transcripts?
Please have your institution mail your transcript to:
(*transcripts coming directly from applicants are unofficial and will not be accepted)
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue, Box 441
New York, NY 10065
14. Is there an application fee?
No, there is no application fee.
15. What is an official transcript?
Please submit original, official transcripts (showing proof of degree(s) as applicable) from ALL institutions attended beyond secondary school. An official transcript is defined as a transcript received directly from the issuing institution (whether on paper and still in a sealed institutional envelope, or an electronic copy sent directly from the institution, or its contracted 3rd party, via secure link) that is properly signed and authenticated. PDF attachments sent by the applicant are not official and will not be accepted.
16. How can I contact the program?
If you have questions or would like more information about the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, please contact us.
Email
[email protected]
[email protected] (for the Summer Undergraduate Research Program)
Telephone
646-888-6639
Mailing Address
Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue, Box 441
New York, NY 10065