FAQ

Yes. All students (domestic and international) who are admitted are offered full tuition coverage and a stipend and continue to receive both the tuition coverage and stipend as long as they progress satisfactorily through the program.

The stipend for 2025-2026 is $46,356. In 2025, there was an additional one-time $1,000 payment after arrival in September as a start up allowance.  There is also full coverage of health, dental and vision insurance.

Yes. The cost of the Northwestern student health insurance premium is provided for all Walter S. and Lucienne Driskill Graduate Training Program in Life Sciences (DGP) students who select this coverage.  Dental and vision insurance is also covered.

Yes. The DGP anticipates selecting approximately 80 applicants to interview.  Over the past 5 years, there have been between ~500 and ~900 applications in a year.  All interviews for the 2026 admissions season will be virtual.  We will offer an in-person visit to admitted applicants in March and April.  Please check back for more updates.

Yes. International applicants will be eligible for interviews and admission if selected by the admissions committee and are evaluated by the same criteria as domestic students. 

We do not have a final class size for 2026.  We currently anticipate a maximum class size of 25, but please check back for further updates as they become available.

December 1. Applications after this deadline will be accepted only with DGP permission for extremely extenuating circumstances.

No, the GRE test is not required. You may submit GRE scores if you feel it will help your application.  International students from non-US institutions are encouraged to submit GRE scores. If you do choose to submit scores, they should be sent from ETS to The Graduate School, using code 1565. No department code is needed.

No. All application materials are considered as a whole. Recent entering classes have had an average GPA of 3.6. In evaluating applicants, the program places greatest emphasis on research experience(s) and letters of recommendation from research advisers.  DGP uses holistic review for all applications, and each application is thoroughly considered.

The Northwestern University Graduate School requires English language proficiency testing.  Please see here for more information. The DGP cannot waive this requirement except for applicants with undergraduate or graduate degrees from institutions in the United States or institutions where English is the language of instruction. The Graduate School evaluates universities (not individual programs) to see if they qualify for a TOEFL waiver.  If your institution's language of instruction was English, please email dgp@northwestern.edu with the name of your institution to find out if it has already been evaluated.  If it has not, we will ask you for further documentation to aid The Graduate School's evaluation.

No, you do not need to have a faculty member accept you into their lab while applying for the program, nor do you need to commit to a particular research area. Lab rotations and courses during your first year will give you an opportunity to explore different types of research before you have to select your dissertation lab and project.  

No. The program only admits students for the fall of each year. 

No, only the PhD program is offered.