Harvard University
Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) PhD
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Harvard Medical School's umbrella PhD program in biological and biomedical sciences, admitted through Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
The Fall 2027 entry season
- Deadline
- Usual reply date, Apr 15
- Today
- Deadline
- Usual reply date, Apr 15
- Today
Requirements and funding
- GRE
- Not accepted: scores are not considered
- English tests
- Minimum TOEFL 5 overall, Speaking 4.5 (tests from 21 Jan 2026); 100 overall, Speaking 23 (earlier tests); IELTS 7. IELTS Speaking minimum 6.5. Not needed with an undergraduate degree from an institution where English is the main language of instruction (graduate degrees do not count).
- Application fee
- $105. Fee waivers available. Waiver eligibility is checked by questions inside the application; the program cannot authorise waivers directly.
- Recommendation letters
- 3
- Funding
- All students in good standing are funded. Funding covers international students. Students, regardless of citizenship, receive a comprehensive financial aid package.
- International applicants
- Accepted. International applicants are reviewed in a single pool with no cap or quota.
- Interviews
- Interview invitations go out in mid-December. Interview weekends are January 21–24 and February 4–7, 2027.
- Decisions
- Admit and waitlist offers go out in mid-February. Admitted Students' Day is March 26, 2027, and the decision deadline is April 15.
- Good to know
- There is no fixed GPA cutoff; review is holistic. Contacting faculty before applying is not expected.
Where this comes from
Checked against official pages on Oct 17, 2026. Programs change details, so always confirm on the program's own site before you apply.
- Harvard BBS: Apply (checked Oct 17)
- Harvard BBS: FAQ (checked Oct 17)
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