Candidates interested in graduate study in Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill must complete the online application for admissions. All application materials must be uploaded and submitted through the online application and not sent to the Department of Chemistry or the Graduate School of the University of North Carolina.
The deadline for the Chemistry graduate program for domestic students is January 15 and for international students it is December 11. Note that the deadline is for all of your materials, such as Personal Statement, Research Description, Letters of Recommendation, Transcripts, et cetera.
The GRE General Test is required for admissions into the Chemistry Graduate program. If you took the older version of the GRE a combined score of 1000 on the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning is required. On the new GRE test scale we use the Verbal and Quantitative percentile for admission. You must score in the 50th percentile or higher on the Verbal and 50th percentile or higher on the Quantitative to apply to our program.
The GRE Subject Test is not required for admission into our program.
Students interested in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology can apply for graduate studies at UNC via Chemistry or via the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, the BBSP. Candidates should apply for either the Chemistry program or BBSP, but not to both. The deadline for applying to the BBSP is December 11.
Candidates interested in Master's level study should confirm with the Chemistry Student Services Office that they have their own funding before they apply online. We will provide further instructions once this is established.
Prior to proceeding through the sections describing the Chemistry Department's requirements, carefully read the information available through the link below describing the Graduate School's admission requirements:
Unofficial copies of your academic transcripts must be uploaded to the online application. Additionally, if you gain acceptance and accept the offer of admission, an official copy of your transcript(s) must be sent directly to the Chemistry Department and the Graduate School. For more information please contact the Student Services Office.
We require three letters of recommendation, one of which must come from your Undergraduate Research Advisor. The other letters should come from faculty in the sciences or math, or professional scientists in whose lab you have worked. Applicants are required to provide information about their three recommenders, such as their email addresses, via the online Graduate School application for admission. Each recommender will receive an email with a username/password and the link to the recommendation site. Here they will type the recommendation letter or attach a .doc or .pdf file.
The statement of purpose need not be extensive. However, you should indicate your motivation for pursuing graduate studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, and the research area(s) and faculty members that you are most interested in. Generic statements of interest in chemistry are discouraged.
A description of your research experience (1-page max) is required. The description should include the current and/or previous research labs in which you have worked and any authored publications. The statement should be uploaded to the online application under "Supplemental Documents" and cannot be substituted with a resume or CV.
Evaluation of completed applications will begin in late December and continue through March until all available positions have been filled. Any domestic applicant who is not enrolled in fall classes should apply no later than December 11. All other applicants should apply as soon as possible, but no later than January 15.
December 11, 2012
Graduate School priority deadline (your application must be complete by this date) for applicants who wish to be considered for a Graduate School award. These awards are not funded by the Chemistry department and for more information on the available awards please visit the Graduate School's website. If you do not want to be considered for a Graduate School Award then the following deadlines are applicable:
January 15, 2013
Applications for domestic students must be submitted no later than this date.
February, 2013
Department of Chemistry domestic admission decisions are made.
March 8-11 and March 22-24, 2013
Department of Chemistry visitation weekends for those offered admission.
April 15, 2013
Deadline for students to accept or decline offers of admission.
If you are accepted to our program, you will receive an invitation to visit the department soon after you receive the Chemistry Department acceptance letter. Students are strongly encouraged to visit during one of our Visitation Weekends, arriving Friday afternoon, departing Sunday. The purpose of these weekends is to acquaint you with our program, including our faculty, graduate students, and research facilities.
You will also have a chance to tour campus and the town of Chapel Hill during your visit. A distinct advantage to visiting on one of these two weekends is that a majority of the faculty will be in town. We encourage you to combine your visit to our department with visits to other schools if possible to reduce the cost of your trip for everyone.
The Department of Chemistry supports the University's core values, encouraging diversity and equal educational and employment opportunities throughout the University community. These values are articulated in the University's non-discrimination policy and by the office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.