Applications are screened in December and early January. Assessment will focus on Research Experience, Letters of Reference, GPA, overall potential for graduate study, and perceived fit with affiliated graduate programs. Excellence in one or more areas can offset deficiencies in other areas, explanations for deficiencies should be described in your Statement of purpose. Top domestic applicants will be invited to visit the UGA campus in late January / early February for in-person interviews and interactions with current students and research faculty. Top international applicants will be interviewed via Skype. Offers of admission will be extended to successful applicants shortly after interviews.

IPS manages applications for students interested in the following degree-granting units: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Genetics, Horticulture, Microbiology, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding, Genetics & Genomics, Plant Pathology, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources.

Submit an official online application to the UGA Graduate School, and route required transcripts (unofficial transcripts sufficient for initial application review), letters of recommendation, and optional GRE scores as instructed during the application process.

NOTE: GRE is not required but accepted as supplemental application material.

Statement of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose that is submitted to the UGA Graduate School during the application process can be the same as the Statement of purpose requested on the IPS form, as long as the length (10,000 character limit) and content are within the stated guidelines. We highly recommend that your statement include the following at the very least:

your reason(s) for pursuing graduate study
your interests (e.g., names of faculty, interdisciplinary groups, and/or graduate programs)
evidence of scholarly activity (e.g., research experiences, manuscripts published/in preparation)
any special circumstances of which you wish to make us aware
if applicable, explanations for any perceived deficiencies in your application

Minimum TOEFL score requirement: overall score of 80 with at least 20 on speaking and writing
Minimum IELTS score requirement: overall band-width of 6.5, with no single band (score) below 6.0