For International Prospective Students

Like most American universities, the University of Wisconsin – Madison Graduate School does NOT consider a 3-year degree as an equivalent to a 4-year undergraduate degree in the United States. You probably need an additional 1-year professional degree (or similar) to have an equivalent “3+1” bachelor’s degree to apply to any American university.

You can check your country’s degree equivalence at this UW-Madison Graduate School Admissions web site: https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/

There GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is NOT required for admission. Instead, the M.S. in Biotechnology Program considers prior academic performance and relevant professional work experience in the biotechnology industry as primary criteria for admission.

If you have taken the GRE and would like your test scores considered with your application materials, you are encouraged to include them with your application.

If you are an international applicant with a degree from an undergraduate university that delivered 100% its course content in English, you may be exempt from including TOEFL or IELTS scores with their application. Check to see the admission requirements associated with your country of origin: https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/

If you have US citizenship, you may still be required to submit TOEFL/IETLS scores if you attended a international university that is not exempt from the English language testing requirement.

The M.S. in Biotechnology Program is a rigorous academic curriculum requiring strong written and oral communication skills for success. Students with English as a second language must demonstrate minimum language proficiency to be considered for admission. Below are the UW-Madison Graduate School’s minimum ESL test score requirements, however, the M.S. in Biotechnology Program prefers applicants with higher scores than the minimum.

Required Minimum ESL Test Scores for M.S. in Biotechnology Program :

ETS Code for University of Wisconsin – Madison: 1846

Students enrolled in the Master of Science in Biotechnology Program are not allowed to accept research assistantships, teaching assistantships, project assistantships or other University appointments which grant waivers of tuition and/or academic fees.

International students are allowed to pursue hourly paid employment on campus (for instance, as a lab scientist in a faculty research lab) within the restrictions of their student visa. Visit the International Student Services web site for F-1 student visa employment restrictions.

Very few scholarships exist for international students, however, applicants are encouraged to search the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub for what scholarships are available.

The M.S. in Biotechnology Program does NOT offer application fee waivers to applicants. Tuition and the cost of living to attend this program is the full responsibility of the applicant and the application fee is considered part of the cost to attend.

This degree program has no direct funding available to offer its students. If you do not have the financial means to attend the M.S. in Biotechnology Program at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, you may want to consider not applying.

To learn more about the cost of attending the M.S. in Biotechnology Program, visit our website’s Tuition and Financial Aid page.

Yes. International students from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program are eligible for up to three years of post-graduate employment within the legal limits of an F-1 student visa.

Many international students in the program pursue summer internships between their first and second year. Through F-1 Curriculular Practical Training, international students are eligible for off-campus employment up to 40 hours/week. Students with F-1 visas are eligible for off-campus full-time employment through a co-op employment experience, so long as the hiring is within F-1 Curriculular Practical Training guidelines.

While students themselves are ultimately responsible for finding summer internship opportunities and/or full-time employment, the M.S. in Biotechnology Program staff have extensive experienced advising and directing students toward potential internship employers and organizations.

No, your application must still be approved by the Graduate School before you are fully admitted to the UW-Madison.

You will be notified by email messages by the Graduate School for each step-by-step requirement following your recommendation for admission. The Graduate School Admissions office will request your official transcripts be sent to their office for review. Please note, WES documents are NOT accepted in place of your official transcripts.

Check your online application for status changes. Visit the Graduate School web site for further details.

Once the Graduate School has reviewed your official transcripts and approved all requirements for your admission to the UW-Madison, you will receive and email notifying you of an official acceptance letter to UW-Madison and how to access your I-20 form from Terra Dotta, an online portal for downloading your I-20 and other visa-related documents.

International Student Services is your campus liaison for support as an international student. They provide comprehensive information for incoming international students regarding all aspects of international student life, as well as support for student visa status questions.

Admitted students can always contact Bryan Husk or Michele Smith for direct assistance from the M.S. in Biotechnology Program. We are happy to connect incoming international students with current international students with the program who might provide their insight and support to you.