PhD Cell Biology at Yale University

Programme overview

Fields include membrane traffic and protein sorting, organelle biogenesis, epithelial cell polarity, membrane function in the nervous system (synapse formation and function), neural circuit development, cell biology of protozoan parasites and of pathogen/host interactions, cell biology of the immune response, mRNA biogenesis and localization, RNA folding, non-coding RNAs, stem cells, the cytoskeleton, nuclear structure and dynamics, DNA nanostructures, cellular signaling and motility, cytokinesis. Approaches to these topics include biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, crystallography, and single-particle electron microscopy; bacterial, yeast, Drosophila, C. elegans, and mouse genetics; immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy and tomography; live cell and super-resolution imaging.

Faculty: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | Department: Cell Biology | Study mode: full-time | Location: New Haven, CT, United States

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Standardized tests: GRE is not accepted. English language: TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic is required of most applicants whose native language is not English. BBS requires a score of at least 600 on the paper version, 250 on the computer-based exam, and 100 on the internet-based exam. Please take the test no later than November and no earlier than 24 months pr Application deadline: December 1 (11:59pm ET). Apply through the Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS).

USD 52,400 a year (2026-27). Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 2026-2027 full-time tuition rate (applies to GSAS programmes). Excludes fees and living costs; PhD students typically receive funding, see the GSAS funding page. Source

PhD applicants at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences apply for fall 2027 entry; most offers of admission for fall 2027 have a reply deadline of April 15, 2027.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences deadlines (all 11:59 pm Eastern) for fall 2027: December 1, 2026 (e.g. BBS, Chemistry, Economics, History, Linguistics, Psychology, Public Health, Statistics); December 15, 2026 (e.g. American Studies, Anthropology, Applied Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science PhD, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Law, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Political Science, Sociology); January 2, 2027 (e.g. African Studies, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Architecture, Computer Science MS, Earth and Planetary Sciences, East Asian Studies, Nursing, Philosophy). Combined programs follow the earlier deadline or December 15.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences application fee for all degree-seeking applicants is US $105, non-refundable, payable by Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express; fee waivers can be requested until January 2.

GRE General Test requirements vary by GSAS program (required, optional or not accepted) for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Apply through the official page: https://gsas.yale.edu/admissions/phdmasters-application-process

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