No GRE required
The page states it does not require GRE scores.
Doctoral · Cornell Biomedical engineering
Cornell Biomedical Engineering PhD: no GRE, two statements and two faculty letters
The Cornell Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering PhD admission page says it does not require GRE scores. It asks for an academic statement of purpose naming faculty of interest, a separate personal statement, at least three letters of recommendation with at least two from faculty, unofficial transcripts and, for non-native English speakers, a TOEFL or IELTS score. The page carries no entry-year label.
Official information · no entry-year label on the page
What Cornell asks for in Cornell Biomedical Engineering PhD
Taken from the Cornell Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering PhD admission requirements page and read on 2 November 2026. The page carries no entry-year label, so every value below is treated as previous-cycle evidence for a 2028-29 start; Cornell's requirements, dates and funding for 2028-29 are awaiting publication, and none is stated here.
Two statements
An academic statement naming faculty and a separate personal statement.
Two faculty letters
At least three letters, at least two from faculty who know the applicant.
Official sources
Read on 2 November 2026 on the Cornell Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering PhD admission requirements page, which carries no entry-year label. The application portal, deadlines, funding and the English-test scores were not used and are not stated. No deadline, fee, funding amount or place number is stated.
The decision
Does your record fit what the programme page asks?
This guide concerns only the Cornell research degree. The reading below is Avandy's judgment (heuristic), built from what the programme page says.
It fits if
you have training in engineering or a science degree with appropriate mathematics and physics and can name faculty you want to work with.
Think again if
you plan to rely on GRE scores. The page says it does not require them.
Check the page
The Graduate School's programme page is the source; deadlines, funding and score thresholds change by cycle and are not stated here.
How the application is read
What the programme page lists
The page lists an academic statement of purpose, a personal statement, TOEFL or IELTS for applicants whose native language is not English, unofficial transcripts, at least three letters of recommendation with at least two from faculty, and says GRE scores are not required. The application goes through the Cornell Graduate School. This guide states no deadline, fee or funding term.
How the programme runs
Focus and working pattern
Admission is through the Graduate School's field of study for Biomedical Engineering, and the school page defers deadline and fee details there. The page lists Ph.D. degree requirements and a summer clinical immersion separately. These pages carry no entry-year label.
Avandy's judgment
Where an application can go wrong
These points are Avandy's heuristic reading of the page. They are not Cornell rules and carry no probability.
Preparing GRE scores
The page says GRE scores are not required.
Writing one blended statement
The page asks for an academic statement and a separate personal statement.
Using non-faculty letters throughout
At least two letters should come from faculty familiar with you and your background.
Next steps
A sensible order of work
The order is Avandy's suggestion, built from the page's own steps.
Check your record
Compare your coursework and experience with the stated expectations.
Prepare the written work
Draft the statements and writing sample the page asks for, in the formats it lists.
Plan the tests
Check which tests are required, optional or not accepted.
Read the current page
Read the programme page for the cycle you apply in.
Planning for 2028-29 entry
Planning for 2028-29 entry: what carries over and what awaits publication
Cornell's programme page carries no entry-year label. A start in 2028-29 means applying under rules Cornell has not yet published. Each item below is either read on the page and treated as previous-cycle wording, which may change, or awaiting publication for 2028-29 entry.
The structure of the programme and the application
The expectations, the written work and the test policy are described on Cornell's programme page, which carries no entry-year label. Cornell has not published the following cycle.
Deadlines, places, funding and fees
This guide states none of them. Cornell publishes them per cycle; read the page again for the cycle you apply in.
What to do now
Check your record against the programme page, prepare the written work it lists and plan any required test.
Support
Independent support with the research statement and fit
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Cornell University or any of its departments, and it has no relationship with any member of staff. Support sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant and a PhD-level Academic Mentor help the applicant test a research idea against the department's published research areas and plan their own statement. Support here is limited to testing a research idea against the department's published research themes and planning the applicant's own statements; it does not extend to contacting staff on the applicant's behalf. Avandy does not write or submit any part of an application, cannot arrange a supervisor and promises no outcome or funding.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What does the Cornell Biomedical Engineering PhD ask for?
A minimum of three letters of recommendation are required.
Is a test required?
The Meinig School page says it does not require GRE scores. Foreign nationals whose native language is not English submit a TOEFL or IELTS score. The page defers the application deadline to the Graduate School's field of study page.
Does this guide state a deadline?
No. The page carries no entry-year label and this guide states no deadline, fee or funding. Check the programme page for the cycle you apply in.
Does the programme include funding?
This guide did not use Cornell's funding sections and states no funding.
Students and families
Talk to us about the Cornell Biomedical Engineering PhD
Tell us about your degrees, your research experience, the research question you want to pursue and the supervisors or groups you have in mind. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to develop the research statement.