How to apply for medical PhD in Singapore

Application Procedure for PhD in Integrated Biology and Medicine and
PhD in Quantitative Biology and Medicine

Applications to the PhD programmes open in June of the preceding year of intake, and 15th January is the final deadline.

Month	PhD Application Timeline
Jun	Applications for next year's intake opens
Jan	Application deadline for PhD programmes: 15 January*
Feb	Interviews begin
Mar	Admissions offers are made
Aug	Class is confirmed

*Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their application as early by 1^st January should they wish for their application to be reviewed and notified earlier for shortlisting.

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Step 1: Pre-Application

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) Exams

The GRE General Test results must be received by Duke-NUS before the application deadline. Submitted scores should not be more than 4 years old at the time of admission. When you take the exam, please have your scores sent directly to Duke-NUS with the Designated Institution (DI) code of 4915. Information on the GRE can be found on the ETS website.

IBM PhD programme

Applicants applying to the IBM PhD programme will need to register and sit for the GRE (Graduate Record Examination).

However, the GRE is not required for Bachelor degree holders or final-year undergraduates from the National University of Singapore (NUS), National Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) in relevant disciplines.

QBM PhD programme

Applicants applying to the QBM PhD programme will need to register and sit for the GRE (Graduate Record Examination).

Step 2: Fill in Online Application and Referees’ Details

Fill in the online application form at https://admissions.duke-nus.edu.sg/apply/

Applications open on 1st June 2022.

Register for a username and password on our application site to proceed. Log into the application portal and complete the online application form, which includes various sections on personal data, academic records, past activities and achievements, research experience and essays.

You are also required to provide at least 3 references, of which at least one should be an academic reference. Your references should be carefully chosen from faculty or others (e.g. job supervisors) who know you and your character well. If you have undertaken research projects, for example, we would like to hear from your research supervisor.

Please fill in your referees’ details in your online application. Upon doing so, an email request with a link to the referee report will be sent to your referee.

Here are some things to note:

Applicants may save their application at any point and return to complete the application at a later time.
You do not need to have your GRE results before registering for an application account. Be sure to provide us with your GRE Registration Number on your application, and notify us via email with your results as soon as they are available.
For GRE results, please have your scores sent directly to Duke-NUS with the Designated Institution (DI) code of 4915.

Step 3: Submit Official Transcripts and Other Supporting Documents

Applicants should reach out to their respective institutions to request for their electronic official transcripts to be sent directly to Duke-NUS at admissions@duke-nus.edu.sg

World Education Service (WES) Report for undergraduate transcripts

Students who are from undergraduate institutions outside of Singapore or the US must also request for their institutions to submit their transcripts to World Education Services (WES) for a credential evaluation. Please opt for the US Equivalent WES International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP) with a course-by-course report. A detailed report by WES will be sent directly to Duke-NUS. Please visit www.wes.org for further details.

Applicants from Canadian universities may contact the Admissions Office at admissions@duke-nus.edu.sg to see if a WES report is required for your application.

Results of TOEFL or IELTS

Applicants who previously studied in a non-English speaking curriculum will be required to present documented evidence of their competence in written and spoken English by submitting their results of TOEFL or IELTS exams.

To meet the English requirement for our programme, the following are the minimum scores that should be achieved:

600 (for TOEFL paper-based test) or
85 (for TOEFL internet-based test) or
an overall band score of 7.0 (for IELTS)

The TOEFL score or IELTS result is only valid for 2 years after the test and should be valid by the end of the application deadline for the programme.

Applicants should email a scanned copy of the official TOEFL/IELTS scoresheets to admissions@duke-nus.edu.sg during the online application period. IELTS scoresheets must display your Test Report Form Number.

For verification purposes, candidates are also requested to nominate our Institution to access your results online/electronically as follow:

TOEFL iBT: Designated Institution (DI) code of C974 through ETS Data manager
IELTS: Select IELTS Indicator ‘Duke-NUS Medical School’ through IELTS Test Report Form (TRF) Verification Service

There is no need to post the hardcopies of the results to us.

If you are still unsure on whether you are required to submit a TOEFL/IELTS test score, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@duke-nus.edu.sg to seek clarification before the application period closes.

Step 4: Applicant Day

Typical Applicant Day

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an Applicant Day through an email invitation containing information about the day’s programme 1-2 weeks in advance.

Applicant Day is an excellent opportunity for applicants to meet faculty and students, to learn more about Duke-NUS and determine if the school is a good fit. The day will begin with a welcome address and introductory talk. This will be followed by one-to-one interviews with our research faculty and talks by our PhD students/graduates.

Download the latest Applicant Day schedule for the current admissions cycle here. Please note that these dates may occasionally change depending on the circumstances.