Honors College

All Honors College students at VCU are eligible for admission through the Preferred Applicant Track.

In order to apply, a student must be in good standing in the Honors College with a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, and all coursework must be completed for a letter grade without electing the Pass/Fail grade option. Students must have completed, or be enrolled in, the following course: HONR 250/UNIV 112 and HONR 200/UNIV 200, MATH 200, MATH 201, MATH 307, MATH 310, STAT 210 or STAT 212, and STAT 309. Courses must be completed at VCU during either the fall or spring semesters or by dual-enrollment credit in high school. Any exception to this requires the written approval of the director of the Guaranteed Admission Programs.

Candidates who have received any institutional sanction, such as an honor code violation, or any legal convictions are not eligible to apply.

An application for admission to the Honors College Preferred Applicant Track Program (M.S. in Biostatistics) will be available from the Honors College during the spring semester of your junior year. This application, along with three letters of recommendation are required. One of these references must be from a VCU faculty member. When you fill out your application, you will list your references and their email addresses. Once you submit your application, each reference will receive an email from the Honors College with steps on how to submit their letter. All reference letters are to be submitted online by 4:30 p.m. EDT, May 1, 2025.

There is one essay prompt for the application:

1. Explain your career goals and how the M.S. in Biostatistics would help you meet those goals. (1000 words)

Additional fields on the application will request information on community service, extracurricular activities, honors and awards as well as research experiences.

Applications and all supporting materials must be received in the Honors College office by May 1, 2025. If your file is not complete by close of business (4:30 p.m. EDT) on this date, you will not be considered by the selection committee. There are no exceptions to this deadline; it is your responsibility to make certain that materials are received by the stated deadline date. Interested students are encouraged to apply early in order to ensure adequate time for submission of all required materials.

If you wish to apply, contact Dr. Carrie Connolly no later than April 15 for access to the application.

Application packets will be reviewed by members of the Selection Committee for the Guaranteed Admission Program. Students selected for an interview will be notified via email. On campus interviews will take place in early June.

You must complete the requirements of the Guaranteed Admission Program for Biostatistics. These include five hours of shadowing in the biostatistics consulting lab in your senior year and graduating with University Honors.

The GRE is not required.

Contact Associate Dean Carrie Connolly, Ed.D., at (804) 828-1803 or cgconnolly@vcu.edu