Bachelor's (undergraduate) degree earned or will be earned before entering. In general, applicants should have at least a 3.0(B) grade point average (or the equivalent) in their undergraduate work. Some departments at Rice University require scores on the aptitude portion of the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) or the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) as an appropriate advanced test, these should be sent directly to the admitting department. Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL test and should score at least 90 on the iBT (internet-based) TOEFL, at least 600 on the paper-based TOEFL or score 250 on the computer-based TOEFL. For students who choose to take the IELTS in lieu of TOEFL, the minimum score is 7.
Applicants for graduate study in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology must have: a BA or BS degree or equivalent that provides a strong background in biology, as well as strong ability and motivation, as indicated by academic record, recommendation letters, and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores. Scores from the GRE Biology subject exam are optional but can be helpful, particularly for students with nontraditional backgrounds in biology. These requirements do not preclude admission of qualified applicants who have majored in areas other than biology. Students should have completed coursework in ecology, evolution (or equivalent), mathematics (including calculus), and statistics prior to admission. Deficiencies in these subject areas or in specific areas of biology should be made up during the first year of residence, some may be waived at the discretion of the student's advisory committee, the graduate program director, and the department chair.
Official Transcripts: All offers of admission are contingent upon receipt of the official transcript or transcripts of all previous college or university work (including previous graduate study). Official transcripts should be sent directly to the BioSciences Department (address below) by the institution(s) attended. An unofficial transcript may be uploaded to the online application for preliminary evaluation, but once a student is selected for an interview, the official transcript must be submitted. A final transcript, covering work in progress at the time of application or any later work, must be furnished to the department as soon as possible (if not submitted as part of the original application).
Recommendation Letters: Recommendations should be requested from four persons (preferably professors in the applicant's major field) who know the applicant's personal and scholastic qualities. Letters should be submitted online through the application software. Applicants can send requests to recommendation writers directly through the application. If the online option is not possible, hard-copy forms for recommendation letters can be requested at eebgradapps.rice.edu. Hard-copy letters should be mailed directly to the BioSciences Department. Applications will not be reviewed until at least three recommendations are received.

› Personal Statement: A personal statement is required for all applications. Personal statements can be uploaded directly to the online application in PDF format. The personal statement should include a brief description of the applicant's intended plan of study or the particular sub-division of the major field in which the applicant would like to specialize. Applicants should include in the statement any other information that may be helpful in evaluating the application. If applicable, applicants should briefly describe any additional factors that they would like the admissions committee to consider (e.g. personal background, work experience, leadership roles).
GRE: Applicants should have their scores on the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination sent directly to the BioSciences Department by Educational Testing Service using the below codes. Subject-matter test scores are preferred, but not required. Tests