There is a single application and admissions committee for the neuroscience graduate training program at NYU. Upon acceptance into the program, each student is admitted into either the Doctoral Program in Neural Science (hosted by CNS) or the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Physiology (hosted by NI), based in part on a match between each students’ interests and the research themes that are emphasized on each campus. Importantly, once they arrive at NYU, every graduate student has access to courses, laboratories, and training programs offered at both CNS and NI, regardless of the graduate program into which they are admitted. We encourage students to rotate in labs on both campuses and many students join labs on a campus different from the doctoral program into which they are admitted. Our training program provides every student the opportunity to tailor their graduate experience, to explore different research paths, and to experience the distinct intellectual cultures of each NYU campus.
Applications are due by December 1 for admission the following fall

The NYU Neuroscience PhD program has the lowest acceptance rate of any doctoral neuroscience training program in the United States. According to a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), only 4% of students that applied for admission were accepted into this prestigious program. NYU has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post and numerous other major media outlets for its world-class education in neuroscience.

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Online Application
Application Resource Center
​Admission to our graduate program is highly competitive, and applicants should have superior undergraduate grades, excellent letters of recommendation, and documented research experience. Students seeking admission should have a strong background in one or more of the academic areas involved in neuroscience, such as biology, experimental psychology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, or engineering science. Students with foreign qualifications must demonstrate command of written and spoken English before admission to the program. Qualified women and minority students are especially encouraged to apply. The department does not set minimum GPA, TOEFL, or IELTS scores or share past applicant and accepted student averages of these scores.

GRE tests are not required. Please do not send us GRE test scores. If you do, while the Graduate School will notify you that the scores were received, the scores will not be reviewed or considered by the Admissions Committee. 
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Applicants should consult our faculty pages and list labs they might be interested in on their application.  This helps us to ultimately assign students to the two campuses. However, regardless of their home campus, students may choose any lab for their thesis research after admission. Applicants interested in applying to the Shanghai track of the Doctoral program in Neural Science can also apply using the above link, but should select the Shanghai campus on the application form. MD/PhD applications are handled by the Medical Scientist Training Program. Lastly, for those who may be eligible for a fee waiver, please see the GSAS website and apply PRIOR to submitting your application.
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For more information, please contact the Directors of Graduate Studies:

• Michael Hawken, Center for Neural Science (mjh2@nyu.edu)
• Niels Ringstad, Neuroscience Institute (Niels.Ringstad@nyulangone.org)

​Or associated Administrative Coordinators:

• Jess Holman, Center for Neural Science (jh4728@nyu.edu)
• Holly Wasserman, Neuroscience and Physiology (holly.wasserman@nyulangone.org)

Degrees and Fields of Study

Ph.D.

• Neural Science *

* Neuroscience education at NYU has a decades-long history of excellence and strength. Historically focused in two separate doctoral programs, the Doctoral Program in Neural Science (Faculty of Arts and Science) and the Doctoral Program in Neuroscience & Physiology (Vilcek Institute, School of Medicine), neuroscience education is now harmonized and engages faculty across multiple departments, inter-disciplinary centers, and campuses.

Details about the neuroscience curriculum and extensive pool of neuroscience faculty mentors can be found at http://neuroscience.nyu.edu. There is a single application and admissions committee for the neuroscience training program at NYU that is served by both administrative units. You will be eligible for admission to either program. Our goal is to streamline the application process and give you the opportunity to find the best match for your research interests at NYU.

Doctoral research in neuroscience at NYU is distributed across multiple departments and inter-disciplinary centers. Carefully consider all programs–such as Cognition and Perception–before applying to one.

To apply to the Doctoral Program in Neural Science (Faculty of Arts and Science) and/or the Doctoral Program in Neuroscience and Physiology associated with the Vilcek Institute, please use this GSAS departmental listing, i.e., “Neural Science.”