Graduate Program Admission and Financial Support

Students admitted to the program come from a variety of backgrounds, some in disciplines closely related to ours (e.g., Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Linguistics), others in branches of the natural sciences or engineering that are less obviously relevant to our domain. This richness of backgrounds is a source of great strength to the program, because our students bring to it new ways of thinking about scientific problems. Although we do not stipulate the kinds of backgrounds students should have, we do expect applicants for admission to have outstanding academic records, and to be able to demonstrate their capacity for formal thinking and clear expression of ideas.

All students admitted to the program are offered graduate fellowships that provide a competitive 12-month stipend, and cover the costs of tuition and other fees. Support is guaranteed for 4 years subject to satisfactory academic progress. The department does not distinguish teaching fellows and research assistants: all students are provided with a fellowship to support their research training, and all contribute to the department's teaching by serving as teaching assistants or teachers of small classes. Students may be asked to serve as teaching assistants for one course each year during tenure of their fellowships, but in recent practice the load has been less than this. Where appropriate, students are encouraged to seek personal fellowships from bodies such as the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health, for this brings distinction both to the student and the department; however, admission to the program is never contingent on students securing their own funds.

Procedures to Apply to the Ph.D. Program

Submit the University's secure online application for graduate study.

The closing date for applications for admission in Fall 2013 is January 2, 2013. We cannot guarantee to consider applications received later than that date, or incomplete on that date. Applicants may be invited to visit the department for interview. Decisions on all applications will be made before April 1, 2013.

The department accepts students only for fulltime Ph.D. study and beginning only in the fall semester.

  • Contact info:
    Kathy Corser, Graduate Coordinator
    Brain & Cognitive Sciences
    Meliora Hall, Box 270268
    University of Rochester
    Rochester, NY 14627-0268
    Phone: 585-275-1844
    Fax: 585-442-9216
    Email:

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