Frequently Asked Questions

View application instructions and access the online application on the Case Western Reserve University website.Once your application is complete, your information will be forwarded to the Admissions Committee of the Department of Molecular Medicine. An interview and tour will be scheduled for competitive applicants.

Your thesis committee will be appointed by the end of the second summer with consultation between you, your thesis advisor and the program director. Your thesis committee will be comprised of your thesis advisor, clinical mentor, and two other Case Western Reserve University faculty members. The members of your committee will meet with you two times per year to provide feedback on your research project and guide you through the program in a timely manner.

All students accepted into the Molecular Medicine PhD Program will receive a stipend and free tuition throughout their graduate training. Stipend amounts are set by Case Western Reserve University. Health insurance will be provided through Case Western Reserve University.

Molecular Medicine PhD students can participate in the student programs at both Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. The Lerner Research Institute's Graduate Student Association plans and provides academic and social functions for all graduate students working in labs at Cleveland Clinic. New graduate students are encouraged to join this group to facilitate both social and professional networking in the Institute's research community.

Upon successful completion of all coursework, research requirements, and thesis (including defense of your research project), you will graduate with a PhD in Molecular Medicine from Case Western Reserve University.

The application and all supporting materials are due by January 5. Early review is a process where the admissions committee reviews complete applications and invites applicants to interview prior to the January 5 application deadline. Application review begins immediately after the application deadlines.

The application fee for the Molecular Medicine PhD Program is $50.

Fee waiver requests should be sent to [email protected] with a subject line of “MMED application fee waiver request”, and should include a rationale, especially if the applicant does not fulfill the URM/ socially/economically challenged requirements listed.  See our fee waiver policy below.

Any applicant who is a US Citizen and applies by December 1st. Fee Waivers from December 1 - January 5th will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Any applicant who identifies as an Underrepresented Minority (URM) and applies by January 5th.
As defined by the NIH, a URM is defined as a U.S. citizen who identifies as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. We also recognize multiracial students who identify with one or more of these identities and Permanent Residents who identify with one or more of these identities.

• Any applicant who was a participant in any Federal TRIO programs while in undergraduate or graduate school including the McNair Scholars Program and Upward Bound.

• Any applicant who was a participant in the National Name Exchange.

• Any applicant who is a veteran of any branch of the US Military or who has qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

• Any applicant who has participated in an intensive research program sponsored by the Minority Access To Research Careers Branch of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences such as CWRU’s Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP).

• Any applicant who lives with disabilities, who are defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended.

Any applicant who identifies as economically or socially disadvantaged.
For applicants who have or currently participate in two or more of the following programs and do not identify with the communities above, we also provide an application fee waiver to those U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents.

• Any applicant who were or currently is homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

• Any applicant who were or currently are in the foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families.

• Any applicant who were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years.

• Any applicant who have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree.

• Any applicant who were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants.

• Any applicant who received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child.

• Any applicant who grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer, or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Area. Only one of the two possibilities in this example can be used as a criterion for the disadvantaged background definition.

Final admissions decisions will be made by February. The Admissions Committee will do its best to notify all applicants in a timely fashion.

As of November 2018, the GRE is not required for admission. If an application has been submitted with a GRE score, the committee will not take the score into consideration.

Please submit official TOEFL scores to institutional code 1105.

If you have a disability which impairs your ability to use the online application or attend the onsite interview please email the Molecular Medicine Administration at [email protected] for alternative arrangements. If accepted into the program, Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University will make every effort to accommodate your specific needs through our Disability Task Force and Disabilities Resource Office.

We have a diverse student body and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Complete the Molecular Medicine PhD Request for Information form on the Case Western Reserve University website.