Applications for the 2025 Admissions Cycle will be accepted from September 1, 2024 to December 8, 2024.
Requirements for Admission
- Students must have completed an undergraduate degree (B.S./B.A. or the equivalent for international students) by the time of enrollment
- Undergraduate GPA at least 3.0
- Undergraduate coursework in:
- Genetics
- Biochemistry
- Statistics
- Psychology
- Exposure to the field of Genetic Counseling (e.g. shadowing or informational interviewing of Genetic Counselors)
- Advocacy and/or counseling experience is highly recommended. Examples of applicable experiences include but are not limited to:
- In-person, phone, and/or text crisis counseling
- Patient counseling/advocacy work at community or health organizations (e.g. Planned Parenthood, domestic violence center, etc.)
- Working with individuals or families affected with genetic conditions or disabilities (e.g. Special Olympics, ARC, etc.)
- Volunteer experience also favored
- GRE scores not required and will not be reviewed
- Ability to comply with the Program Technical Standards
Please visit the Office for International Students & Scholars for more information.
For students whose secondary education was obtained outside of the U.S., transcript evaluations will be accepted from World Education Services (WES), Spantran or another member institution of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
International students admitted to the Program in Genetic Counseling at Washington University School of Medicine are eligible for an F-1 visa. The admission decision at the Program in Genetic Counseling Washington University School of Medicine is based on academic and personal merit and on the Genetic Counseling Admissions Match process as administered by National Matching Services, Inc. Admissions are not based on the ability of the student to pay the costs of education. However, individuals who are not citizens of the United States of America or who do not hold U.S. Permanent Resident Visa status are not eligible for financial aid due, in part, to regulations covering most programs used by the School to fund financial assistance. Therefore, in order for the School to complete the required documents, which are necessary for issuance of a Visa, the student must document, by a date and in a manner designated by the School, that the necessary amount of funds, as established by the School, is available to pay the costs of education (tuition and living expenses) for the anticipated period of enrollment (2 years). This documentation is not required at the time of application submission but will be requested from any international applicants offered an interview and it must be supplied in advance of the Match Rank Order List submission deadline.
For more information about international admissions, please contact the Office for International Students and Scholars.
Application Instructions
Students will first need to register with the Genetic Counseling (GC) Admissions Match through National Matching Services (NMS). Students will not be able to advance through the Program’s application nor submit it without supplying their NMS Match ID number.
Program in Genetic Counseling application fees are $25.
The Genetic Counselor Educators Association (GCEA) has established a waiver for the $100 fee associated with the NMS Match. Prospective students who demonstrate financial need AND have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater can apply for a match fee waiver. Prospective students should apply for a fee waiver BEFORE registering for an NMS number. Match fee waivers cannot be awarded to applicants who have already registered for the Match and paid the registration fee.
Applications for the match fee waiver are due by October 4, 2024. Applicants will be notified by October 30, 2024 as to whether they have received a waiver. There are a limited number of waivers, so not all applicants will receive a waiver. Instructions for how to register for the NMS match will be provided to those who receive a waiver.
Waivers are non-transferable to future match cycles or other prospective students. Prospective students who are applying for a match fee waiver will be required to write a short essay and to upload at least one of the following documents demonstrating financial need:
- A copy of a letter verifying unemployment benefits received within the past two years.
- A copy of a letter on official letterhead from a government agency verifying that you or your family have qualified for public assistance based on low income criteria anytime within the past 5 years
- A copy of your financial aid award letter from another / previous institution dated within 5 the past years
- A copy of your approved GRE fee waiver (for tests taken within 5 years of the application deadline)
- A copy of your federal Student Aid Report (SAR) that verifies you qualified for financial aid within the past 5 years based on a family contribution of:
- Not more than $1,500 if the student is a dependent student
- Not more than $1,900 if the student is an independent student
To apply, click here: https://natmatch.com/gcadmissions/applicants/register.html Please direct any questions about the Match Fee Waiver process or requirements to gcmatchwaivers@gcea.onmicrosoft.com
A limited number of fee waivers are available on a first come, first serve basis. Fee waivers are available for:
- Washington University undergraduates
- Participants in Washington University summer bioscience research programs
- Applicants with financial need
If you think you qualify for a fee waiver, please contact us at geneticcounseling@wustl.edu. Please share in the email your reason for qualifying for the fee waiver.
Applicants are required to do the following:
- Upload an unofficial copy of their transcript. Students will also be asked to indicate which prerequisite course(s) they have taken or will have completed prior to matriculation into our program. As part of the application, transcripts will be used to verify completion of prerequisites.
- Submit three (3) letters of recommendation.
- Submit a personal statement and a copy of their resume or curriculum vitae (CV). See below for instructions on what to include and how to format both documents.
Personal Statement
One of the most important pieces of your application to our program is your personal statement. While your transcripts and the experiences outlined in your resume or CV tell us some things about who you are, your personal statement is the place for you to stand apart from other applicants. Your personal statement should not be a reiteration of the classes, employment, and volunteer experiences listed in your resume/CV but should help us really understand why you want to be a genetic counselor and why you want to attend our program. The prompts are a guide for what to write about, but please do not feel you need to answer them in any particular order, just make sure each one is addressed. Please address the following prompts in your response:
- How would you describe the profession of genetic counseling?
- What attributes or experiences do you have that align with your description of the characteristics of a good genetic counselor?
- What types of roles do you foresee taking in your career as a genetic counselor? This does not need to be specific to a specialty or location, but a broader idea of the types of patients you might like to work with, other roles you might like to take on, and/or the types of research you might like to do, for example. This is a place for you to tell us how you plan to add to and shape the future of the profession.
- What will you bring to the Program in Genetic Counseling to help maintain a positive and inclusive learning environment? For example, you could describe how you have contributed positively to your educational, work, and/or volunteer environments in the past and/or how you plan to do so in the future.
- What attributes of our program align with your curricular, clinical, and research interests? This should go beyond a general description of a genetic counseling training program and focus on specific aspects our program that are unique and appealing (e.g. specific clinical opportunities, research interests of faculty, particular courses or electives of interest, etc.)
The Personal Statement should be no longer than three pages, double spaced, 12-point font.
Resume/CV
Please upload a PDF of your current resume or curriculum vitae (CV). In addition to listing all degrees, certificate training, and employment beyond the high school level, we ask that you include the following types of experiences if you have them:
- Genetic counseling exposure (e.g., shadowing experiences, informational interviews)
- Advocacy, counseling, and/or crisis intervention experience
- Other volunteer experience
- Teaching or tutoring experience
- Research experience and scientific publications
Please note, we do not require that you have experiences for each of these headings and we do not anticipate that applicants will have all types of experiences listed above.
Student Support
We offer many supports to students in our program. For more information about the Representation, Inclusion, and Support for Equity in Genetic Counseling (RISE-GC) Scholarship, Financial Aid, and other available support, see our Student Support page.
Want to contact us directly?
Contact our Program Coordinator Elizabeth Witthaus by calling us at 314-273-8552 or emailing us at geneticcounseling@wustl.edu.
Visit our Program Facebook Page to stay up-to-date!