Who is eligible?

If you are unsure if you meet these eligibility criteria, ask us a question by emailing chloe_denelsbeck@hms.harvard.edu.

As a post-baccalaureate program, we are excited to accept and train students from a variety of academic, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds. While we have no strict GPA or coursework requirements for applicants, we have certain restrictions and qualifications for applicants.

Applicants Must:

  • Be documented U.S. Citizens and/or Permanent Resident

  • Have completed (or will complete) their bachelor’s by July 2025

  • Have completed (or will complete) their bachelor’s at a non-research intensive school*

  • Not hold any graduate level degrees (Master’s Degree or PhD)

  • Plan to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience (Applicants pursuing an MD or MD/PhD should consider the Extension School, Research Assistant positions, etc.)

  • Demonstrate interest in neuroscience research (for example, through coursework or previous research experience)

  • Have completed their bachelor’s no more than three years before the start of the program

PiNBAC encourages applications from:

  • Individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented in research careers, in the sciences, in the academic, public or private sectors, including - but not limited to - students who identify as African Americans, Black, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

  • Individuals with disabilities, defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. We understand that some disabilities affect vision, speech, hearing, attention, learning, or mobility, and that other disabilities are not obvious.

  • Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined by the Department of Health & Human Services as those who come from a family with an annual income below established low-income thresholds. These income levels are published on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.

  • Undergraduates who bring diversity to academic study by reason of their culture, class, race, ethnicity, background, work and life experiences, skills and interests.

RELATED PROGRAMS

Please note that there is also a general life sciences post-bac program at Harvard that might be of interest, the Research Scholar Initiative. We invite you to apply to both PiNBAC and RSI. Applications for the RSI program in the Life Sciences and Classics are now live!

FURTHER QUESTIONS

If you have any specific questions about your application, contact Chloe Denelsbeck at chloe_denelsbeck@hms.harvard.edu and someone will be in touch to answer your questions.

*WHAT IS A RESEARCH INTENSIVE SCHOOL?*

Primarily, this applies to schools that have a PhD program in Neuroscience or a related biomedical field (such as biology, cellular and molecular biology, etc.). This will also usually correspond to being designated as an R1 or R2 institution according to the Carnegie Classification of Institution of Higher Education. If the university is designated as an R1 or R2, unfortunately, that likely makes you ineligible for PiNBAC. (Please email chloe_denelsbeck@hms.harvard.edu if you are unsure or want to confirm your eligibility)

Click here for instructions on how to navigate the Carnegie Classification of Institution of Higher Education website.

If you are ineligible for PiNBAC, here are some potential alternatives to PiNBAC for you to explore.