Need help figuring out the meaning of "referred" application status

neurosci
Sat, 13 Feb 2010 14:08:42 +0000

Based on the way that we handle applications at my school, my PI is the graduate admissions director so I have an inside scoop, referred usually means that the specific department or program that you applied to wants you for an interview or for admission but that they need to refer your application to the graduate school admissions committee to make sure that you have or will feasibly meet the graduate school’s admissions requirements.

So here, the biology department reviews the apps and picks the people they want to interview and after interviews recommends certain people for placement into the program. The graduate school can still say no if that person doesn’t meet certain requirements, but in the four years I’ve been working for my PI it has never happened because if the department thinks you are a strong applicant then you have most likely fulfilled all of the requirements for the graduate school itself.