When are applications due?
These are listed on the "Application Process" website. http://chemistry.lsu.edu/site/Graduate/item1688.html

We accept students on a rolling basis and earlier applications are more competitive in our process. We encourage you to submit your application as early as possible to have the best chance of acceptance.

Do you offer graduate assistantships or other forms of financial support?
Yes, essentially all students accepted into our Department are offered Salary Support for Students in the form of a graduate assistantship. Additionally, there are some fellowships available for the most competitive applicants.The yearly salary also includes a full tuition waiver plus most of the health insurance being covered. 

Must I spend the application fee?
Yes. However, we do offer fee waivers for domestic applicants.  Application Fee costs are found online at 

Where should I send the completed application?
Send it directly to our Department. This mail address is:

Graduate Studies Office 

Department of Chemistry 

232 Choppin Hall 

Louisiana State University 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA

What is needed for the application? 
You must send in:

1. Completed Online Application form (http://gradlsu.gs.lsu.edu)
2. Official transcript(s) of all undergraduate and graduate schools attended. We require the official transcripts from all your colleges before we can formally admit you, but for initial considerations we can work with photocopies of official forms.
3. Three (3) letters of recommendation from people who know your research and education experiences. The letters can be included in a signed and sealed envelope along with your application, or it can be e-mailed to gradchem @ lsu.edu, or it can be mailed directly to us ("Graduate Studies Office, Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA").
           NOTE: We do NOT use recommendation forms, only letters.
4. GRE scores (including Verbal and Quantitative). You must arrange for the GRE and TOEFL scores to be sent directly to us by the testing agency. [Depending on the date you take the exams, we are willing to consider photocopies of official reports for initial consideration, but you must arrange for an official report before we can formally admit you.] 
5. TOEFL scores (if from foreign country and with no degree from English speaking college).

 
Must I submit the Immunization Form?
The Department of Chemistry does not want and does not consider the immunization form when selecting who to admit. Louisiana law does require a completed Certificate of Immunization filed before the end of your first year here. But getting and paying for a doctor can be a substantial burden for some, so most applicants wait until they arrive at LSU and have the Certificate filled out by the local health group.

Must I submit the Affidavit of Support? 
No. The Department of Chemistry supports all the graduate students, so this form is irrelevant for our department. (The form was included in the Graduate School's application packet because some other departments need it.) Our department does not consider the Affidavit of Support in choosing who to admit. So don't send this in.

What are typical and minimum scores for admission?
We consider the total application package in admissions decisions.  This means that we will consider persons with lower GRE Scores if all the other components of their application are strong, i.e. undergraduate course performance, letters of recommendation, etc.

For the GRE Verbal+Quantitative scores added together, we are looking for a minimum of 1000. GPA minima vary with university and country of the college as other places have different systems. The minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 550, which translates into 213 on the computerized version, and which is 80 on the iBT internet version; please note that the TOEFL minimum is absolute.

As previously stated, we are looking at the whole application, so a low score at one place can be made up for with high scores or good research experience elsewhere.

What are we looking for when admitting students?
We are looking for evidence of content knowledge and research aptitude.  In part, this will come from grades and test scores. However, work in a research group, published papers, or independent research are strong positive factors. In your letters of recommendation, we are looking for evidence that you can think on your own, understand what research is all about, and can advance beyond excellence in undergraduate coursework to innovation in the lab. 

We consider all the submitted material, and try to make some sort of overall evaluation. This means that if your application is somewhat poor in one respect then this can be made up for in other respects. Also, we have no bias against non-traditional students (i.e., those not applying directly out of a four-year undergraduate program), as often maturity and experience make for the best students.

Do I need to be a chemistry major in college to apply to the LSU Department of Chemistry?
Our graduate students typically will have finished a BS degree in Chemistry. We do have minimal coursework requirements; however we do take in consideration other factors. When in doubt you should contact the Graduate Studies Office.

When should I hear about my application?
This varies somewhat from year-to-year and when your application was submitted. For applications completed by January, you might hear back from us anytime from middle February to even as late as May. For later applications, you will likely hear from us sometime in April or May.

How many students do you accept each year?
We currently have ~160 students in our doctoral program and on average we admit ~30 per year into our doctoral program. We rarely admit students into our MS degree program.

What duties and time commitments are required for a Graduate Assistant?
Students are expected to work 20 hours per week for their assistantships. Teaching Assistants (TAs) may teach undergraduate chemistry labs, do grading and proctoring for the chemistry service courses, or work in the department's tutoring center. Research Assistants (RAs) work in the research lab of their major professor, generally pursuing study towards their own Ph.D. thesis.

What is the 'University Code' for reporting GRE and TOEFL scores?
LSU's University Code is 6373. For reporting GRE scores, our Department code is 0301. For reporting TOEFL scores, our department code is 62

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Whom should I contact if I have more questions? 
Please send all inquiries to gradchem @ lsu.edu.