Applying for a PhD in the US usually comes with one extra job that nobody warns you about early enough. You are expected to find a professor, email them, wait, follow up, wait again, and hope they reply before you even open the actual application.
Studyinfo has worked with hundreds of students trying to break into PhD programs in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, and the professor-hunting stage is where most good applicants lose months for nothing.
The good news is that a large group of US universities do not work this way. You apply directly to the department, get reviewed by an admissions committee, and only pick your research advisor after you are already in.
This post lists 55 of them across three fields so you can stop guessing and start applying.
Why You Don’t Always Need to Email a Professor First
Two different admission models exist in US graduate education, and mixing them up wastes a lot of applicants’ time.
In the first model, common in many UK and European departments, you need a professor to agree to supervise you before you can even submit an application. No professor, no application.
In the second model, which most US science PhD programs actually use, you apply to the department as a whole.
A committee reviews your file. If you are admitted, you spend your first year rotating through labs or taking core courses, and you choose your advisor later, usually after your first semester or two.
This second model is what the 55 programs below follow. You do not need a professor’s pre-approval to submit your application. You still benefit from knowing which labs interest you, but it is not a locked door.
Studyinfo Tip: Do not confuse “no professor contact required” with “professor contact does not help.” Reaching out to a faculty member whose research excites you can still strengthen your application and your interview chances. The difference is that it is optional here, not a prerequisite.
Every table below links straight to each university’s official graduate admissions page, so you can start an application without hunting for it yourself.
Most of these links take you to the central Graduate School portal, where you select your specific department and program during the application, since that is how most of these universities structure their online system.
Physics PhD Programs You Can Apply to Without a Professor Contact
These five physics departments run a standard centralized review process. You submit one application to the department, not to an individual lab.
| University | Program | Apply Here |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn University | PhD in Physics | Apply |
| University of California, Merced | PhD in Physics | Apply |
| Drexel University | PhD in Physics | Apply |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | PhD in Physics | Apply |
| University of Pittsburgh | PhD in Physics | Apply |
Auburn University’s physics department confirms on its own admissions page that a full application, not a professor’s invitation, is what gets you considered.
Committee review looks at your academic record, recommendation letters, and research experience together.
Chemistry and Biochemistry PhD Programs on This List
Chemistry and biochemistry departments in the US lean especially hard into the rotation model, because most first-year students take core coursework before choosing a lab anyway. Here are 22 programs that follow this structure.
| University | Apply Here |
|---|---|
| University of Kentucky | Apply |
| Texas Tech University | Apply |
| Clarkson University | Apply |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Apply |
| University of Houston | Apply |
| Temple University | Apply |
| University of Maryland, College Park | Apply |
| University of Texas at Arlington | Apply |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | Apply |
| University of Southern Mississippi | Apply |
| University of South Carolina | Apply |
| University of South Florida | Apply |
| Virginia Tech | Apply |
| Louisiana State University | Apply |
| University of Nebraska Lincoln | Apply |
| University of Miami | Apply |
| University of Alabama | Apply |
| Auburn University | Apply |
| University of Wyoming | Apply |
| North Dakota State University | Apply |
| University of Oklahoma | Apply |
| Syracuse University | Apply |
| University of Pittsburgh | Apply |
Programs like Virginia Tech’s chemistry department publish clear online applications with no requirement to secure faculty sign-off first.
This is the norm across nearly all of the departments on this list, not the exception.
Biology, Biomedical Sciences and Molecular Life Sciences PhD Programs
Biology and biomedical sciences programs, especially ones housed inside medical schools, almost always use rotations. Here are 28 more programs, including several biomedical science powerhouses.
| University | Program Focus | Apply Here |
|---|---|---|
| Syracuse University | PhD in Biology | Apply |
| University of Texas at Dallas | Molecular and Cell Biology | Apply |
| University of Central Florida | MS in Biotechnology | Apply |
| University of Wyoming | Biology | Apply |
| University of New Hampshire | Biology | Apply |
| University of Utah | Biology and Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| Baylor College of Medicine | Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| University of Maryland, College Park | Biology | Apply |
| University of Minnesota Twin Cities | Biology and Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| University of Wisconsin Madison | Biology | Apply |
| Case Western Reserve University | Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center | Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| University of Kentucky | Biology | Apply |
| University of Cincinnati | Biology and Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| University of Florida | Biology | Apply |
| University of Nevada, Reno | Biology | Apply |
| University of Kansas Medical Center | Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| University of Notre Dame | Biology | Apply |
| University of Arkansas | Biology | Apply |
| University of Arizona | Biology | Apply |
| University of Texas at Arlington | Biology | Apply |
| University of Texas at El Paso | Biology | Apply |
| Tulane University | Biology and Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| Washington State University | Biology | Apply |
| East Tennessee State University | Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| SUNY Upstate Medical University | Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
| University of Toledo College of Medicine | Biomedical Sciences | Apply |
The University of Arizona’s graduate admissions office is a good example of how these biology and biomedical programs typically work.
Applications go to a central portal, committees review them together, and lab placement follows after admission.
How the Centralized PhD Application Process Actually Works
Once you decide to apply to programs like these, the process usually follows the same rough shape.
- You submit one application through the university’s graduate school portal, choosing the department and program.
- You upload transcripts, a statement of purpose, a CV or resume, and recommendation letters.
- Many departments have dropped the GRE requirement, but some still ask for it, so check each program page.
- A departmental admissions committee reviews every file together, usually between December and March.
- If admitted, you attend orientation and, in most biology and biomedical programs, complete two or three lab rotations before choosing your advisor.
- Physics and chemistry programs sometimes assign advisors earlier, closer to the end of your first semester.
None of these steps require you to have secured a professor’s agreement in advance. You are being evaluated as a candidate for the department, not for one specific lab.
Can Average Students Win This?
Yes, and this is exactly where the centralized model works in your favor. When a professor has to personally agree to take you on, your GPA or your undergraduate university’s name can quietly decide your fate before a committee ever sees your file.
Centralized review spreads that judgment across several people looking at your whole profile, including your research experience, your letters, and your statement of purpose, not just a transcript line.
Students with a 3.0 to 3.3 GPA get into programs like these every year, particularly when they can show real lab experience, a clear reason for choosing that specific department, and strong letters from people who actually supervised their work.
A student with a mediocre GPA but two years of hands-on research in a university lab, for example, often has a stronger file than a 3.9 GPA student with no lab experience at all.
To strengthen an average profile for these programs:
- Get at least one recommendation letter from someone who directly supervised your research, not just a professor who gave you a good grade.
- Write a statement of purpose that names specific faculty, labs, or research directions in that department. Committees notice when this is generic.
- If your GPA is a weak point, address it briefly and factually in your statement rather than ignoring it or over-explaining it.
What Nobody Tells You About These PhD Programs
Most guides that list PhD programs stop at the university name and leave you to figure out the rest. A few things matter more than people admit.
First, funding is not automatic just because a program does not require a professor’s approval to apply.
Most PhD programs on this list do fund admitted students through teaching or research assistantships, but you should confirm this on each program’s funding page before you commit time to the application.
An unfunded PhD offer in the sciences is rare, but it does happen.
Second, “no professor contact required” does not mean labs have unlimited space. If ten students all want the same popular lab in a rotation-based program, only some of them will get it.
Applying with a genuinely open mind about two or three possible research areas, rather than fixating on one lab, makes you a more flexible and attractive candidate during rotations.
Third, deadlines inside this list vary far more than students expect. Some of these departments close applications as early as December 1, while others stay open into February.
Treating all 55 as one uniform deadline is one of the most common mistakes we see.
Studyinfo Tip: Build a simple spreadsheet with each university’s deadline, funding policy, and GRE requirement before you write a single essay. Students who do this finish their applications weeks ahead of students who research one program at a time.
Before You Apply: Checklist
- Use the Apply Here links in this post to reach each university’s official graduate admissions page, then confirm your specific department’s deadline once inside
- Check whether the program requires GRE scores, since this varies by department
- Request recommendation letters from people who supervised your actual research work
- Write a statement of purpose that names specific research areas within the department
- Confirm the funding structure, including tuition waivers and stipend amounts, before applying
- Prepare unofficial transcripts early since most portals accept them for initial review
- Shortlist your top eight to ten programs from this list based on your research interests
- Browse our Find a Course page to compare related programs and requirements
- Check our Scholarships page in case additional funding applies to your situation
Start Your List and Move
Fifty-five programs is a real head start, not a finish line. The universities above cover Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Biology, Biomedical Sciences and Molecular Life Sciences, and every one of them evaluates your full application rather than gatekeeping you behind a professor’s inbox.
Your job now is to narrow this list down to the eight or ten programs that actually fit your research interests and your profile, then build your application timeline around each one’s real deadline.
If you want help figuring out which of these programs matches your background, visit our Study Tips page for more guidance on building a strong science PhD application.