The following materials should be submitted by the application deadline. HILS does not require the GRE for admission.

• Application Fee (See Application Fee and Payment)
• Academic Statement of Purpose
• Personal Statement
• Resume/CV
• Quantitative Statement
• Scanned Copies of Official Transcripts
• Letters of Recommendation (3 letters are required)
• Evidence of English proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS), required if the applicant’s native language is not English

*Please note: the academic statement prompts for PhD and MS applicants are different.*

Formatting:

• Include the following required information in the header of your Academic Statement of Purpose document: "Academic Statement of Purpose."
• Your name.
• The name of the graduate program you are applying to.
• Set document margins to one-inch and verify that any tables fit within the margins.
• Set document spacing to double-spaced.

First, briefly discuss:

• Primary research area or questions you hope to focus on during the program. (1-2 sentences)
• Why Michigan Medicine/HILS? Are there particular research interest areas and faculty advisors of interest to you? What types of mentorship and support will help you succeed? (You should contact 2-3 HILS faculty to introduce yourself and discuss potential fit before completing your Academic Statement of Purpose.)
• Explain why you identified the potential advisors you did. Please describe the interactions you have had with them.

Then address the following questions in 4-5 pages (double-spaced):

• Explain the research areas you mentioned above and describe the primary research question(s) you previously identified considering the following factors. These do not need to be separate headings — we are looking for cohesive, thoughtful writing.
• Describe your understanding of learning health systems, and what leads you to be interested in studying the science underlying the learning health system.
• Describe prior research experiences, courses, or projects that prepared you for doctoral study.
• Describe the research areas in which you are interested and hope to contribute, including any experience you have with informatics, health data analysis, implementation of evidence-based programs, clinical practical improvement, and/or policy and ethics.
• Briefly discuss the career path(s) you envision for yourself after graduate school. (We understand that these goals may change over time.) How will earning this PhD help you to achieve your goals?
• Mention any valuable leadership experiences you have had, and how they affected you and your career goals?

Finally, to contribute to our holistic review process, in 1/2 to 1 page, summarize the strength of your quantitative and analytical skills by:

• Referencing your grades in key math and science-related coursework and
• Discussing specific details of any research or work experiences that involved quantitative or analytical tasks.

To assist with your Academic Statement of Purpose, we encourage you to review the following resources:

• Advancing the learning health system
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 
• Development of the learning health system research core competencies
• Development of the learning health system science competency assessment to guide training and proficiency assessment
• Learning Health Systems Journal
• Weaving together a healthcare improvement tapestry
• What is unique about learning health systems? 
• Exploring Learning Health Sciences

Use the Rackham application portal to upload your Academic Statement of Purpose (limited to under 10MB)

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx

Recommendation: Convert documents to PDF format before uploading.

Please summarize in ½ to 1 page the strength of your quantitative and analytical skills by (a) referencing your grades in key math and science-related coursework and (b) discussing specific details of any research or work experiences that involved quantitative and analytical tasks. The information provided will contribute to our holistic review process.

Include the following required information in the header of your statement:

• "Quantitative Experiences Statement."
• Your name.
• The name of the graduate program to which you’re applying - HILS PhD.
• Set document margins to one-inch and verify that any tables fit within the margins.
• Set document spacing to double-spaced.

Upload your Quantitative Experiences Statement.

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx

Recommendation: Convert documents to PDF format before uploading.

*Please note: the essay prompts for PhD and MS applicants are different.*

Formatting:

• Include the following required information in the header of your Academic Statement of Purpose document: "Academic Statement of Purpose."
• Your name.
• The name of the graduate program you are applying to - HILS MS.
• Set document margins to one-inch and verify that any tables fit within the margins.
• Set document spacing to double-spaced.

First, briefly list:

• Primary research area or problem of interest for health improvement (1-2 sentences)
• Potential faculty advisors. You should contact two or three Learning Health Sciences Primary Faculty to introduce yourself and discuss potential fit before applying.
• Explain why you identified the potential advisors you did. Please describe the interactions you have had with them.

Then address the following items in 3-4 pages (double-spaced):

• Describe your understanding of learning health systems, how it applies to your primary area or problem of interest and your ideas to address the problem, noting particularly how you might be interested in using knowledge about learning health systems in practice.
• Describe prior research experiences, courses, or projects that have prepared you for graduate study, and any experience you have had in clinical practice improvement and/or informatics.
• Explain the areas in which you are interested in practicing.
• Specify at least one area of learning health systems that you would like to learn in depth.
• Describe another area, discipline or method that would round out the breadth of your knowledge and why it would be a valuable part of your education.

To assist with your Academic Statement of Purpose, we encourage you to review the following resources:

• Development of the learning health system science competency assessment to guide training and proficiency assessment. 
• What is unique about learning health systems? 
• Advancing the learning health system. 
• Exploring Learning Health Sciences
• Learning Health Systems Journal 
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 

Upload your Academic Statement of Purpose (limited to 10MB).

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx

Recommendation: Convert documents to PDF format before uploading.

How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan?

This should be a discussion of the journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree. Do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose.

Formatting:

• Include the following required information in the header of your Personal Statement document: "Academic Statement of Purpose."
• Your name.
• The name of the program to which you are applying.
• Set document margins to one-inch and verify that any tables fit within the margins.
• Set document spacing to double-spaced.

Upload your Personal Statement (limited to under 10MB).

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx

Recommendation: Convert your documents to PDF format before uploading.

For each Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional or Doctoral degree earned or in progress, scan one copy, front and back, of official transcript and upload to application. If offered admission, you will be asked to submit an official copy of each transcript.

Do not submit transcripts from a community or junior college, or non-degree or study abroad coursework. If you previously attended U-M Ann Arbor, Rackham will access that transcript internally.

Please see Transcripts for complete instructions, including specific information for submitting non-U.S. institution records.

An effective recommendation letter should provide an assessment of your potential as a graduate student and/or researcher. It is important that a recommendation letter be written by someone who knows you well academically or is familiar with your professional work. Recommendation letters provide the admissions committee with information that isn’t found elsewhere in your application.

Applicants (MS and PhD) whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency and are required to provide official score reports for one of the tests accepted by Rackham Graduate School.

Please see Rackham Graduate School information regarding Tests for information on accepted test scores, submission of test scores and exemptions.

Your curriculum vitae or resume should describe your education, work experience, research publications, teaching experience, professional activities, volunteer activities, community engagement, honors and awards.

Formatting:

• Set document margins to one-inch,
• Verify that any tables fit within the margins.

Upload your CV/resume (limited to 10MB)

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx

Recommendation: Convert your documents to PDF format before uploading.

Many of the courses in the HILS program are open to any enrolled U-M Ann Arbor student with graduate-level standing.

If you are not currently a U-M graduate student and would like to enroll in HILS courses, complete the Rackham Pre-Approval Form for Faculty & Postdoctoral Scholars Career Development and upload it to the Rackham portal. 

• Applications for domestic and permanent resident applicants are due
  • August 1 for Fall term
  • November 1 for Winter term

Academic Statement of Purpose for Non-Candidate for Degree applicants

Briefly explain your purpose for electing classes as a non-degree student. Include the name and course number of the class you wish to take. No classes in Psychology or Business administration are permitted.

Formatting:

• Include the following required information in the header of your Academic Statement of Purpose document: "Academic Statement of Purpose."
• Your name.
• The name of the program to which you are applying as a non-degree candidate.
• Set document margins to one-inch and verify that any tables fit within the margins.
• Set document spacing to double-spaced.

Upload your Academic Statement of Purpose: (limited to under 10MB)

Accepted File Types: pdf, rtf, doc, docx

Recommendation: Convert your documents to PDF format before uploading.

The Rackham Graduate School administers application fee waivers.

Neither HILS nor the Rackham Graduate School requires GRE scores for admission.

Yes, HILS offers a hybrid HILS–Online MS program.

We aim to notify all PhD applicants of admission decisions by March 1. Master's applicants can expect notification six to eight weeks after the receipt of their application.

Applicants are able to monitor their materials using a U-M Friend Account. Instructions for accessing your account may be found in the Rackham Application Checklist.

The admissions committee will begin the review process in December for PhD applications and on a rolling basis for MS applications, so you will want your application to be as complete as possible by the deadline.