Many PhD programs, including the biomedical science, chemistry, engineering, and epidemiology programs below, bring their top applicants to an interview or recruitment weekend before making offers. You meet faculty one-on-one, talk about your research, and meet students, and some programs pay your travel. Here is what named programs say about these weekends, the questions the APA suggests preparing for, and the April 15 rule on funded offers.
From the APA, the Council of Graduate Schools, and programs’ own pages2027 cycleChecked October 28, 2026
Practice with a mock interviewOne-on-one on Zoom with Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP.
Jump to:Interview weekendsWhat they look forQuestionsApril 15Virtual interviewsHow to prepareFAQ
Some program types have their own guides: MPH and epidemiology, MHA, business analytics, and biomedical sciences and postbac.
Interview weekends at named programs
These come from each program’s own page for the 2027 cycle. Check the page for every program that invites you.
| Program | Format and dates | What their page says |
|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego Neurosciences PhD | In person, February 16-19, 2027 | Applicants “will engage in one-on-one and group sessions with faculty.” “The program will cover expenses at a fixed amount.” Source |
| University of Iowa Biomedical Science | In person or virtual | In person “January 29-30, 2027” and “February 12-13, 2027”; virtual “February 19, 2027.” “Travel costs within the United States will be covered.” Source |
| Indiana University Chemistry PhD | In person (domestic), virtual (international) | Domestic applicants “meet with the faculty, and tour the facilities.” “All reasonable expenses related to your visit* will be reimbursed by the Chemistry Department.” Source |
| Vanderbilt Epidemiology PhD | Virtual, mid to late February | The visit “consists of faculty and research team interviews.” “approximately 8-12 qualified applicants will be invited.” Source |
| University of Utah Mechanical Engineering | In person, mid-late February 2027 | Includes “Individual meetings with professors.” “Travel and accommodation costs will be reimbursed for highly qualified applicants.” Source |
A recruitment weekend is still an interview. Faculty meetings, lunches with students, and the dinner all count.
What faculty are looking for
The APA’s guidance applies well beyond psychology. Its Finding Fit slides say the objective is “to determine the goodness-of-fit between your interests and experience” and “what the graduate program has to offer,” and describe a typical visit as a group orientation, a “Series of individual interviews (~30 min each),” lunch, and a final session (APA).
“your goal is not to get into graduate school; it is to get through graduate school.”Neimeyer and Fowler, APA Psychology Student Network, 2015
Come in, as the APA puts it, “informed, interested and inquisitive” (APA).
PhD interview questions
The APA’s sample general and research questions work for most PhD interviews (APA):
- Why do you want to pursue a Ph.D.?
- What attracts you to our program?
- What do you see yourself doing after graduation?
- What research interests do you have?
- Who on our faculty could you see yourself working with?
- Describe a successful research project you have completed so far.
- What is the most challenging or frustrating thing about research to you?
- Describe your research skills: methods, statistics, computer skills.
Expect follow-up questions on your own project: why you made the choices you did, what went wrong, and what you would do next. Be ready to explain it to someone outside your subfield.
Bring questions too. The APA suggests asking faculty “How are advisor or supervisor appointments made?” and students “Are stipends adequate to live on?”
Faculty may have read your statement, so reread it before the weekend. If you’re still applying, see our PhD personal statement and statement of purpose examples, or work with Lauren Hammond, PhD, our personal statement editor.
Offers and the April 15 Resolution
The Council of Graduate Schools’ April 15 Resolution says students are “under no obligation to accept or decline offers of financial support prior to April 15,” and that “earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution.” It “applies to offers of full tuition support, fellowships, traineeships, and assistantships only, not offers of admission,” and only at institutions that sign it. “For applications to programs beginning in Fall 2027, institutions must re-sign the Resolution” (CGS). If a funded offer comes with an earlier deadline, ask the program whether it follows the Resolution.
Virtual interviews
Some programs interview online, and some do both: Indiana Chemistry holds a virtual weekend for international applicants, and Iowa offers a virtual date. The APA says, “If you are asked to participate in a video interview instead of a campus visit, you should prepare the same way” (APA).
How to prepare
- Read your interviewers’ recent papers. If you get a schedule, know what each person works on.
- Prepare a two-minute and a ten-minute version of your research. Practice both out loud.
- Have a clear “why this program.” Name the faculty and resources that fit your interests.
- Bring questions about mentoring, lab rotations, funding, and what graduates do next.
- Do a mock interview. Explaining research clearly under questioning is a skill. Practice it with someone who will push back.
For clinical and counseling psychology, see our clinical psychology interview guide.
For faculty interviews held online, see Zoom interview tips from Julie Cunningham, a licensed speech-language pathologist.
Practice with a real interviewer before the real one. My wife, Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist who runs mock interviews on Zoom for PhD and graduate program applicants. She coaches every format: one-on-one, panel, MMI, and recorded video interviews such as Kira Talent. She works on how your answers come across: clear key words, pace, voice, filler words, organizing an answer so it has a point, staying steady when you're nervous, and how you look and sound on camera. It's $250 an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Do PhD programs interview applicants?
Many do. UC San Diego Neurosciences, Iowa Biomedical Science, and Vanderbilt Epidemiology all hold interview visits for the 2027 cycle.
What questions are asked in PhD interviews?
The APA lists sample questions including “Why do you want to pursue a Ph.D.?,” “Who on our faculty could you see yourself working with?,” and “Describe a successful research project you have completed so far.”
Do PhD programs pay for interview travel?
Some do. Iowa Biomedical Science covers travel within the United States, Indiana Chemistry reimburses reasonable expenses, and UC San Diego Neurosciences covers expenses at a fixed amount.
Are grad school interviews virtual?
Some are. Vanderbilt Epidemiology interviews virtually, Iowa offers a virtual date, and Indiana Chemistry holds a virtual weekend for international applicants.
Do I have to accept a funded PhD offer before April 15?
Not at institutions that sign the Council of Graduate Schools’ April 15 Resolution, which says students are under no obligation to accept or decline offers of financial support before April 15.
What is a PhD interview really about?
Fit. The APA says the objective is to determine the goodness-of-fit between your interests and experience and what the program has to offer.
Related guides: MPH and epidemiology, Health administration (MHA), Biomedical sciences and postbac, Business analytics (MSBA), MBA, and Law school. See all interview guides by program.
Every format and quotation on this page comes from the APA, the Council of Graduate Schools, or the program’s own page, linked where it appears. Last checked October 28, 2026.