GBS students are required to have health insurance. Single-coverage student health insurance through UAB is available at no cost to GBS students. Family coverage is available at an additional cost to the student. 

Students who already have their own personal insurance (e.g. through a parent or spouse) have the option to waive student health insurance. To opt out, a waiver stating the student has major medical insurance that is comparable or superior to the UAB student health insurance plan must be signed. You will automatically be enrolled in UAB student health insurance unless you submit a waiver.  

Health insurance costs post to your student account in fall and spring semesters. GBS will pay the dollar value for the individual coverage. The remaining amount to cover the cost of your dependent(s) is your responsibility and will need to be cleared from your student account before the end of each semester in which coverage costs post to avoid a hold on your registration.

For additional information, see the UAB Student Health Services Insurance & Waivers Information*. If you have questions, contact Student Health through the Patient Portal or by phone at (205) 934-3580.

*Insurance waivers must be received by the deadline for each semester in order to opt out of the student health plan. 

Student health insurance becomes effective on the first of the month of your applicable start date, noted on your appointment letter.

Insurance Start Dates:

• Fall: August 15 - December 31
• Spring/Summer: January 1 - August 14

During any emergency or severe weather situation, the UAB Emergency Management Team will use B-ALERT, the university’s emergency notification system, to communicate through voice calls, SMS text messages, and e-mails to the entire campus all at the same time.  To register for B-ALERT or update your existing information in the system, visit the B-ALERT website.

Deadline: Prior to registering for classes the first time.

You will also need to set up 2-factor authentication in order to access your UAB email and most UAB systems (not all). See this page for more information: https://www.uab.edu/it/home/security/2-factor

To ensure a safe and healthy campus, UAB requires all entering students to satisfy immunization/TB requirements and provide documentation of those immunizations through Patient Portal.

See a list of immunization requirements and instructions for submitting your medical clearance documents here.

If you have any further questions, please contact Candace Ragsdale (crags@uab.edu)  in UAB's Student Health Services Office. 

Please visit the Student Health Services page for more information.

The GBS Curriculum Manager will email you with detailed information regarding registration, which is done via Blazernet.

Registration Deadlines: 

• Summer and Fall terms: May 4, 2025

Note: You will not be able to register for classes until you have set up your UAB Email/Blazer ID and registered for B-Alert notifications.

HIPAA training is required to maintain privacy and security of medical data and information.  See instructions for completing the training here.

Deadline: Prior to the start of your first rotation.

You will receive your paycheck the last business day of each month.

• You must set up your direct deposit. UAB does not typically* issue physical payroll checks. Download instructions on how to do this: Direct Deposit Initial Set-up. Direct deposit can be set up in Oracle no sooner than the first day of your appointment - you can find your start date on your signed appointment letter.

To ensure timely payment, all students must do the following:

• Check to make sure your local address and phone number are correct in Oracle. Instructions to update your name and home address are available on the UAB Financial Affairs website.

*Note: You may not be able to log into Oracle until your start date and depending on if you start in the summer or fall term, your first check could be mailed to you, so be sure your mailing address on file is correct by logging in to the UAB Financial Affairs website (link above).

First Day

If you are a Neuroscience student (summer), your first day will be August 4, 2025 for the Dauphin Island Sea Lab course. Early summer rotations start June 2, 2025.

All other students will have their first day August 6, 2025 which is fall orientation for all students. 

Orientation

For All Incoming Students: August 6,  2025 
This will be a full-day orientation for all incoming GBS students. Further instructions will be shared at a later date.

Theme Welcome Meeting

Themes may hold a welcome meeting on August 7, 2025. Your individual theme directors will reach out with information regarding the meeting specifics.

Symposium

The annual GBS Symposium will take place virtually on August 8, 2025.  This event showcases research at UAB with poster and oral presentations by current students, and there will be a faculty poster session of labs looking for rotation students.

IDP Workshop

The Individual Development Plan (IDP) Workshop date is TBD, Fall 2025.

See the GBS Academic Calendar for course and rotation dates, which do not always align with the UAB Academic Calendar.

Time off is a matter of individual negotiation between the student and the student’s research mentor and course directors.  For example, time off around Thanksgiving is dependent on the course schedule and your lab; it may not follow the UAB Academic Calendar.

Parking: Student parking permits may be purchased online through the UAB Parking & Transportation Services Parking Portal.  Students are responsible for paying parking fees. 

Bus Service: The Blazer Express Bus Service provides free transportation for students throughout campus.

Alternative Commutes: CommuteSmart rewards students who take alternatives commutes to campus including bicycling, walking, taking transit, and carpooling.

Biking: Bike UAB provides information and resources for biking to campus.  Students receive a free helmet and U-lock if they register their bike with UAB.

The choice of a dissertation advisor/mentor is one of the most important decisions you will make as a graduate student. Thus, you should keep this matter in mind as you choose laboratory rotations and participate in lecture and seminar activities throughout your first year in the program. 

For information, see the Research Rotations & Mentor Selection page. 

Resources for finding housing in Birmingham:

• UAB Off-Campus Housing
• Living in Birmingham (pdf)   
• UAB On-Campus Student Housing - Students interested in on-campus housing should contact Student Housing about information specific to graduate students.
• Rent Monster - A free Birmingham apartment locator service unaffiliated with UAB or GBS.

It is recommended that you set up a virtual tour of the apartment or schedule a Birmingham representative to see the apartment in person before signing a lease.  If you are unable to visit or virtually visit Birmingham and apartments before moving here, try to secure temporary housing (e.g. AirBnB) while you look for apartments or contact Rent Monster to do Skype tours.

Your admission may have been contingent on items such as submission of official transcripts or English proficiency scores (see your decision letter for details).  Official transcripts can be sent to the addresses below.  TOEFL scores can submitted to institution code 1856.  IELTS and PTEA scores can be issued electronically or sent to the addresses below.

Most contingency items will not affect your ability to enroll in your first term; you must fulfill contingencies by the start of registration for your second term of enrollment.  You will not be allowed to register for your second semester of classes until all contingencies are cleared, so look for messages from the Graduate School on your student account in BlazerNet. Not clearing these will result in a hold that will prevent you from progressing in graduate school.

If you have questions about a contingency, contact gradschool@uab.edu.

For United States Postal Service

UAB Graduate School
LHL G03
1720 2nd Ave. S.
Birmingham AL 35294-0013

For UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.

UAB Graduate School
LHL G03
1700 University Boulevard
Birmingham AL 35294-0013

For Email

gradschool@uab.edu

UAB International Student and Scholar Services

The central point for services, programs, and activities for international students at UAB is International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).  This office can assist with the Affidavit of Financial Support, Form I-20, visas, and more.  Check out their page for newly admitted international students for a wealth of information on transitioning to Birmingham and UAB.

Proof of Financial Support

International students will be contacted by ISSS about submitting an Affidavit of Financial Support. You can provide your GBS appointment letter as proof of financial support, which is emailed to you after you accept the offer of admission.

Mentor Program

All incoming international GBS students are paired with a mentor.  The goal of the program is to make the transition to UAB and Alabama as smooth as possible.  The mentor is a current GBS student and can serve as a resource to discuss issues new students might be facing regarding coursework, lab rotations, accommodation, driver's license etc.

English Language Support

• International Learning Resource Center
• UAB English Language Programs
• Community English Classes

GBS International Student Webinar

GBSO organizes a webinar hosted by current GBS students, International Student and Scholar Services representative, and GBS office representative to address questions or concerns for international students transitioning to UAB and Birmingham. Details will be sent out about the webinar when the event is scheduled. For the 2019 International Student Webinar presentation slides, see here.

If you are requesting student loan deferment while in graduate school and need forms filled out by a UAB official, the One Stop office can assist with completing the form.

Students enter with a given theme affiliation but have the flexibility to rotate with any faculty with active GBS status and may change theme affiliation if their research training interests change. Alternatively, faculty outside of a given theme may elect to join additional themes, if consistent with theme interests, wherein the student could retain his/her original theme affiliation. Additionally, first year theme-specific courses that may be required upon theme transfer can be completed in year two in fulfillment of advanced course requirements. Communication among the student, selected mentor, and both the original and the new theme directors will be necessary to facilitate transfer among themes. All students should confirm their theme affiliation at the time of selecting the dissertation mentor.