Graduate Programs in Electrical Engineering

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)                                                                                                                         

1. What is the application deadline?
   
   
2. What is the application fee?
   
   
3. What is the University of Maryland institution code for submitting GRE and TOEFL scores?
   
   
4. What is the four letter ECE department code?
   
   
5. What kind of financial aid and scholarships are available?
   
   
6. Where do I send my financial information (international students)?
   
   
7. What is the cost of tuition and fees?
   
   
8. Where do I find information about immigration issues such as student visas and I-20s?
   
   
9. What is the TOEFL score requirement?
   
   
10. What is the minimum GRE score requirement?
    
    
11. Can I send unofficial copies of my GRE and TOEFL scores?
    
    
12. How long until a decision is made regarding my application?
    
    
13. How can I check the status of my application?
    
    
14. What documents should be sent to the Graduate School?
    
    
15. I am an international applicant; should I convert my GPA to the U.S. scale?
    

• December 15: For consideration for financial support, all applications and suppporting materials must be submitted.
• February 1: International students who wish to be considered for ONLY admission NOT financial aid must submit all applications and supporting materials.
• May 1: U.S. citizens who wish to be considered for ONLY admission NOT financial aid must submit all applications and supporting materials.

• June 1: International students must submit all applications and supporting materials.
• September 1: U.S. citizens must submit all applications and supporting materials for best consideration for financial aid.
• October 15: U.S. citizens who wish to be considered for ONLY admission NOT financial aid must submit all applications and supporting materials.

The application fee is $60 and is paid to the Graduate School when you submit your application, not to the ECE department.

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3. What is the University of Maryland institution code?

The University of Maryland institution code is 5814. Use this code when submitting your GRE and TOEFL scores to the Graduate School. You do not need a department code.

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4. What is the four letter ECE department code?

Electrical & Computer Engineering program code is ENEE. This code is used for submitting your letters of recommendation and to fill in on the first page of your application.

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5. What kind of financial aid and scholarships are available?

The department offers various types of financial aid to exceptionally qualified applicants. If you indicate on your application that you wish to be considered for financial aid and submit all your application materials by the relevant deadline, you will be considered for all available forms of funding.

• Clark School Distinguished Graduate Fellowships are awarded to outstanding applicants. These fellowships are competitive two-year funding packages and are usually accompanied by a half-teaching assistantship or half-research assistantship.
• Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) are nine-month appointments that are awarded to excellent students. They consist of teaching responsibilities in a discussion section or lab or grading responsibilities. You do not need to apply separately for a TA position.
• Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) are awarded to applicants by individual faculty members who have active, grant-funded research projects. You may wish to contact faculty members with whom you are interested in working to inquire about GRA opportunities.

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6. Where do I send my financial information (international students)?

All international students, including those receiving financial support from the department, need to fill out a Certification of Finances form. The form is available on the International Education Services website. The form should be mailed to:

University of Maryland, College Park
Enrollment Services Operations
Graduate Admissions
Rm 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742


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7. What is the cost of tuition and fees?

Please visit the Office of the Bursar's website for information regarding the cost of tuition and fees.

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8. Where do I find information about immigration issues like student visas and
I-20s?

International applicants can contact International Education Services (IES) for information pertaining to applying and necessary documentation for student visas. Their website is http://www.international.umd.edu/ies/

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9. What is the TOEFL score requirement?

For the TOEFL requirement, please consult the International Education Services website at http://www.international.umd.edu/ies/658

There is NO minimum GRE requirement imposed by the department; however, most of the students that we admit generally obtain high scores on their GREs. An applicant’s set of GRE scores is only one factor taken into consideration when reviewing an applicant’s admission file. 

Before the Graduate School will admit you, you must submit official GRE and TOEFL scores to the Graduate School. The Graduate School only accepts official scores sent electronically by ETS, not unofficial copies.

However, to speed up the review of your application, once you have requested an official score report be sent to the Graduate School, you may send unofficial copies of your GRE or TOEFL scores to the ECE Graduate Studies Office. You may email the scores to ecegradstudies@umd.edu or fax them to (301) 405-8728.

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12. How long until a decision is made regarding my application?

For Fall admission, funding offers are typically made in February and March. All admissions decisions are made by the end of May.

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13. How can I check the status of my application?

• Once you have received your login ID, you will be able to access your record by visiting https://apra.umd.edu.  At this site you can determine what materials have arrived and what is still missing from your file. 
• If you are experiencing problems when logging into https://apra.umd.edu, click on technical support to try and resolve your problem.  If the problem persists, please notify technical support at apra-support@umd.edu
• Once a decision has been made regarding your application, you can view the decision online at http://www.testudo.umd.edu. You will need to login with your student ID number or your University ID number. Your pin is your six digit birthday (mmddyy). Please contact us if you do not know your SID or UID.

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14. What documents should be sent to the Graduate School?

The University requires online submission of the Letters of Recommendation and online upload of the Statement of Purpose through https://apra.umd.edu

Official GRE and TOEFL scores should be sent directly to the University of Maryland (institution code 5814) through ETS.

All other supporting documents should be sent in one complete package to Enrollment Services Operations (see address below).  These documents include:

Official transcripts
Residency information form (U.S. citizens and permanent residents only)
Certification of Finances form (international applicants only)
International applicants who are already in the U.S. must provide copies of the I-20, I-94, and passport visa stamp

The mailing address for documents is:

University of Maryland College Park
Enrollment Services Operations
Graduate Admissions
Rm 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742

For more information, visit the Graduate School's admission website at http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/gss/admission.html 

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15. I am an international applicant; should I convert my GPA to the U.S. scale?

No, please do not convert your GPA to the U.S. scale. In your application materials, please refer to your original GPA.

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