Graduate Programs in Electrical Engineering
How to Apply

Online application

• Visit the Graduate School website to complete your online application. We no longer accept paper applications.
• After you submit your application, you will be asked to fill out the Application Supplemental Form (ASF). It is very important that you enter your GPA in the "Universities Attended" section and follow the directions precisely. International applicants should NOT convert their GPA to the 4.0 scale. Overall GPA should be calculated according to the directions on the ASF if it has not been calculated on your transcript.
• Your online application must be submitted before you send any supporting documents. Otherwise your supporting documents may be misplaced.

Supporting Materials

• We require official transcripts, general GRE test scores, three letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, and TOEFL or IELTS scores for international applicants.
• Please send transcripts to:

• Enrollment Services Operations (ESO) is in charge of processing all undergraduate and graduate application materials. They will scan your transcripts and upload them to your application for the academic departments to review. Please allow two weeks for processing from the time when ESO receives your materials.
• Please include your name and birth date on all supporting materials. If the name and birth date on your supporting materials does not match the name you provided in your online application, your materials may be misplaced.
• GRE and TOEFL scores are sent electronically through ETS. Please use institution code 5814. The department code is not necessary. Scores are downloaded once per month, so please request your score report well in advance. It may take up to 4 weeks for us to receive your scores.
• Letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically in order to avoid delays in reviewing your application. You will enter the names and email addresses of your recommenders when you complete your ASF. We require official institutional email addresses for your recommenders.
• Statement of purpose should be uploaded to the ASF. CV/resume (optional) may also be uploaded. PDF format is preferred.
• Log back into your graduate application to see if your application materials have been received. If we have not received your application materials after an appropriate amount of time has passed, please email us at ecegradstudies@umd.edu. Do not send another copy of the materials. It is possible that they have been misplaced and can be easily located.
• Please do not send any additional supporting documents not requested by the department (i.e. publications, papers, abstracts, certificates). They will be discarded and not reviewed. You may acknowledge these additional distinctions in your statement of purpose or resume.

Review Process and Decisions

• After your application is complete, it will be reviewed by the ECE Department. The department will decide whether or not to recommend you for admission.
• The Office of International Services will then review the transcripts, certification of finances, and TOEFL or IELTS scores of international applicants. International applicants must clear OIS review in order to receive official admission.
• The Graduate School makes all final admission decisions and will issue your official admission letter.
• Please note that it is not necessary to submit your certification of finances before the ECE Department reviews your application. However, you will not receive the official decision until OIS has received your certification of finances.
  
• Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis from February through May. No decisions will be released in response to phone or email inquiries.
• Once a decision has been made, you can view the your decision letter online by logging back into your graduate application.

Financial Aid

• Most financial aid offers are made before April 15th. If you are a candidate for one of these offers, you will be notified as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the application fee?
   
   
2. What is the University of Maryland institution code for submitting GRE and TOEFL scores?
   
   
3. What is the four letter ECE department code?
   
   
4. What kind of financial aid and scholarships are available?
   
   
5. Where do I send my financial information (international students)?
   
   
6. What is the cost of tuition and fees?
   
   
7. Where do I find information about immigration issues such as student visas and I-20s?
   
   
8. What is the minimum TOEFL score requirement?
   
   
9. What is the minimum GRE score requirement?
   
   
10. How can I check the status of my application?
    
    
11. I am an international applicant; should I convert my GPA to the U.S. scale?
    
    
12. How can I make changes to my recommenders?
    
    
13. How can I resend recommendation requests?
    

The application fee is $75 and is paid to the Graduate School when you submit your online application.

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2. 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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3. What is the four letter ECE department code?

Electrical & Computer Engineering program code is ENEE.

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4. 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 December 1 for Fall admission, you will be considered for all available forms of funding.

• Clark School Distinguished Graduate Fellowships may be offered to applicants with exceptionally strong academic records. Fellowships include full tuition remission, subsidized health benefits, and a generous stipend.
• 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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5. 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 Office of International Services website. The form should be mailed to:

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


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

International applicants can contact the Office of International Services for information pertaining to applying and necessary documentation for student visas.

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8. What is the minimum TOEFL score requirement?

For the minimum TOEFL requirement, please consult the Office of International Services website. Our department adheres to the University's minimum TOEFL requirement for admission. Applicants who do not meet the minimum TOEFL or IELTS requirement for full admission may be considered if they have an otherwise strong academic record.

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, particularly in the quantitative section. An applicant’s set of GRE scores is only one factor taken into consideration when reviewing an applicant’s admission file. 

• You may access your record by visiting logging back into your graduate application.  At this site you can determine the status of your application materials.
• If you are experiencing problems when logging into your graduate application, click on technical support to try and resolve your problem.  If the problem persists, please contact the Graduate School.
• Once a decision has been made regarding your application, you can view the decision letter online by logging back into your graduate application.

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11. 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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12. How can I make changes to my recommenders?

You may make changes to your recommenders at any time until your application is complete. Log back into your graduate application and go to the ASF. In the "Letters of Recommendation" screen, you may add or remove a recommender. If you need to make changes to your recommender's email address, you should create a new recommendation request and enter the new email address.

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13. How can I resend recommendation requests?

To resend recommendation requests, you should log back into your graduate application and go to the ASF. In the "Letters of Recommendation" screen, click "resend" next to the name of the recommender who has not received the request. You may resend recommendation requests up to three times.

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Last Updated: January 24, 2011