International Applicants

International students are defined as citizens and permanent residents of a country other than the United States. If you are in the process of applying for lawful U.S. Permanent Residency, you should choose Adjusted Status as your citizenship type.

International applicants should take special note of the information provided below and read the Graduate College instructions for international applicants and the minimum requirements based on your country of origin.

Eligibility 

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline (mathematics acceptable) from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or a comparable degree from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad to apply to the MS or Ph.D. program. Students do not have to have a Master’s degree to apply to the Ph.D. program.

Applicants who already hold a master’s degree may not apply for a second master’s degree in the same field.

Application Requirements

Applicants should not apply to more than one ISE program per semester. All application materials may be uploaded online during the application process. Please DO NOT send official copies of transcripts, diplomas, reference letters, or scores. Applicants will be contacted if additional materials are required.

The following application materials must be submitted:

• Online application
• Application fee of $90
• Academic Statement . Please write a statement that answers the following questions (recommended length: 750 words max):
  1. How has your academic background, including any training, research, or other academic experiences, prepared you for graduate study?
  2. What are your intellectual interests and what scholarly questions are you interested in exploring in graduate study?
  3. Are there any specific faculty members whose research interests align with your own that you would like to work with?
  4. How will our program help you achieve your intellectual and professional goals?
• Personal Statement (recommended length: 250 words max): Do you have any personal experiences, achievements, strengths, or circumstances not discussed in your academic statement that you would like to include or that you believe will help you succeed in our program?
• Resume
• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcripts in English and native language (may be unofficial, but applicant name and university name must appear)
• Certificate of degree in English and native language (if earned)
• Highly recommended for PhD Applications – Official GRE scores – explore the GRE General Test at Home as a potential option if you are not able to take it in person
• Official TOEFL scores* (explore the TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition as a potential option)
• Evidence of financial resources* 
• Passport/Visa — a copy of your passport and current visa, if applicable, must be uploaded to the application. If you do not have a passport, you will be required to have one before the visa eligibility documents can be sent, if admitted. Please note that a visa is not required of students completing our online masters degree.

English Proficiency Required for Admission

All applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as evidence of English proficiency.  Official scores are required to be submitted directly from TOEFL/ETS or IELTS and must be less than two years old from the first day of class at the proposed term of entry.  You may send TOEFL scores to university code 1836. IELTS score report forms should be submitted directly to the online application. For more information on English proficiency, including minimum scores required, please visit the Graduate College's English Proficiency Requirement for Admission page.

There are exemptions to the English Proficiency requirement – please visit the Graduate College's English Proficiency Requirement for Admission page for more information on whether or not you these exemptions would apply to you. Please note that this exemption is for admission purposes only. This does not provide an exemption for international teaching assistants. For more information, please see the English Proficiency Requirement for International Teaching Assistants. Please click here for a list of countries that qualify for an exemption from the admissions requirement.

Evidence of Financial Resources

All international applicants requesting visa eligibility documents (I-20 or DS-2019) are required to demonstrate that they have adequate financial resources to cover the cost of their education while in the United States. Financial documentation is required as part of the application process in order for visa eligibility documents (I-20 or DS-2019) to the U.S. to be issued. International applicants should upload the documentation directly to the online application using the Declaration and Certification of Finances form. This form includes the amount of funding required and the type of documentation required.

ISE does not require evidence of financial resources at the time of application. All funding offers will be subtracted from the total amount of funding the applicant is required to show.