Admissions
Admission to the Ph.D program
Admission to the Ph.D. program is highly competitive. Previously successful applicants generally present a grade point average above a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, a quantitative GRE score above 760 and a verbal GRE score above 500. International students from non-English speaking countries are required by the Graduate School to achieve minimum scores on each of the subsections of the TOEFL exam (see below).
The Application
The Graduate School application must be submitted online. The application fee is $95; in cases of extreme financial need, the Graduate School will consider a request for a fee waiver. A letter of request for a waiver and documentation of need must be sent to Anne Haessner
The Deadline
Ph.D. applications are accepted for the Fall semester only. The deadline for Fall 2012 admission is December 15, 2011. This is the deadline for the applicant to submit the application—reasonable amount of time is allowed for letters of recommendation and official test scores to be received once the application has been submitted.
Selecting a Field
The Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is home to three graduate fields: Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Theoretical and Applied Mechanics; you must choose one field at the time of application.
Selecting a Concentration
Each field has a number of concentrations from which to choose. Faculty members in the field can represent one or more concentrations within the field. Please refer to the Graduate School website for concentrations and faculty research interests listed in each of the fields.
Statement of Purpose
The first paragraph should be a summary (150 words) highlighting the topic(s) or area(s) you are interested in studying, naming faculty members or groups with whom you would be interested in working, and outlining academic and research experiences that distinguish you.
Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required and should be sent electronically. Recommendations may be requested electronically by providing the name and email address of each recommender on the application.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Applicants are required to take the GRE general test; a subject test is not required. Please use University Code 2098; department codes are 1599 (Mechanical), 1601 (Aerospace), 1699 (Theoretical and Applied Mechanics).Official scores must be sent directly from ETS to Cornell University. Do not send copies of unofficial scores. GRE scores are valid for five years.
TOEFL Examination (if applicable)
The TOEFL exam is required of all international applicants from countries where English is not the official language unless the applicant has studied for at least two years in a country where English is the official language and the language of instruction was English. Official scores must be sent directly from ETS to Cornell University. Do not send copies of unofficial scores. Please use University Code 2098; department codes are 68 (Mechanical), 63 (Aerospace), 69 (Theoretical and Applied Mechanics). University minimums for the iBT version of the TOEFL are: Writing, 20; Listening, 15; Reading, 20; Speaking, 22. You must receive the minimum score on each subsection.
Transcripts
A copy of the transcript from each college you have attended is required; electronic copies of official transcripts uploaded into your application are preferred. You will only need to send hard copies of official transcripts if you are admitted and plan to matriculate.
Résumé or CV
You are not required to submit a résumé or CVn>; however, if you wish, you may send a scanned copy of your résumé or CV n>to be placed in your file; include a list of publications, if applicable, with your CV.
Do Not Send
Please do not send unpublished papers, CDs, or any additional materials not listed above. A writing sample is not required.
The Review Process
Faculty will begin reviewing applications as soon as they are complete. Admission decisions are made by faculty committees taking the entire applicant pool into account.
You will be notified via email when your application is complete or if something is missing once the applications are processed. Please refrain from inquiring about the status of your application; inquiries will only delay the timely processing of applications.
All admitted Ph.D. applicants are invited to come for a visit weekend.
You will be notified of the admission decision by email, usually no later than mid-March.
Contact Information
Marcia James Sawyer, Graduate Field Administrator
Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
107 Upson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7501
607 255-5250
