Distance Learning Admissions and Costs

Admissions

The Sibley School accepts applicants for both the fall and spring semesters for the Distance Learning program in Aerospace Engineering. Students applying to the Master of Engineering program must submit an application, college transcripts, letters of recommendation, and GRE test scores. 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). A typical admit to our program has a GPA 3.6/4.0, GRE scores verbal >157; quantitative >164; analytic >3.0.

Application

The M.Eng. application must be submitted online through the Cornell University Graduate School. The application fee is $105; in cases of extreme financial need, the Graduate School will consider a request for a fee waiver please refer to the Application Fees page on the Cornell University Graduate School website. 

Application Deadline

M.Eng. students are admitted in both the Fall and Spring semesters. The deadline for Fall is May 31, and for Spring admission, the deadline is November 1. This is the deadline for the applicant to submit the application; a reasonable amount of time is allowed for letters of recommendation and official test scores to be received once the application has been submitted.

Statement of Purpose

This should be a one-page summary explaining why you wish to pursue a Master of Engineering degree.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required and need to be requested electronically by providing the name and email address of each recommender on the application. We will not accept hard copy submission of recommendation letters and letters need to be submitted by the recommender.

Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

Applicants are required to take the GRE general test; a subject test is not required. University Code: 2098; Department Codes: 1599 (Mechanical), 1601 (Aerospace). 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.

English Language Proficiency Requirement

All applicants must provide proof of English language proficiency. Applicants can demonstrate English Language proficiency using IELTS Academic or TOEFL iBT scores or can provide proof of an exemption. TOEFL or IELTS 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. 

TOEFL

The Graduate School’s official minimum sub-scores for each element of the TOEFL iBT are:

Speaking: 22
Reading: 20
Listening: 15
Writing: 20

• Send scores to Cornell University Graduate School, Institution Code 2098. Department codes are not used for matching scores to applications; if ETS requires you to select a department code, you may choose “undecided” or “not listed”.
• The TOEFL score must be dated within two years of your program’s application deadline. Photocopies of TOEFL score reports will not be accepted.
• Take the TOEFL early enough to have the results submitted at the time of your application. Exam dates are posted on the TOEFL website. Please note that we cannot confirm receipt of test scores until an applicant has submitted an online application. 
• If you receive your test results and any sub-score does not meet the requirement, you should make arrangements to retake the test.

IELTS

The Graduate School requires an overall band score of a 7.0 or higher on the IELTS Academic exam. 

• When you register for the exam, you may select up to 5 institutions to which you would like to have your scores sent. Cornell University has multiple IELTS accounts so please be sure to select Cornell University Graduate Admissions when registering for your IELTS test date.
• You may also submit a request to your test center to have additional score reports sent to institutions not originally listed on your test registration form. Scores must be sent electronically (e-delivery) to the Cornell University Graduate Admissions, Caldwell Hall e-download account. E-delivery may also be referred to as an e-TRF by your test center.
• We do not accept paper IELTS Academic test report forms. Additional information regarding the English Language Proficiency Requirement.

Transcripts

A copy of the transcript from each college you have attended is required; electronic copies of official transcripts are to be uploaded into your application. Admitted students will be required to submit official electronic transcripts (e-transcripts) if they plan to matriculate. Hard copy transcripts are not required and will not be reviewed as part of the application process.

Résumé or CV

Submission of your resume or CV is preferred but not required for the application. Do Not Send any hard copy documents they will not be reviewed. Please do not submit copies of published papers or any additional materials not listed above. A writing sample is not required.

Application Review Process

After the application deadline, applications will be reviewed once they are complete (official test scores and letters of recommendation are received). Application status can be monitored through the online application system, you will be contacted after the application deadline if additional information is required.

Admission Decision

All applicants will receive an admission decision via email. We expect to notify applicants for Spring admission by November 20 and for Fall by June 15.

Costs

This is a self-funded program, tuition and costs for the Master of Engineering program can be found on the Graduate School website under Tuition Rates (M.Eng. is a Tier 1 degree). Tuition for the distance learning program is charged by the credit hour calculated as 1/30 of the per year tuition rate.