MS/PhD Admissions FAQs

Spring admissions deadline is September 15. Fall admissions deadline is December 1. All application materials must be submitted by the deadline in order to be reviewed. You can also find this information on our MS/PhD Requirements page.

Time frames will vary from cycle to cycle depending on application volume. Applicants may be notified at any time in the period between the application submission and April 15. 

It is difficult for us to provide individual status updates. You should not continuously email our office asking for updates. You can login to your application at any time to check your status. All admission decisions will be sent via email. All admission decisions are final. 

If you are selected for admission, you will be contacted first by our department. Official admission decisions will be sent later from our Graduate College.

No. In order to be fair and consistent with all other applicants, we are unable to review late applications. Our admissions committee begin reviewing applications immediately after the application deadline.

No. Our admission committee begins reviewing applications immediately after the application deadline. Late letters of recommendation may jeopardize your chances of admission and/or financial aid. 

Only the following students are eligible for an application fee waiver:

-US citizens or Permanent Residents with a 3.5 or higher GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Current UIUC MechSE undergraduate student with a 3.5 or higher GPA on a 4.0 scale
-Current UIUC MechSE MS students who are applying to a MechSE PhD program

You can login to your application at any time to see if you are missing any materials. The portal will show if we have not received the official test scores from the testing agencies. We highly encourage applicants to apply early and allow several weeks for official test scores to be received. The system cannot match your test scores to your application if you are using different names and/or email addresses. Your application will not be considered complete until we receive official test scores. Applications without official test by the deadline may jeopardize your chances for admission and/or financial aid.

All applications meeting our program's minimum requirements are reviewed by the admissions committee. Reasons for denial can include several factors, including qualifications and available funding. Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to provide individual feedback regarding the admission committees decision. All admission decisions are final.

We do not currently require the GRE for admission. You can submit your test scores with your application however we cannot guarantee that the committee will review the scores.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we cannot review any application materials that are not formally submitted in the portal. You should review our Admission Requirements page for more information. If you are ready to apply, you may do so here.

Yes, however it is not encouraged to submit more than 3 letters of recommendation.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure our office has received official test scores by the deadline. Applications without verified test scores by our deadline may not be reviewed and may jeopardize your chances at admission and/of financial aid. 

No. Official scores must be within 2 years of the proposed start term. This is a Graduate College requirement and you can read more about this on their website. Applications without  valid English proficiency scores by the deadline will be considered incomplete. The committee is unable to review these incomplete applications.

Once you submit your application, we cannot guarantee that the admissions committee will see your updated or new documents. All complete applications are sent to the admissions committee for review. We strongly recommend you to check your application for completeness before submitting. The committee will be unable to re-review any application. 

Yes. You must submit a new application and pay the application fee again. If you previously submitted letters of recommendation, you should be able to use the same letters and will have the option to select these when logging into your account. You can read more about this on the Graduate College's website.

Yes. However, you must submit a new application and pay the application fee again. 

Yes. You are welcome to use the same recommendation letters for your application. When you log onto your application, there should be an option to select those for your new application. You can read more about this on the Graduate College's website.

We encourage students to discuss your plans with your advisor. It is most common for students to continue with their current advisor. Your current advisor will need to agree to financially support you for your PhD. 

We currently require all applicants (including current students) to submit a new application for the program in which they are applying to. You must submit all application materials with your new application. You may review the requirements on our MS/PhD Requirements page. We can waive the application fee so please select that when completing your application.

Most of our admissions come from RA offers so we highly recommend applicants to reach out to potential faculty members to see about openings. You can find a  list of our faculty by research area on our website.

The Graduate Programs Office (GPO) does not keep a list of professors who are accepting new students as situations are constantly changing. We encourage students to reach out to potential faculty faculty members to see about openings. You can find a  list of our faculty by research area on our website. Please note you will still need to be reviewed by the admissions committee before any admission offer goes out. 

Research assistantships (RAs) are decided by MechSE faculty. We encourage applicants interested in receiving a RA with their admission to contact faculty directly for these openings. A list of our faculty by research area can be found on our website. Teaching assistantships (TAs) are managed by our Graduate Programs Office and fellowships are decided by the Associate Head for Graduate Programs. 

All applicants are considered for TA positions at the time of submission. However, most applicants are funded with RA positions for their first year. There is no separate process to be considered for these positions. If you are an international student. please note you must must meet the English proficiency requirement for Teaching Assistants which can be found here. We can only consider the official scores you submit with your application. 

Students should work with their advisor in selecting courses. Some advisors will want their students to focus heavily on their coursework in the beginning of their program. An example of what your first semester could look like is:

2 4 credit hour courses (400 or 500 level) = 8 hours
MSE 492 Lab Safety = 1 hour (REQUIRED for all students during their first semester)
ME 590/TAM 500 = 1 hour (REQUIRED for all MS students and for PhD students until the semester they complete their Prelim exam)
ME 599/TAM 599 Thesis Research = 2 hours (consult with your advisor on number of hours and make sure you are registering for the correct course registration number (CRN).

Deferrals are made on a case-by-case basis. All deferrals must be approved by the students research advisor and/or the Associate Head for Graduate Programs. 

The Graduate College are the ones to issue your I-20. You should upload your passport and funding documents (if necessary) directly to your application and email the Graduate College (grad@illinois.edu) once you have done so. Please note if you were offered funding (assistantship and/or fellowship) as part of your admission, you may not need to submit funding documents. You may read more about visa information here.

The Graduate College provides a New Students webpage that provides information on how to claim your net ID, immunization requirements, completing required training, getting your I-card, transportation and housing options, and events hosted by the Graduate College including Welcome Week. 

Official transcripts must be submitted during your first term of enrollment. It is recommended that you submit these by March 1 (for spring admits) and October 1 (for fall admits). You can review the different submission options and additional information on the final credentials requirements here.