Admissions
Application Deadlines
|
Program |
Application portal opens for Fall entry | Application deadline for Fall entry | Application portal opens for Spring entry | Application deadline for Spring entry |
| MS/PhD |
August 1 |
January 20 - final deadline (December 15 - priority deadline) |
June 1 (if day lands on the weekend then applications will open the following weekday) |
October 1 |
| M.Eng.ME | August 1 (if day lands on the weekend then applications will open the following weekday) |
Once all application materials have been received including letters of reference, applicants can anticipate receiving a decision in 4-6 weeks. (January through May) FINAL DEADLINE: May 1 (if seats remain). International students are encouraged to apply by April 1 to enable ample time for visa and travel planning. |
June 1 (if day lands on the weekend then applications will open the following weekday) |
October 1 |
International students needing visa support should apply early to ensure time for visa processing to occur.
Announcements
Application Fee Waiver Programs
Domestic PhD applicants (US citizens and USLPRs) who have a current GPA of 3.5/4.0 or above will receive an application fee waiver for their PhD applications. Please select "application fee waiver" when you submit your application and cite 'GPA' as the reason for the request.
At this time, we do not have any application fee waivers available for international applicants.
Please contact mechse-grad@illinois.edu if you have any questions about application fee waivers.
Big 10 Alliance also has an application fee waiver program. Please see this link for more information:
https://btaa.org/resources-for/students/freeapp/eligibility
MS/PhD Admissions Deadline for Fall 2025 Applications
The MechSE Department will continue to accept applications to our MS and PhD programs until 11:59 PM Central Standard Time on January 20, 2025 (final deadline). F1 visa holders should apply several weeks earlier to allow time for visa processing.
GRE Policy
Currently, the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department is not accepting or reviewing GRE scores for any applicants for any of our graduate programs.
PhD Remote Registration Policy
MechSE does not have a distance PhD program. We allow one semester of remote registration during the academic career of a PhD student. Should a second remote semester be necessary, a written appeal would need to be submitted to the Graduate Programs Office and it would be reviewed on an individual basis.