Note: We accept applications at all times, but these dates are for priority consideration.

If you are requesting financial support for:

• Summer and fall admission, priority will be given to complete applications received before December 15.  
• Spring admission, priority will be given to complete applications before December 1 for domestic applicants, and October 15 for international applicants.  

If you are not requesting financial support and are:

• A U.S. citizen
  • Applications for admission for the summer or fall semester are due by July 15.
  • Applications for admission for the spring semester are due by January 1.
• An international student
  • Applications for admissions for the summer or fall semester are due by December 15.
  • Applications for admission for the spring semester are due by October 15.

Applications received after the deadline will be considered as funding and capacity allow.

A Statement of Purpose. Your Statement of Purpose gives you an opportunity to distinguish yourself beyond grades and test scores. Please keep your Statement of Purpose to 2 pages or less. You may choose to write about previous experiences, your personal and professional goals: Why graduate school? What might you do after graduate school? What inspires you? What drives you? For all applications: Why our program? What will make you successful in our program? For PhD applications: Why is a research life a good fit for you? Have you ever written a proposal to do independent research, such as a National Science Foundation fellowship application? How will your experience help the public or society? Is there something else about you that you think is important for us to know? It is not necessary to address each of these issues; we want you to decide how you want to present yourself. The graduate admissions committee members read this essay with interest and care because, along with the letters of recommendation, it offers us further insight into who you are as a distinct individual. Your statement of purpose should be a well-structured essay that effectively communicates the information above while demonstrating your writing ability.

1. Priority will be given to applicants who declare a PhD objective. Applicants who do not have an MS degree can declare PhD as their degree objective (they need not complete a MS degree to obtain the PhD degree).
2. It is expected that all students will move from departmental support to their advisor’s research grants. In the unlikely event that they do retain departmental funding, preference will be given to students who make good progress toward the PhD degree. Benchmarks for good progress are:
   • Maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.25.
   • Selecting an advisor by the end of the second semester of study.
   • Taking the qualifier in the first spring semester following the semester of admission.
   • Passing the qualifier in at most two attempts.
   • Passing the comprehensive exam within three years of admission.
   • Graduating within eight semesters from admission

Students admitted to the ECE graduate program with undergraduate degrees in computer science, mathematics, or physics will be required to complete the following preparatory undergraduate courses with a grade of B or better. These courses will not count for graduate credit, but will prepare the student for success in the graduate ECE program.