How to Apply

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On-Campus Programs

Applications for all on-campus graduate programs for the 2023-2024 Academic Year are now open. You can access program applications here.

You can fill out our Inquiry Form to receive additional information about our programs.

Online Programs

Click here for more information about Penn Engineering Online degree programs.

Doctoral Program Deadlines

The application deadline for our Doctoral Programs is December 15, 2022; the applications are available now.

Master’s Program Deadlines

Applications for the 2023-24 Academic Year are available here. Application deadlines and release dates are listed below.

All deadlines are at 11:59pm EST of the date listed.

Criteria for Candidates

Applicants for Master’s and Doctoral programs must have obtained a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited School or University prior to intended matriculation date. The degree programs must be a minimum of three years in length.

Application Requirements for On-Campus Programs

All below materials are required to be submitted by the specific application deadline:

• Biographical information (part of the online application);
• Resume
• Personal Statement – we recommend the following guidelines for the personal statement:
  • No more than two pages in a readable font/size:
  • Use answers to the following questions to guide your writing; please provide detailed and specific examples from academia, industry or research when possible:
    • Why are you interested in this program?
    • What have you done that makes you a great candidate?
    • How will you benefit from the program?
    • How do you plan to contribute to the student community in SEAS while you’re here?
    • Why will you succeed in the program?
    • What will you do/accomplish once you have completed the program?
    • (*IPD applicants may choose to write a personal statement that addresses the IPD specific questions listed on their website.*)
• Two [2] official Letters of Recommendation – one must be from a faculty member who is familiar with the candidate’s scholarly abilities:
  • CIS PhD application requires three [3] Letters of Recommendation.
• Unofficial Transcript – submitted with application:
  • One [1] transcript from each university or college attended where course credit was earned, to be uploaded and submitted with the online application. It is required to be in English.
• $90 non-refundable application fee – This payment must be submitted with the online application. Automatic waivers are available to (1) US citizens or permanent residents with proven low-income backgrounds, (2) applicants with Penn, or military affiliation, and (3) students from Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College or La Salle University who apply to one of our qualifying Accelerated Master’s programs. For applicants who meet one of the criteria above, the fee waiver will be automatically applied; there is no need to request a code. Reach out to your Admissions Contact if you have any questions.
• GRE – official score report for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE):

Submitting your GRE scores is optional during the 2023-2024 application cycle. If you are/were able to take the GRE exam and have valid scores to report, we encourage you to upload them to your application. If you are not able to take the GRE exam, we will evaluate your application holistically. Your candidacy will not be negatively impacted if you do not report GRE scores.

• • The institution code to use for the GRE exam is 2888.
  • Test results must be valid at time of application submission.
  • You must take the exam by the application deadline.

• TOEFL/IELTS* – All international applicants and non-US Citizens/Permanent Resident applicants for whom English is not the native language must submit official scores for either the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS)*.
  • The institution code for the TOEFL exam is 2888.
  • Test results must be valid at time of application submission.
  • You must take the exams by the application deadline.

During this admissions season, we will accept scores from at-home administration of the GRE and TOEFL exams.

• TOEFL Score Recommendations – a minimum of 100 is recommended for all programs. There is not a required score.
• IELTS Score Recommendations – a minimum of 7.5 is recommended for all programs. There is not a required score.

  Please send your IELTS score report electronically. Test results should be sent to:

  “University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science”

*To have this requirement waived, the applicant must meet the following criteria by the time of matriculation:

• Graduate from a program in the United States;
• Attend school in a country in which English is recognized as the official language; or,
• Graduate from an institution where the medium of instruction is English, and this is indicated on the unofficial transcript.

A waiver request does not need to be submitted by an applicant; the requirement will be waived after the application and necessary materials are submitted and reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Office and an applicant is found to meet one or more of the above criteria.

We do not have minimum required test scores or GPA. Averages can be found in some university publications, on some departmental websites and in media such as U.S. News & World Report and Peterson’s Guide.

Due to the volume of applications we’re processing, we are not able to update any materials for submitted applications.  Applications are considered final upon submission. We will only upload final, official transcripts when they become available.  Please note that all application materials become property of the University of Pennsylvania and will not be returned. Remember to retain a personal copy of your application.

Official Transcripts

All official transcripts should only be sent to Penn Engineering if you have been admitted and have already submitted your enrollment form.

• One [1] official transcript from each university or college attended where course credit was earned. This must be submitted by the issuing institution. It is required to be in English.
• One [1] official final transcript, showing completion of the degree. You must also send a certificate of graduation, when the transcript does not list the degree earned. This must be submitted by the issuing institution. It is required to be in English.
• We do not require transcript evaluation by WES or any other 3rd party evaluation company.
• Current Penn Students and Penn Alumni that were enrolled beginning August of 2017 or after do not need to provide official transcripts. They will instead be uploaded from the University Registrar at no cost to the admitted student. Anyone that graduated or ended their enrollment prior to August 2017 must request an official transcript from the University Registrar and pay any applicable fees.

If the transcripts will be mailed, please have them sent to the following address:

University of Pennsylvania
SEAS Graduate Admissions
Levine North Building (GRW) Room 166B
3330 Walnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19104
Attn: (Enter Your Admissions Contact’s Name)

If your institution uses electronic transcripts, your institution should send the electronic transcripts to the following administrators:

• Abigail Whittington, admissions1@seas.upenn.edu, for BE, EE, IPD, MSE, and MEAM, SE
• Sherry Ferraiolo, admissions2@seas.upenn.edu, for CGGT, CIS and DATS
• Connor Gallegos, admissions3@seas.upenn.edu, for BIOT, CBE, MCIT, NANO, ROBO, and SCMP

We encourage all applicants submitting transcripts from non-US-based institutions to use transcript evaluation and translation services (if the original transcript is not in English). To expedite the process of ordering documents, you may use the Certifile/College Net Document Service offered through our online application to obtain documents from Educational Perspectives. Applicants from Chinese institutions are encouraged to use the China Credential Service (CHESICC) service. After you complete the required sections of your application, you will have the option to order your official transcripts and evaluation documents for an additional fee. You can also order them from the application checklist after your application has been submitted. Official transcripts are only required if you have been admitted and choose to enroll.

Financial Aid Information

Please note that Penn Engineering does not provide master’s applicants with financial assistance. Please see the Paying For Your Education page for more information.

Admission Decisions

Applications are evaluated as a whole portfolio: we use your test scores, unofficial transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statement and resume/cv for the application review process. Completed Master’s applications will be evaluated promptly by our faculty once each application cycle has ended. Admittance is based on an estimate of the applicant’s ability to successfully complete our graduate program and on the compatibility of student interests with our programs and research. Decisions are released on the advertised date unless otherwise noted; the applicant will be notified directly through the online application system. Admission decisions are not released before the deadlines, are not revealed over the telephone and are not sent by mail.