Graduate Admissions
A variety of graduate degree programs are available to help you meet your career goals and research interests. Masters degrees are offered as either full-time on-campus programs or as part-time online programs. The doctoral program is on-campus only. Applicants to the doctoral program need not have earned a master’s degree before starting Ph.D. study.
Admission into the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECpE) depends largely on meeting minimum academic qualifications required by the department; in addition, admission of qualified applicants also depends on a match between the student’s area of interest, research specialties, and needs of the faculty.
While applicants with records that meet or exceed the department’s admissions guidelines are not guaranteed admission, we promise to make every effort in assessing each student’s ability and motivation to carry on advanced study and research in electrical and computer, evidence of creative talent, ability to speak and write English clearly, and promise for a successful career.
In addition to satisfying the admission guidelines, the department also is interested in your potential as a teaching or research assistant. Generally Ph.D. students will be admitted with an initial major professor, if not the student will have to secure a major professor by the end of the second semester.
Application for Admission
The application to the ECpE graduate program is a simple process. First, complete the application form, providing your student information, academic area of interest, academic history, and additional information through the Office of Admission application portal. Please include a resume or vitae, unofficial exam reports (if required and available), a statement of purpose, and unofficial academic transcripts. You will also name your references and use the online system to manage your letters of recommendation. We require letters of recommendation to be provided by the student’s reference, not by the student applying for admission.
Starting with the Fall 2024 admission cycle, applicants may delay their application fee until the application review is complete. If admission is not offered, then the student need not pay the application fee. If admission is offered, then the application fee may be deferred until the student’s first university bill, which will be due near the start of the student’s first semester of enrollment.
Apply online at the Office of Admissions application portal. For more information, please review the Application Instructions and FAQ.
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering or closely related area
- The bachelor’s degree must be a four-year program of study.
- GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher
- The GRE is optional. Providing a GRE score may provide more information about your capacity for success; however, not providing a score will not be a detriment.
- Statement of Purpose
- 3 letters of recommendation
- Non-native English speakers must meet the English Proficiency Requirement with either an appropriate degree or with a qualifying exam score.
This requirement is satisfied for applicants who have a B.S. degree or higher from a country where English is the only official language (such as United States, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda (for full list, see the application instructions).
The minimum required scores for English exams:- TOEFL Internet (iBT): 88
- TOEFL Paper (PBT): 570
- IELTS: 6.5
- PTE: 59
- Duolingo English Test: 105 (approved through the Spring 2025 admissions cycle)
If you provide unofficial exam reports, it will be helpful for staff to connect your official exam reports to your application record.
You may create your application without including the exam reports. However, official English exam reports must be provided to ISU in order to prepare official admission offer documents.
Deadlines
| Semester of Entry | Funding Priority Date | Most Admissions Decisions Returned by | Classes begin |
| Fall | January 15 | Early May | Late August |
| Spring | September 1 | Late November | Mid-January |
Note that if you require a visa to study in the U.S., please do not initiate a pre-application or application within 3 months of when classes begin; it is impractical to complete both the admission review process and the visa application process within such a short timeframe.
Applications completed by these dates will receive consideration for all available admission and funding opportunities. Applications completed after these dates will receive consideration for remaining admission and funding opportunities. Decisions are returned on a rolling basis and will be communicated by email as soon as possible after the decision is made.
Questions?
It is always our pleasure to assist students in their application process; however, we do ask that students read all instructions and FAQs carefully before contacting us, as answers to your questions may have already been addressed. If you have other questions, please email ecpegrad@iastate.edu.