Graduate Frequently Asked Questions
These questions are for students who are interested in applying to a graduate degree program in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
International applicants: be sure to also refer to the international applications page.
Application Preparation
Our priority application deadline for Fall Semester 2025 is January 15, 2025. All students that complete their application by then will be considered for financial aid. There is not a separate application for financial aid and assistantships. The final deadline is March 31, 2025 for international applicants, with your supporting documentation arriving no later than April 15, 2025. The final application deadline for U.S. citizens is June 1, 2025.
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science graduate programs require all applicants to have a minimum of 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in their highest degree earned to apply.
No. All students are considered for financial aid as part of their application package.
All full-time CEAS MEng, MS, and PhD students admitted are awarded a Graduate Incentive Tuition Scholarship (GIA) to cover part of the tuition. The award amount is dependent on the degree of admission. All full-time PhD students are offer an assistantship and a full tuition GIA for their first year of study.
No. CEAS does not offer conditional admission.
Yes. Students must complete a separate application for each program and pay the fee for each application.
A typical application to the University of Cincinnati will include the following parts:
- A completed university online graduate application
- Uploaded unofficial copies of all college transcripts
- Official transcripts should only be submitted after an admissions decision has been made. Official transcripts sent prior to being requested will not be attached to the online application.
- Letters of recommendation submitted through the online recommendation system
- Recommenders can include former professors, employers and other professional individuals pertinent to the field of study
- Applicants can manage recommendations in the application status page
- Test scores from qualifying exams, such as Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
- English Proficiency: English proficiency is required of all applicants whose native language is not English. Students can demonstrate proficiency in a number of ways at the graduate level. Tests accepted are TOEFL (Minimum 92), IELTS (Minimum 6.5), Duolingo (Minimum 110) and Pearson (Minimum 54) . TOEFL also has an at-home version available.
- A personal statement or letter of intent
GRE is required for the below programs, with the exception of any student that receives their bachelor's (BS) degree from an ABET accredited university in the United States with a GPA of 3.0+. *Applicants to Biomedical Engineering must have related ABET accredited majors and 3.0 or better GPA to qualify for GRE exemption. Please contact the respective program head for any questions.
- Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Mechanics – MEng, MS & PhD
- Artificial Intelligence – MEng
- Architectural Engineering – MEng
- Biomedical Engineering – MEng, MS & PhD (Required for All Applicants)
- Chemical Engineering – MEng, MS & PhD*
- Civil Engineering – MEng, MS & PhD
- Computer Engineering – MEng & MS
- Computer Science – MEng & MS
- Computer Science and Engineering – PhD
- Electrical Engineering – MEng, MS & PhD
- Mechanical Engineering – MS & PhD
- Robotics and Intelligent Autonomous Systems – MEng
- Software Engineering – MEng
- Sustainable Energy – MEng
GRE is optional for the below programs: The below programs do not require GRE. If you've taken the GRE, you can report it and it will be added to your application.
- Engineering Education – MS & PhD
- Environmental Engineering – MEng, MS & PhD
- Industrial & Systems Engineering – MEng
- Material Science Engineering – MEng, MS & PhD
- Mechanical Engineering – MEng only
We require the GRE General Test, which includes verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing sections. Subject tests are not required. We will only accept tests taken within five years before the date of application. The average GRE accepted is 310 total on the quantitative and verbal sections. The University of Cincinnati institutional code for GRE is 1833, and the department code is not required. GRE information can be found here, and GRE Home tests are also available. Scores must be sent to UC electronically.
The application fee is $75.00. A $5 surcharge is added for international applications, thus making the application fee $80 for international applicants.
CEAS does not offer application fee waivers.
Application Process
These questions are for students ready to start their application or are currently in the process of filling out an application for admission.
The Graduate Admissions Office is available to help applicants troubleshoot any problems with the online application system. The help desk is available Monday through Friday during normal business hours (8 a.m.–5 p.m. Eastern Time Zone) and can be reached via phone at (513) 556-1100 or via e-mail at grad.admissions@uc.edu.
Applicants have two choices for filling in the GPA section in this instance. First, students can enter a zero for your undergraduate GPA. UC graduate programs understand that a zero indicates that an applicant’s current or previous school does not use a GPA scale. Second, you can use an online GPA calculator to convert your marks into a 4.0 GPA scale.
UC's "CEEB" college code is 1833.
No, students cannot edit applications once submitted. If there is something that must be modified, however, students can contact grad.admissions@uc.edu.
After You Apply
Use the Application Management page of the graduate admissions application to check the status of your application. Use the same log-in information you used for your online application.
Although the Graduate Admissions Office processes your application, the individual programs determine acceptance.
Direct inquiries regarding your application status should be made to the program to which you applied.
Check your online status at Application Management. If your application is complete you will be notified by email once a decision has been made. You can email engrgrad@uc.edu for additional information.
Generally the admissions decisions start rolling out in February, but some decisions may not be released until as late as April or May. The college will keep you informed by email communications through the Application Management system.
Once granted admission, students receive an official email to check the status and letter of admission in the Application Management system. At this point students must provide an official transcript.
Transcripts are considered official when the documents arrive directly from the school in a sealed envelope. The Graduate Admissions Office also accepts transcripts that were first received by the applicant and then forwarded to the Graduate Admissions Office, as long as the transcripts stay in their original, sealed envelope. Once the applicant opens the transcript envelope, the Graduate Admissions Office can no longer accept the transcript as official.
If a transcript does not explicitly state that a degree was conferred, the degree must be shown in another document from the educational institution. This document, stating degree conferral, must also arrive directly from the school in a sealed envelope.
Additionally, many schools now send transcripts electronically. The Graduate Admissions Office accepts electronic transcripts sent directly by the school as official transcripts. These documents can be sent to grad.admissions@uc.edu.
Official transcripts can be sent to the following address:
Graduate Admissions
University of Cincinnati
2618 University Circle
PO Box 210091
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0091
Email: grad.admissions@uc.edu
Contact Us for More Information
For more information about our MS, MEng, and PhD programs, you can live chat with us by clicking the "live chat" button at the bottom of your screen or email us: engrgrad@uc.edu.