Graduate Student Admissions


Important Items

Applications are now open for Spring and Fall 2024!

The ECE Department will provide PhD application waivers for qualified Domestic Applicants.  See below for more information.*

All domestic and international applicants with an engineering bachelor’s degree may waive the GRE exam.

Apply Here

*PhD Application Waiver: please email the Graduate Student Coordinator (Admissions Adviser) with verification that you graduated with a 3.5 GPA from an ABET Accredited Engineering Program (preferably in Electrical and Computer Engineering) and brief explanation of the research that you would like to do as a part of your PhD.  This waiver is only available for qualified domestic applicants. A domestic applicant is defined as a US citizen, PR card holder, asylee, or refugee.  International students are not eligible for this waiver.  Please do not email asking for a waiver/exception if you do not meet these criteria.

Application Deadlines

Semester Domestic Students International Students Online MS Program
SPRING
2024
Priority – Sept 30
Final – Nov 15
Priority – Sept 15
Final – Sept 30
Priority – Nov 1
Final – Nov 15
FALL
2024
Priority – Dec 30
Final – Jan 30
Priority – Dec 30
Final – Jan 30
Priority – Apr 1
Final – Jun 30
Summer Not Admitted Not Admitted Not Admitted

Application Fees

Domestic International
MS – $55  /  PhD – Free* MS – $65  /  PhD – $65

All PhD applications received by the priority deadline will be considered first for funding. Graduate applications that are received after the final deadline may be rejected without consideration. All applications received after the priority deadline will be charged an additional $30 late fee for processing.

 Walk-through the admissions process with our Advising Coordinator:


The Application


The following information is required to complete the online application:

The application fee may be paid online during the application process. The application will not be complete until the application fee has been received.

Domestic International
MS $55 MS $65
PhD Free* PhD $65

Description More Information
Options include:
M.S.
Ph.D.
More degree program information is available on the ECE website.
Minimum GPA required:
3.2
3.5
International students should see the FAQ for percentile comparisons.

Description More Information
All post-secondary schools attended:
Name of Institution
Dates of attendance
Degrees earned/expected
GPA
Transcripts / academic records (and diplomas or certificates of degrees if your degree is awarded and not listed on your transcript) must be uploaded directly to the online application. English translations should also be uploaded if the credentials are not in English.

Description More Information
Applicants with an Engineering bachelor’s degree may waive the GRE exam. 

If you take the GRE exam, scores should be sent from ETS directly to the University of Utah (ETS code: 4853) ECE Department (ETS code: 1203)

If you take the GRE exam, applicants are expected to score 158 or above in the quantitative area; the analytical area must be 3.5, and the Verbal area must be above 150.

A GRE score less than 158 in the quantitative area and 150 in verbal will not be automatically be rejected.  All applications will be reviewed.

If you will graduate with a BS degree you are not required to take the GRE. 

Description More Information
The online admission system will request a resume or curriculum-vitae (CV) detailing your relevant work history and research experience. Student resume samples

Description More Information
Half to one page statement describing the applicant’s background, research interests, and reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in the ECE Department. Transcripts / academic records (and diplomas or certificates of degrees if your degree is awarded and not listed on your transcript) must be uploaded directly to the online application. English translations should also be uploaded if the credentials are not in English.

Description More Information
You need three recommendation providers. All recommendations must be completed online. Only contact information for each provider is necessary. We will contact them directly to submit a recommendation on your behalf through our online system. Recommendations should come from current or former professors who have direct coursework or research experience with the applicant, or a direct supervisor who from a field related to electrical and computer engineering.

Description More Information
International applicants only: Either TOEFL or IELTS scores must be submitted.

TOEFL: Send to the U. of Utah ETS code: 4853
IELTS: Submit University of Utah address to center where the test was taken.

TOEFL: Applicants are expected to score 100 (A TOEFL score below 100 may still be considered for admission)

IELTS:  Applicants are expected to score 7.5.

A score less than 80 on the TOEFL exam or a score less than 6.5 IELTS will not be considered eligible for admissions.  Please see the university policy information below:

Graduate English Proficiency

If have graduated with a BS, MS, or PhD from a regionally-accredited U.S. college or university completed within two years of admittance we will waive the TOEFL or IELTS exam requirements.

Description More Information
A list of the professors in the department with whom you share research interests. ECE Professors organized by research area

Frequently Asked Application Questions


No, please read through the information below regarding transcript requirements and information.
You must list in your online application each institution of post-secondary education from which you have earned credit. You must also submit your transcript / academic record (and diplomas or certificates of degrees if your degree is awarded and not listed on your transcript) for each of these institutions.

Unofficial Academic Credentials
Transcripts / academic records (and diplomas or certificates of degrees if your degree is awarded and not listed on your transcript) must be uploaded directly to the online application. English translations should also be uploaded if the credentials are not in English.

Official Academic Credentials
All credentials uploaded to the online application are considered unofficial. You will only be asked to submit official or attested credentials (transcripts, academic records, diplomas, certificates of degrees, etc) in a sealed envelope, with a certification stamp across the seal if you are admitted. These must be submitted during your first term of enrollment at the University of Utah.

The University of Utah reserves the right to require the submission of official credentials at any time during the admission review process.

Instructions for Uploading your Academic Credentials
You are required to upload a copy of your unofficial academic credentials prior to submitting your online application. English translations should be included if the credentials are not in English.

Please refer to the details below before proceeding:
Please do not mail or fax in a copy of the credentials which you have uploaded to your online application. Instead, use only the upload feature of our online application at this point. This saves you the time, effort, and expense of mailing transcripts to us during the initial processing and review of your application. It also avoids any delays resulting from the non-receipt of transcripts and assures you that your documents have been successfully submitted, since you can view them yourself online.

Only if you are recommended for admission will you need to provide official credentials (sent to us by mail directly from the institution). Your offer of admission will be contingent upon the receipt and verification of these official documents which must show the award of degrees. Please do not send these official records until we request them from you.

Below are some suggestions on how to proceed with uploading a transcript:
Please obtain an electronic version of your unofficial transcript / academic record (and diplomas or certificates of degrees if your degree is awarded and not listed on your transcript) or scan a copy of the document you may already have and that is current, at the lowest resolution that results in a legible document (we recommend to use under 200 dpi whenever possible).

You may upload an institutional web based transcript / academic record as long as the institution has put your name on the transcript/record.

You must ensure that your name, the institution name and other identifying marks are not missed during the scanning process and that your scanned copy is clearly legible and can print on letter size paper – 8.5 by 11 in (21.5 by 30 cm)

Please include a copy of the transcript legend or university key (back page in most cases) for each institution.

All credentials to be uploaded for each institution (transcripts and diplomas/certificates) must be uploaded in one file per institution listed.

Please be certain that your document is saved as a PDF file or Word document, and that its size does not exceed 1500kb. Scanning in “gray scale” or black and white may produce the best results.

If the scanned file is too large you may want to make a photocopy first (experiment with different settings until you find one that results in the smallest file size) then scan the photocopy.

Once you have uploaded the document into the online application, you will be able to click the “view document” button to verify whether the uploaded document is legible. If it is not legible, try again. (NOTE: The system automatically converts your uploaded document into a standard PDF file.)

The University of Utah reserves the right to require official academic credentials at any time during the admissions process, and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between unofficial and official transcript(s) are found.

Yes, a minimum GPA of 3.2 for the MS degree and a 3.5 for the PhD degree in undergraduate work is required by the ECE Department. Most students accepted into the graduate program have GPAs well above that level.

Applicants from India should have a minimum percentile score of 80, and applicants from China should have a minimum percentile of 86.

If your GPA and/or test scores are slightly below the cutoffs, please do not email asking us about your scores. Records are not pre-evaluated. After reading our application information, applicants must make their own decision about whether or not to apply.

The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 80. Our department expectation is 100.
The minimum acceptable score for the IELTS is: 6.5. Our department expectation is 7.5
The minimum acceptable score for Duolingo is: 105.

If you have graduated with a BS, MS, or PhD from a regionally-accredited U.S. college or university completed within two years of admittance we will waive the TOEFL or IELTS exam requirements.

You can learn more about our Graduate English Proficiency Requirements

If your test scores are slightly below the cutoffs, please do not email asking us acceptance likelihood. Records are not pre-evaluated. After reading our application information, applicants must make their own decision about whether or not to apply.

No, applicants with an engineering bachelor’s degree may waive the GRE exam. The GRE General Exam is no longer required for all applicants.

If an applicant chooses to take the GRE they should score 158 or above in the quantitative area, the analytical area must be 3.5, and the verbal area must be above 150.

If your test scores are slightly below the cutoffs, please do not email asking us acceptance likelihood. Records are not pre-evaluated. After reading our application information, applicants must make their own decision about whether or not to apply.

No. Applications which are submitted without the application fee will not be considered. The only application waiver available is for domestic PhDs.

*PhD Application Waiver: please email the Graduate Student Coordinator (Admissions Adviser) with verification that you graduated with a 3.5 GPA from an ABET Accredited Engineering Program (preferably in Electrical and Computer Engineering) and brief explanation of the research that you would like to do as a part of your PhD.  This waiver is only available for qualified domestic applicants. A domestic applicant is defined as a US citizen, PR card holder, asylee, or refugee.  International students are not eligible for this waiver.  Please do not email asking for a waiver/exception if you do not meet these criteria.

No, an application will be considered by the ECE Graduate Committee unless the application file is complete. All application materials must be received by the application deadline or the application will not be reviewed.

Detailed information about the ECE Department, faculty’s research interests, ongoing research projects, and recent technical papers are located at www.ece.utah.edu. Applicants should check the website regularly for updated information.

Please do not contact faculty members prior to being accepted into the program. The application will clearly ask you which research areas interest you and with whom you might like to work. Students may list any ECE faculty members here. Applicants will be considered for assistantships based on the faculty member(s) and/or research interests indicated on the online application. Applicants may contact a research group website with coursework questions. Sending multiple emails to faculty asking for support before admission does not advance the process of their application or help in funding decisions.

No, this information is not available.

We are looking for applicants with strong academic backgrounds who have demonstrated a potential to perform creative and innovative research in the research areas represented by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

Research Funding


Over the past fourteen years, our college research expenditures have grown from $30 million per year to $95.8 million per year, driving the number of Ph.D. students from 270 to 664 in the College of Engineering.  As a result of the ever-increasing need for top students, we are paying the application fee for domestic Ph.D. students, and most of the fees for other graduate students.

Our Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate program offers a number of collaborative, interdisciplinary research opportunities. Our students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including the Utah Nanofab, and a network of faculty conducting world-class research in diverse specialties. Student financial support is available through fellowships, research and teaching assistantships. All of our PhD students are financially supported in full by either one or a combination of these sources.

*PhD Application Waiver is only available for qualified domestic applicants.  To receive an application waiver please email a Graduate Student Coordinator (Admissions Adviser) and you will need to verify that you graduated from an ABET Accredited Engineering Program, preferably in Electrical and Computer Engineering.  You will also be expected to have a 3.5 GPA to apply for the waiver.  Please also provide a brief explanation of the research that you would like to do as a part of your PhD.

A domestic applicant is defined as a US citizen, PR card holder, asylee, or refugee.  We are sorry International students are not eligible for this waiver.  Please do not email us asking for PhD application waiver or an exception if you do not meet these criteria expectations.

Questions?

One of our program contacts will happily answer any additional questions or concerns you may have.

Liz Rowberry

Graduate Student Coordinator / Admissions Adviser

Phone: 801-587-9710

Email: liz.rowberry@utah.edu

Office: MEB 2266 – C