Frequently Asked Questions

The Master’s and PhD degrees are offered in the following programs:

• Applied Electromagnetics & RF Circuits
• Computer Vision
• Control Systems
• Embedded Systems
• Integrated Circuits & VLSI
• MEMS & Microsystems
• Network, Communication, & Information Systems
• Optics & Photonics
• Power & Energy
• Robotics
• Signal & Image Processing and Machine Learning
• Solid State & Nanotechnology

Applicants who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. should apply to the Ph.D. program. Ph.D. applicants not admitted to the Ph.D. program are automatically considered for admission to the M.S. program. An applicant admitted to the Ph.D. program (without a relevant Master’s degree from another school), are eligible to receive a Master’s degree while working towards the Ph.D.

Yes. You must submit a new application form, new fee, and ALL required credentials, GRE scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc., for each program to which you apply.

Our graduate program is intended for day-time students. Occasionally a domestic student may choose a part-time schedule of one course per term.

We expect an applicant to have earned a Bachelor’s degree by the time he/she registers into the ECE Program, and possess a strong background in math, physics, computer science, or engineering.

Admission typically requires a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

The Rackham Graduate School will evaluate your official transcript and convert it to a 4.0 scale.

For the GRE we look for students who score within the upper 50th percentile. While there is not a minimum requirement, on average students have scored at least a 324.

Applicants who have earned or will earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an institution where the exclusive language of instruction is English are exempt from submitting a TOEFL, MELAB, or IELTS score. 

Scores are valid for 2 years. 

Minimum test score required:
              Internet-Based TOEFL:  minimum total score of 84
              OR
              IELTS:  minimum total score of 6.5
              OR
              MELAB:  minimum total score of 80

No. We accept applications for the fall term only.

Application materials for the Ph.D. program must be received by December 15th.

Application materials for the M.S. program must be received by January 15th.

When evaluating applications, we look at the whole picture and every piece is important. This is why we wait until we have all required documents before we begin the evaluation process.

The institution code for both the GRE and the TOEFL is 1839.

Department code is not required.

Please refer to the Rackham guidelines for First Time Enrollee Applicants Whose Native Language is Not English.

No. Once the application is submitted, it cannot be modified. You should include all relevant information in your application before you submit it.

Yes. The Rackham Graduate School will notify you when they have received your application. This lets you know your on-line application has arrived at Rackham and at the program office. It does not mean that it has been processed in the program or that we have received all of the required information.

You can verify if your application materials have arrived in your friend account. This account allows you to check your application status.

In the department, we are not usually able to respond immediately to requests for application status. Each application is carefully reviewed. Decisions are made throughout the academic year; therefore it is best to allow us until April 1st before making a status request.

You will need to submit a new online application, provide new application materials, and pay the application fee. GRE and TOEFL scores will need to resubmitted only if the scores have expired (2 years for TOEFL, 5 for GRE).

You must send validation of the correct date of birth by providing a copy of your Driver’s License or Passport.  Scan your document and send it attached to an email to the Rackham Graduate School Admissions Department at: [email protected].  Please provide your University of Michigan Identification Number (UMID) on the copy in order to avoid any delay in processing.

Yes. The Faculty Admission Committee determines this when evaluating an application. There is no need to email us requesting this consideration.

If you or your recommenders experience any technical difficulty while apply to Rackham, please refer to the following website for assistance: Rackham — ask a question

They are extremely important.  They are critical to both the admissions decision and the awarding of departmental fellowships and Graduate Student Research Assistant (GSRA) positions.

The Statement of Purpose is a statement about your academic research and career goals.

The Personal Statement is a statement about the effects of your life experiences, such as volunteer work, leadership activities, cultural, and educational background, on your decision to pursue a graduate degree.

Students will submit an electronic copy of their transcripts at the time they apply. Students will also need to submit official transcripts directly to Rackham Graduate School once recommended for admissions.

Your letter writers should be people with whom you have worked closely, and who are familiar with your academic work and research potential. We suggest that at least two of the recommendation letters be from academia.

This tends to be a problem with a recommender’s email account set up. The emailed inviation is either blocked or automatically filtered into a junk mail folder. An applicant can check the status of the recommendations, resend a recommendation request, and even change a recommender if the recommendation is not yet started via an applicant’s Personal Activity page. This page may be accessed under the Manage Your Account section of your online application homepage and by clicking on the review Your Activity link. Once the application is submitted, the online application cannot be modified. Please refer to the application instructions for more details.

You do not need to submit any financial documents at the time of application.  However, if you are offered admission, the Rackham School of Graduate Studies will contact you with a request to provide this financial information at a later date.  Do not send these documents to Rackham until you have been asked to submit them.

No. The application materials should be submitted electronically when you are submitting the online application or asking ETS to send us your test report. Official transcripts are required to be sent to the Rackham Graduate School for processing and evaluation. ECE should not receive your official transcripts in the mail.

The publications or articles can be uploaded with the online application at the time of filling in the online application. We ask that you do not mail any hard copies.

Yes. If something is missing from your file, an email will be sent to you regarding the missing items.

The Rackham Graduate School issues I-20’s once the admission process is complete and you have matriculated.  Questions regarding I-20’s should be directed to the Rackham Graduate School Admission Department at: [email protected].  Be sure to include your full name and your UMID.

All Ph.D. applicants are automatically considered for departmental financial aid.  No separate application is required.  

Departmental financial aid is not available for students applying to the Master’s program. For more information regarding department and other sources of financial aid refer to the ECE Departmental Financial Aid page.

There is no application for these positions.  Faculty will select students they desire for GSRA positions.

Applicants with an interest in a particular faculty member’s research are encouraged to mention this in the application Statement of Purpose.