Application Materials

Mailing Address

Any mailed materials should be mailed to the Graduate Professional Programs except for Design Science materials (see below). Application materials in excess of those specifically requested will not be reviewed or returned.

Please mail official transcripts to:

Graduate Professional Programs, College of Engineering 
Office of Student Affairs
145B Chrysler Center
2121 Bonisteel Boulevard
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-2122 

Design Science Applicants:

Please note that the Design Science program is administered by the Rackham Graduate School, and any mailed materials for Design Science applicants should be mailed to Rackham.

Non-Refundable Application Fee

The application fee for domestic students is $75 and $90 for international students.

Financial Considerations

Detailed information about U-M tuition and fees for academic programs is available at the Office of the Registrar. The U-M Board of Regents sets tuition for the upcoming academic year at its annual June meeting. Please note financial aid opportunities for graduate students are limited. More information on these opportunities and the cost of attendance is available at ISD Financial Aid website, the U-M College of Engineering’s website on financial aid, and the University of Michigan’s general Financial Aid website, we encourage you to perform detailed research on these costs before you begin the application process. 

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required for all ISD graduate degrees. 

Your recommenders should submit their letters of recommendation for you online. You will find instructions for recommenders when you are completing your online application. Letters must come from a professor or supervisor. Applicants cannot be their own recommender.

In the application itself when you arrive at the Recommenders section, you will enter their email addresses into the area noted and the recommenders will receive an email from CollegeNet’s application portal asking them to upload their letters of recommendation. We recommended that you select Letters of Recommendation to be submitted confidentially on the application form.  If your recommenders are having technical difficulties, contact the CollegeNet helpdesk using this link.

GRE Score

The GRE is encouraged but not required for all ISD Programs.

Information about the GRE including test dates and locations can be found at http://www.ets.org

Please contact ETS to have an official score report sent to the University of Michigan (institution code 1839, department code Engineering Other, 69).

While each application is evaluated individually, typical GRE scores can average around 153 verbal and 163 quantitative.

GRE scores must be less than five years old as of the application deadline to be used for consideration.

Resume / Curriculum Vitae

Your resume or curriculum vitae must be submitted online when completing your online application.

Academic Statement of Purpose

An academic statement of purpose is required when completing your online application.

This statement should be a concise, well-written essay about your background, your career goals, and how the program to which you are applying will help you attain your career and educational objectives. The recommended word count is 500 words.

Personal Statement

A personal statement essay is required when completing your online application.

The personal statement should describe how your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree.

For example, if you grew up in a community where opportunities were either especially plentiful or especially lacking, you might discuss the impact this had on your development and interests.

Please do not repeat your academic statement of purpose. The recommended word count is 500 words.

Official Transcripts

All applicants are required to provide one official transcript or certified credentials from all universities and community colleges attended.

Please refer to the document below for information about what constitutes an official transcript, as well as official transcript submission information. 

Official transcripts should be submitted electronically from your institution to engin.pro.prgms@umich.edu. (Note that Design Science applicants should follow Rackham guidelines and transcripts should be submitted to Rackham.)

If your institution cannot submit official transcripts electronically, please contact your institution to request that they mail an official sealed hard copy. If you possess an official sealed copy of your transcripts, you may mail those yourself. See “Mailing Address” above for more details.

If your academic credentials are in a language other than English, your institution must submit both the original document and a certified English translation. International credentials should include a certified copy of the diploma if awarded.

English translations must be literal, word-for-word translations in the same format as the original academic record. If your academic institution does not supply an official translation, we will accept an official translation prepared by a professional licensed translation service or from an Education USA office in your region.

An evaluation provided by a credential service, for example Educational Credentials Evaluators (ECE) or World Education Services (WES), is not accepted.

Applicants holding degrees from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal

Degree Required

  • Completion of a university four-year Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Technology, or Medicine.
  • Completion of a three-year Bachelor’s degree followed by a completed two-year Master’s degree.
  • Three-year Bachelor’s degrees do not meet the minimum requirements for admission to the ISD Master of Engineering programs.

Documents Required

  • One set of university official final transcripts/academic records/mark sheets from all semesters and diploma (a copy of the original diploma certified by the institution awarding the degree is acceptable), indicating degree and date conferred.
  • If you have completed all the degree requirements and the degree has been awarded, submit the Degree diploma (a copy of the original diploma attested by the university awarding the degree is acceptable).
  • Official documents must be provided from the Registrar or Controller of Examinations at the institution awarding the degree.
  • Provisional Certificates are not acceptable

Submitting Academic Documents from India Electronically
We only accept electronic transcripts from India sent via TrueCopy Credentials.

To expedite the review process, you may upload an unofficial electronic copy of your transcripts to the “Additional Documents” section of the application. This unofficial copy can be used for application evaluation; however, an official final transcript must be received by the end of your first semester of attendance at ISD.

English Proficiency Test for International Applicants

Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency and are required to provide one of the official score reports in the table below. If you received a bachelor’s degree from a college or university where the language of instruction is exclusively English, the English proficiency requirement MAY be waived. In some cases, we may require students to take courses at the English Language Institute. See below for full list of exceptions.

TOEFL scores are sent electronically from ETS directly to the University of Michigan (Institution Code 1839). U-M does accept TOEFL IBT Home edition. Official IELTS scores are sent electronically to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (select “University of Michigan-Ann Arbor from drop-down menu).

Official ECPE and MELAB scores must be mailed directly to the College of Engineering Graduate Professional Programs Office from the testing agency. Design Science scores should be mailed to the Rackham Graduate School.

Test scores are valid two years from the test date and must be received by the application deadline.

Please use your legal name as stated on your passport when registering for the TOEFL and in submitting the online application. If your name does not match exactly, there will be a delay in matching your test scores to the application data. In addition, your birthdate should be in month/day/year format (e.g., 09/19/1983).

Photocopies and/or faxes of English proficiency scores will not be accepted.

Minimum score requirements for admission consideration are indicated in the table below.

Please note: only the tests listed in this table are accepted by U-M; no other language proficiency tests are accepted.

Description of TestAssessment ProviderSpeaking TestMinimum Overall ScoreSubmission of Test Scores
IBT TOEFL Including TOEFL iBT Special Home EditionEducational Testing ServiceYes84TOEFL scores are sent by ETS electronically to institution code: 1839; department code: Engineering Other, 69
Revised Paper Delivered Test (For tests taken July 2017 or later)Educational Testing ServiceNoAn overall score is not provided for this test. Minimum section scores: Reading = 23; Listening = 23; Writing = 21TOEFL scores are sent by ETS electronically to institution code: 1839; department code: Engineering Other, 69
METMichigan Language AssessmentsYes4-Skill test; minimum Overall score = 59Scores are mailed directly to CoE from the testing agency. Mailing address: Graduate Professional Programs, College of Engineering 
Office of Student Affairs, 145B Chrysler Center, 2121 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI  48109-2122
IELTS Including IELTS “At Home:Cambridge, United KingdomAcademic version6.5Official IELTS scores are sent electronically to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
ECPECambridge Michigan Language AssessmentsYesCertificate of ProficiencyScores must be sent directly to CoE from the testing agency. Mailing address: Graduate Professional Programs, College of Engineering Office of Student Affairs, 145B Chrysler Center, 2121 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI  48109-2122

English Proficiency Test Exceptions

You qualify for an exemption from taking an English proficiency examination if one of the following criteria are met:

  • You are a native speaker of English.
  • You completed all of your undergraduate education and earned an undergraduate degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English only. Undergraduate degree requirements must be completed before the start of classes at U-M.
  • You completed all of your graduate education and earned a graduate degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English only.Graduate degree requirements must be completed before the start of classes at U-M.
  • A one year graduate degree does not meet an English exemption.
  • If you completed a Master’s degree that was strictly research and no academic classes, that degree does not meet the exemption. This type of Master’s degree is generally awarded at a non-U.S. institution.
  • You are a current U-M student.