Admissions and Costs

Regular Admissions

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences accepts applicants for both the fall and spring semesters. Students applying to the Master of Engineering program must submit an application, college transcripts, and letters of recommendation. (See below for admission requirements for Cornell undergraduates.) International students from non-English speaking countries are required by the College of Engineering M.Eng. Programs to achieve minimum scores on each of the subsections of the TOEFL or IELTS  exam (see below).

The M.Eng. Programs provide an Application Guide with helpful information.

The Application

The application must be submitted online though the ApplyWeb portal. The application fee is $105 and application fee waivers are generally not available for M.Eng. students.

The Deadline

M.Eng. students are admitted in both the fall and spring semesters. The application deadline for fall admission is May 31, while spring admit applications are due October 15. This is the deadline for the applicant to submit the application; a reasonable amount of time is allowed for letters of recommendation and official test scores to be received once the application has been submitted.

Selecting a Concentration

There are a number of concentrations to choose from including; Remote Sensing. Geohydrology, Hazards, Applied and Environmental Geophysics, and Atmospheric Sciences.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required and need to be requested electronically by providing the name and email address of each recommender on the application. We will not accept hard copy submission of recommendation letters and letters need to be submitted by the recommender.

Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

Applicants are no longer required to take the GRE exam.

TOEFL/IELTS Examination (if applicable)

TOEFL or IELTS exam is required of all international applicants from countries where English is not the official language unless the applicant has studied for at least two years in a country where English is the official language and the language of instruction was English.

Official TOEFL scores must be sent directly from ETS to Cornell University. Do not send copies of unofficial scores. Please use University Code 2098. M.Eng. Program minimums for the iBT version of the TOEFL are: Writing, 20; Listening, 15; Reading, 20; Speaking, 22.

You must receive the minimum score on each subsection to be considered for admission.

The College of Engineering M.Eng. Programs require an overall band score of a 7.0 or higher on the IELTS. Have IELTS send your Test Report Form (either by postal mail or electronically) to Cornell University -- Graduate Admissions. Please do not e-mail a scanned copy, or mail a photocopy of your TRF.

Transcripts

A copy of the transcript from each college you have attended is required; electronic copies of official transcripts are to be uploaded into your application. Hard copies of official transcripts will only be requested if you are admitted and plan to matriculate, and will not be reviewed as part of the application process.

Résumé or CV

You are not required to submit a resume or CV; however, if you wish, you may upload a copy of your resume or CV into the application; include a list of publications, if applicable, with your CV.

Do Not Send any hard copy documents they will not be reviewed.

Please do not send published papers, CDs, or any additional materials not listed above. A writing sample is not required.

Application Review Process

After the application deadline, applications will be reviewed once they are complete (official test scores and letters of recommendation are received). Application status can be monitored through the online application system, you will be contacted after the application deadline if additional information is required.

Admission Decision

All applicants will receive an admission decision via email. We expect to notify applicants for Spring admission by November 15 and for Fall by March 15.

Admissions for Cornell Students

Costs

Tuition and costs for the Master of Engineering program can be found on the Bursar website (M.Eng. is a Tier 1 degree).

The M.Eng. program is a professional degree program and is a self-funded degree. There are a limited number of opportunities for graduate teaching specialist appointments and the College of Engineering has a small number of fellowships. For more information about funding and loans, visit the M.Eng. Programs Paying for Your Degree page.