Graduate Admissions

All of the following documents must be received by the Department before an application will be sent to the admissions committee for review:

1. Online Application (follow the link at the top of the page)
2. Application Fee (this is paid while you are completing the online application)
3. Curriculum Vitae or Resume
4. Statement of Purpose (See Note Below)
5. An electronic copy of an Official Transcript (from each institution of higher education attended)
6. Three Letters of Recommendation (letters should be on official letterhead, come from official university or company email addresses, and be signed)

• Non-native English speakers must submit either TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE exam scores. Further details available on KU's English Requirements Policy page.
• As of October 2020 - The GRE is no longer required

The following document is required only after a student has been admitted:

• One (1) Official Transcript and/or degree completion certificate sent directly from the applicant’s university to the University of Kansas. Read about submitting an official transcript on the Graduate Studies International Admissions page.

Additional requirements for Admitted International Students:

• Copy of degree/diploma certificates (if applicable)
• Financial Statement (departmental funding offer may cover this requirement)

Statement of Purpose

While composing your statement of purpose, we strongly encourage you to address the following questions:

1. Describe your most significant engineering related successes.
2. Which research areas are you most interested in, and why? Which faculty are you interested in working with?
3. What specifically motivated you to pursue a grad school?
4. What do you hope to accomplish with your graduate degree?

We do not have a specific word count established or a required format for this statement, but to cover these four topics, the final document should be more than one page and less than two full pages.

International Applicants

Find estimated costs of attendance and detailed information about applying for students visa on our university's International Support Service Office website.

There is also a US government agency run through the US State Department called EducationUSA that has offices all over the world. If you are new to the US application process, we recommend getting in contact with your local EducationUSA office. Their advisors can help you prepare your materials and answer many of your questions.

Admission Expectations

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Admission decisions are made based on the complete package including GPA, test scores, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and experience. To qualify for study in any of the graduate programs with regular admission status in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, a student generally must have earned an accredited baccalaureate degree and/or master's of science or engineering in mechanical engineering or a related field with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the US 4.0 scale. To qualify for entry to the PhD program, a minimum GPA of 3.5 on the US 4.0 scale is generally expected.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required. Generally, these letters should be from professors and/or supervisors who can speak to the research/work abilities of a prospective student

TOEFL/IELTS

Non-native and non-native-like English speakers must demonstrate English proficiency to gain admission to a graduate program.