Graduate Admissions Information

Minimum Application Eligibility Requirement (PhD & Master's)

Our minimum eligibility requirement to apply to either the PhD or MS programs is a GPA of 3.0 of higher from an accredited Bachelor of Science (BS) STEM program, preferably in Engineering or Natural/Physical Sciences. 

Please Note: Admission to our graduate programs is competitive, and GPA is one of many factors reviewed in the application process. Meeting the minimum eligibility requirement does not guarantee admission. 

Application Requirements (PhD and Master's)

1. Complete the Online Application
   • If you have any issues with the online application, email technical support at gradadm@colorado.edu.
2. Pay the application fee. It is $60 for domestic applicants and $80 for international applicants. We cannot process your application without the application fee.
3. If you are an international applicant, submit your English proficiency test scores. Refer to the CU Boulder English Proficiency Requirements for details.
4. Contact information/email addresses for the three persons who will supply your three letters of recommendation.
   • Secured links are sent directly to recommenders once you add their information and click the 'Send to Recommender' button in the application.
   • You should submit your application at least two weeks prior to the posted deadline so recommendation letters can be received by the application deadline.
   • We will only accept three recommenders. Please do not input more than three recommenders in the application.
   • Letters from former instructors are preferred. If you are a PhD applicant, letters from those who can evaluate your research ability are helpful. Letters from work supervisors and/or work colleagues are also acceptable, especially if you have spent time working in industry/out of academia.
5. Upload unofficial copies of your transcripts
   • We require transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution you attended, including community colleges, summer sessions, and extension programs. While credits from one institution may appear on the transcript of a second institution, unofficial transcripts must be submitted from each institution, regardless of the length of attendance, and whether or not courses were completed. Failure to list and submit transcripts from all institutions previously attended is considered to be a violation of academic ethics and may result in the cancellation of your admission or dismissal from the university.
   • International Applicants: You do not need to ask a third-party credential evaluator, such as WES, to review your transcripts. Our International Admissions Team is able to evaluate your transcript without any additional service needed.
   • If you are admitted, you must submit official transcripts from these same institutions.
6. Upload your Statement of Purpose. This statement should be no longer than 750 words and should address your academic and career goals and how CU Boulder fits within those goals.
   • Please adhere to the word limit. Being concise and direct is essential, especially when our faculty review hundreds of applications.

The GRE is not required for our application process. Submitting these scores does not have any added benefit as these scores are not part of the review process. 

Deadlines & Decisions

We have two annual admission cycles, Fall and Spring. There is no admission for Summer.

The application cycle opens annually in late July for both Fall and Spring.

All application materials must be received by the application deadline for the application to move forward in the review process. Late applications are not accepted and the application fee is non-refundable.

International Students: The “Foreign Transcript Evaluation” item on the checklist prompts us to do an evaluation of your non-U.S. academic work, after your transcripts have been received. It is entirely an internal item; you do not need to do anything to complete it. You do not need to ask a third-party credential evaluator to review your transcripts.

Twenty-four hours after you receive the email confirming that your application was successfully submitted, you will be able to check your application status using the same login credentials as the application in your Application Portal. 

We do not review any applications until after the application deadline has passed.  Decisions are made after careful consideration of all applicants. Decisions are not issued in the order an application was received. You are encouraged to check your application status on that portal, because there will be no follow up emails while applications are being reviewed.

PhD Application Deadlines

• Spring Admission: September 1 at 10pm MST.
  • Please Note: We admit very few students for the Spring semester and focus more on Fall admissions. We do not recommend applying for Spring unless specifically requested by an ECEE faculty member.
• Fall Admission:
  • International Applications: December 10 at 10pm MST.
  • U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents: December 15 at 10pm MST.  

PhD Application Decisions Released

• Spring Admission: You will be notified of your application decision by mid-October
• Fall Admission: You will be notified of your application decision by mid-March

All Master's Degree Program Application Deadlines

• Spring Admission: September 1 at 10pm MST.
• Fall Admission: February 15 at 10pm MST. 

All Master's Degree Program Decisions Released

• Spring Admission: You will be notified of your application decision by end of October
• Fall Admission: You will be notified of your application decision by mid-April

Fee Waivers

• Fee Waiver Information, Master's Applicants: We are not able to provide any application fee waivers for applicants to our master's degrees.
• Fee Waiver Information, PhD Applicants: The College offers application fee waivers as listed. This includes fee waivers for qualified U.S. citizens and permanent residents until November 15 annually.

Funding Your Degree

PhD Applicants:  Our admitted PhD students are offered Research Assistantships with five years of funding, unless the applicant has other stated means (tuition remission with employer, home country government scholarships, external fellowship, etc.). A Research Assistantship provides a stipend, tuition remission of up to ten credits each in the Fall and Spring semesters, and 91% of the student health insurance premium, which includes dental insurance. Summer is not included in our offer. Funding is renewed each semester based upon satisfactory performance and the availability of funds.

For AY 2025-2026 the monthly stipend rate is $3,352.96.

Master's Applicants:The department does not provide funding for master’s students. Master’s students should plan on providing their own fellowships and/or private funds to finance their education. Possible funding sources may include student loans, outside fellowships, employer sponsorships, etc. Some funding information/opportunities may be found on the Graduate School's funding website.The CU Office of Financial Aid has full information on federal programs for domestic graduate students, eligibility, and what you need to do apply.

ECEE does not use Teaching Assistantships, instead we hire hourly course support student roles which both traditional and professional MS students are eligible for. Research Assistantships are generally reserved for PhD students and are rarely available to master's students. Research positions are not centrally managed. Students must reach out directly to faculty to find research opportunities. Professional MS students are not eligible for Teaching Assistantship or Research Assistantship roles; only traditional MS students are eligible if positions become available. 

Student employment can also be found throughout campus.