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Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What are the entrance requirements for the Mechanical or Industrial Engineering graduate program? All requirements are explained in our department online handbook. Click here to view the handbook.
     
  2. What are the application deadlines for the fall and spring entrance? The fall application deadline is February 1st. The spring application deadline is October 1st.
     
  3. How do I apply? Please visit the Graduate school's website for full instructions.

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  4. Can the application fee be waived? Waivers of the fee are available only to those applicants who receive a waiver of the GRE test through their undergraduate financial aid office. International applicants are not eligible for the waiver.

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  5. How do I apply for financial aid and what are my chances of getting financial aid? The department does not grant financial aid to students. However, applicants are considered for research and teaching assistantships. Individual faculty members, in conjunction with their sponsored research activities, offer research assistantships on a competitive basis. It is to your advantage to identify and communicate with those faculty members whose research matches your interest and skills. However, the volume of email is enormous. Many faculty members cannot respond individually at this time and will wait until admission decisions are made in the spring before corresponding with applicants. You can find out more about individual research projects by browsing our web site. Teaching assistantships are very limited and are usually not available to first year international students.

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  6. What are the minimum test scores I need to get admitted? We do not have specific cut off values, but the statistics for students who matriculated Fall 2001 into our department are as follows:
     
     [Note that due to the large volume of email, we are not able to respond to any "pre-application inquiries" regarding whether or not you will be accepted into the program and whether or not you will receive a research or teaching assistantship. You must officially apply in order to know if find out if you will be accepted. Assistantships are awarded to accepted students on a case-by-case basis.]

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  7. When will I know if I have been admitted? The Graduate Committee usually decides on all fall applications by the end of March and spring applications by the end of November. All decisions are posted on the Graduate School's application status website at  https://webapp.spire.umass.edu/admissions/htdocs/applicant/gradapp_logon.html.You will need your ID number and access code to check your status.