Applications must be submitted electronically through the Graduate School. Be sure to read all instructions and requirements carefully to ensure a proper and complete application and to avoid mistakes that may delay the consideration of your application. NOTE: For domestic applicants, reporting GRE scores is not required. GRE scores are required for international applicants.
Graduate students study dragonfly flight to apply bio-inspired concepts to aerospace engineering.
The information on this page pertains to applications for the M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Those interested in earning an M.Eng. degree should visit the Office of Advanced Engineering Education website.
All admission decisions and offers of financial assistance are made on a rolling basis. Most admission decisions and offers of financial assistance are made relatively early in the review process which is why applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications far in advance of the posted deadlines.
All applicants (M.S. and Ph.D.) seeking assistantship funding are encouraged to apply by December 1st, our priority deadline.
The majority of our review process for Fall semester occurs between January and early March so applicants are strongly encouraged to have their application materials submitted by the priority deadline as some of our faculty extend assistantship offers earlier in the review process.
For more detailed information about application deadlines, please refer to the online Graduate School Catalog. Please direct all admissions inquiries to aero_grad@umd.edu.
Here is a general timeline to help you plan for applying to graduate school. This process applies to beginning graduate school in the fall semester following graduation.
If you are applying to the University of Maryland, please be sure to read everything on the Graduate School website about the application process.
| Minimum Expected Requirements | Averages of Admitted Students | |
| Masters Program | ||
| GPA | 3.2 | 3.73 |
| GRE Quantitative Percentile Ranking | 85 | 91 |
| Doctoral Program | ||
| GPA | 3.5 | 3.79 |
| GRE Quantitative | 90 | 91 |
Graduate Records Examination (GRE)
The GRE is encouraged for applicants seeking financial support. Students who submit GRE scores are expected to meet the following minimum scores:
The conversion for a GRE score (0-170) to a GRE percentile ranking (0-100) changes slightly from year to year. For scores that qualify as being at or above a minimum ranking of 85 or 90, please refer to the GRE Guide to Scores published by the GRE Examination Organization for the year in which you took the exam.
For those who took the exam in the 2020-2021 cycle, please page 19 of the GRE Guide to the Use of Scores, where you will find that a numeric score of 165 places you at a percentile ranking of above 85, and a numeric score of 167 places you at a percentile ranking of above 90.
(Please note that this is not the same as scores of 85% and 90%, i.e not numeric scores of .85 x 170 = 144 and .9 x 170 = 153).
International Applicants: IBT/TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Requirements
Please see the University of Maryland Graduate School's policy on English Language Proficiency Requirements here.
The Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program encourages applicants with other related engineering backgrounds to apply to our program. The Graduate Admissions Committee may recommend that an incoming student take selected undergraduate courses before the core courses.
The Graduate School requires students to maintain a 3.0 GPA in all courses for credit since enrollment. Prerequisite courses are listed to assure that students have the necessary academic background before enrolling in a given course. The ENAE 283 course (Introduction to Aerospace Systems) is required for students without any aerospace engineering background.
The Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program encourages applicants with other related engineering backgrounds to apply to our program. The Graduate Admissions Committee may recommend that an incoming student take selected undergraduate courses before the core courses. Please review our Graduate Program Prerequisites page.
The University of Maryland’s Graduate School accepts applications through gradapply.umd.edu . Before completing the application, applicants are asked to check the Admissions Requirements site for specific instructions.
Please note: When completing the Educational Intent section in the online application, there are two entries for the A. James Clark School of Engineering. The Master's and Ph.D. programs are listed in the second entry that says "A. James Clark School of Engineering - Research Programs.
As required by the Graduate School, all application materials are to be submitted electronically:
The electronic submission of application materials helps expedite the review of an application. Completed applications are reviewed by an admissions committee in each graduate degree program. The recommendations of the committees are submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School, who will make the final admission decision. Students seeking to complete graduate work at the University of Maryland for degree purposes must be formally admitted to the Graduate School by the Dean.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the Hobsons online application’s helpdesk for any technical issues.
For questions related to the admissions process, prospective students may contact the Graduate School.
The University of Maryland is dedicated to maintaining a vibrant international graduate student community. The office of International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) is a valuable resource of information and assistance for prospective and current international students. International applicants are encouraged to explore the services they offer, and contact them with related questions.
The University of Maryland Graduate School offers admission to international students based on academic information; it is not a guarantee of attendance. Admitted international students will then receive instructions about obtaining the appropriate visa to study at the University of Maryland which will require submission of additional documents. Please see the Graduate Admissions Process for International applicants for more information.
For information regarding additional requirements and documents needed for your application, please visit the Office of International Services website.
The student's files are evaluated by the members of the Graduate Admissions Committee and by a faculty member(s) whose area of research is related to the student's stated research interest. Only students who meet or exceed the admissions standards of the Department of Aerospace Engineering will be considered for admission.
The following are some of the criteria used in deciding whether to admit an applicant:
Since admission into the program is frequently contingent on the availability of financial support, which requires the student to engage in focused research, applicants should determine carefully which areas of aerospace engineering most interest them, and to indicate their interests explicitly in their statement of goals and experiences. Contacting faculty directly may be useful, but the applicants should carefully examine the field of interest of the faculty member(s) whom they wish to contact.
Admission recommendations and offers of financial support are made on a rolling basis. Most graduate assistantship offers are made before the May 15 deadline. Rejection letters to candidates who do not have the required qualifications are also sent out also on a rolling basis. In some cases no decision is made until May 31 for the Fall Semester or October 31 for the Spring Semester.
The University of Maryland and the Clark School of Engineering recognize the critical importance of a diverse student body and are strongly committed to ethnic and gender diversity. Within the Clark School of Engineering are two offices: the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering (CMSE) and the Women In Engineering Program (WIE). Their mission is to recruit, retain, and graduate underrepresented minorities and female students in the engineering and science fields. CMSE and WIE offer many programs, including mentoring, research internships, and summer programs, all of which are designed to aid in maintaining diversity goals.
Supporting the efforts of CMSE and WIE, and providing valuable assistance to the Clark School, are three student societies—the Black Engineers Society, the Society of Hispanic Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers.
For all inquiries regarding Graduate Admissions to the Department of Aerospace Engineering you may contact:
Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program: aero_grad@umd.edu.
