Confirm You Meet the Minimum Academic Requirements
Every student must meet a set of academic requirements to be admitted to any graduate program at Oregon State.
Apply Online
Prospective graduate students may access the OSU Graduate Programs application directly through the Office of Graduate Education. The application will walk you through submitting all the required materials and paying your fee.
Gather Your Transcripts
Provide transcripts from all institutions where coursework was completed or attempted in pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree.
- This includes, for example, coursework completed at a community college and later transferred to a four-year institution and counted toward a bachelor’s degree.
- During the application process, we accept unofficial or official transcripts.
- If you are admitted to OSU and you applied using unofficial transcripts, you will need to send official transcripts to the Office of Graduate Education. When ready to send official transcripts, please send electronic transcripts from the U.S. institutions you attended. When ordering a transcript as part of your graduate admissions record, select “Oregon State University-Graduate Admissions” as the recipient.
Request Three Letters of Recommendation
A letter of recommendation is a written document from a professor, supervisor, or other non-family individual who can speak to your academic or research successes/potential, character and/or leadership qualities, overall progress, and/or other achievements.
- As part of the application for admission, you will provide the names and email addresses of three people to write you a letter of recommendation (or “letter of reference”). The letter of reference system triggers an email to each reference writer and enables them to submit a confidential electronic letter for you.
- Ask the people you’d like to be your letter writers before you list them on an application. Explain what program you are applying for and why you are interested in pursuing graduate school. This will help them gauge what to highlight in the letter. Clarify the deadline and let them know to expect an email with submission instructions. The OSU Office of Graduate Education has additional helpful suggestions.
Write a Statement of Objectives
In a one-page statement, outline your motivations for pursuing graduate study, your academic and professional goals, and why our specific program is a good fit for you.
- The NSE application includes the question/prompt, “Compose a statement of academic and career objectives. Please be as specific as possible about your proposed focus of study. You should address your motivations for graduate study and briefly explain your overall preparation to enter your chosen field.” This is where your personal statement/statement of objectives should go, and does not need to be uploaded as a separate document.
- The MS and PhD applications include a few supplemental questions, intended to get to know you better, beyond the confines of the statement of objectives. Use these questions to highlight aspects of your story that may not be reflected in other parts of the application.
Identify Faculty of Interest (for MS & PhD applicants)
All incoming MS and PhD students will be matched with a faculty advisor when admitted into the program.
- The application allows you to list faculty with whom you are most interested in working if you were to be accepted into the program. Explore our research areas and our individual faculty pages to identify faculty whose work interests you.
- You do not need to secure a faculty advisor before applying to the program. Faculty who are recruiting students will review applications in our applicant pool. While not required, you can feel free to reach out to potential faculty of interest directly, though some prefer to wait until applications are received to consider your materials/interest. Don’t worry if you don’t hear back from email outreach.
Prepare Your CV/Resume
A curriculum vitae (CV) is a detailed document outlining your academic background, research experience, publications, awards, and scholarly achievements.
- Upload your CV or resume when prompted in the online application.
International Students: Provide Test Scores
Provide the Office of Graduate Education a score report on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
- The Office of Graduate Education's English proficiency requirements for admission are listed on their website, with particular requirements concerning Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs). Explore the English proficiency requirements.
Pay the Application Fee
A non-refundable application fee is required for each application you submit. Visit the Office of Graduate Education website for the current fees.
- Our program does not provide application fee waivers. If you are a domestic applicant, the Office of Graduate Education may grant an application fee waiver to applicants who meet specific criteria.
After Applying: Check Your Application Status
You may check your application status at any time by signing in to the application portal. You will need the email address and password you used when completing the application.
- You will be notified by email to check the application portal when an admission decision has been made.
- Graduate applications sometimes remain in "Review" status for many weeks. Our program usually reviews files at scheduled intervals, not daily.
When to Apply
Priority vs. Final Deadlines
Apply by the priority deadline for full consideration of available funding opportunities and for first-round review. There is no separate funding application; funding consideration is automatic.
- Priority deadline for M.S. and Ph.D. applications: Dec. 15
- Final deadline for M.S. and Ph.D applications: May 1
- Final deadline for MEng applications: May 1
