Apply to CEE: Information for Prospective Graduate Students

UVA Engineering is excited to share that a fee waiver for the $85 application fee will be automatically applied to your application if you are applying for 2025 admission.

Applications are reviewed based on unofficial transcripts and self-reported test scores. Official test scores and transcripts are not necessary for the review process, but will be required if the applicant matriculates as a student. Offers of admission are not binding until official transcripts and official test scores have been received and verified by the Central Admission Office.

If your recommender did not receive an email notification with instructions on how to submit a letter of recommendation online, or if they are having problems submitting a letter of recommendation online, please have them email the letter of recommendation to the Central Admission Office at gseasadmission@virginia.edu.

Your application will only be reviewed if it includes at least two letters of recommendation. We strongly encourage you to follow up with your letter providers to ensure they submit their letters within one week after the application deadline. If at least two letters of recommendation are not received by this time, we cannot guarantee that your application will be reviewed.

UVA Engineering exempts applicants from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement if they are a Permanent Resident of the U.S. or for applicants who have earned a bachelor’s degree entirely at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.

Applicants who are not exempted by the policy described in the previous paragraph are required to take the TOEFL or IELTS examination. The minimum internet-based (iBT) TOEFL score requirement is 90 (including sectional minimums of 20 in speaking, 20 in writing, 20 in reading and 20 in listening). The minimum paper-based TOEFL score requirement is 600. The minimum IELTS score requirement is 6.5 in each section.

Language test scores will be considered valid two years from the test date to the date the application is submitted (e.g., 10/10/2024 scores are valid for applicants who apply on or before 10/10/2026).

 Applicants who provide self-reported TOEFL/IELTS scores in their application are required to provide official scores upon matriculation.

We do NOT accept Duolingo English Test or Pearson Test of English.

UVA Engineering exempts applicants from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement if they are a Permanent Resident of the U.S. or for applicants who have earned a bachelor’s degree entirely at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.

Holding a Master’s degree from an institution where the primary language of instruction is English would not automatically qualify for a waiver.

The GRE test is optional for all applicants.

Your application will only be reviewed if it is complete. If you can provide your test scores within one week after the application deadline, please submit your application by the deadline. Once you receive your scores, email them to cee-grad-application@virginia.edu along with your application reference number.

If we do not receive your scores within one week after the deadline, we cannot guarantee that your application will be reviewed.

Please note that official test scores are not required for the admission decision. If you are admitted, you will then be asked to provide your official scores.

Applications must be completed and submitted on-line using the UVA’s Application Management. Letters of recommendation should be submitted online. If your recommender cannot submit a recommendation online, recommendations may be submitted by mail to the Graduate Studies Office.

The application status is displayed when you log in to your online application.

No, it is not mandatory to secure an advisor before you apply. All applications will be reviewed carefully by the admission committee. However, we do encourage all our M.S. and Ph.D. applicants who seek funding to reach out to CEE faculty members in their areas of research interest and inquire about funding availability.

Most of our M.S. and Ph.D. students are supported with full tuition, fees, health insurance, and a stipend. Funding sources include graduate research assistantships (GRAs), graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs), departmental and school fellowships. Some of our students are supported by external fellowships and a small group of our students are self-funded. While the admission committee will refer top applicants to faculty members who are interested in recruiting new M.S. and Ph.D. students, GRA/GTA funding decisions are mainly made by individual faculty members. Therefore, we do encourage all our M.S. and Ph.D. applicants who seek funding to reach out to CEE faculty members in their areas of research interest and inquire about funding availability.

While we offer a limited number of scholarships (up to $5,000) to our top M.E. applicants (only for on Grounds M.E.), we do not offer graduate assistantships to M.E. students. 

All of these decisions are made concurrently with admission decisions, and no separate application is required.

Please reach out to use at cee-grad-application@virginia.edu.