The Ohio State University ECE MS and PhD programs are highly competitive. Meeting the eligibility requirements is a necessary but not sufficient condition for acceptance into the MS or PhD ECE program. Acceptance of an applicant depends on several factors including the program’s intake capacity, the candidate’s credentials relative to the applicant pool, and the degree of alignment of the past academic experience and future research objectives of the applicant with the research carried out by the ECE Department faculty.

Required Application Materials

Statement of Purpose

Your statement of purpose should be a one-to-two-page statement that can answer some of the following:

  • What are your career goals after the completion of your degree?
  • In your opinion, what are the attributes needed to successfully complete this degree?
  • Describe your most gratifying academic accomplishment so far, and the methods you have used to achieve it.
  • Describe any obstacles or challenges that you have worked through during your college experience.
  • What are your expectations for your graduate studies experience?

Resume/CV

Educational information should include academic institutions attended, the dates attended, and grade point average (GPA).

Include any related internships or work experience.

Transcripts

  • The required cumulative GPA is the equivalent to at least 3.0/4.0 scale for graduate admissions at Ohio State. ECE prefers a 3.2/4.0 scale. Most Univeristy Fellowships required a 3.6/4.0 scale. To view the profile in recent years of those admitted to ECE, go to the College of Engineering Annual Statistics.
  • Scanned copies of official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions are preferred for initial application review. If admission is offered, the OSU Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions will require official complete transcripts and proof of degree(s) from issuing institutions.
  • Please see the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions, FAQ, and Transcripts for instructions to upload transcripts. 
  • ECE does not require a separate copy of transcripts.
  • For students who graduated from Ohio State, it is not necessary to send transcripts from Ohio State. However, you must send transcripts from any other institution you attended even if you have sent these transcripts to Ohio State in the past.

Application fee

  • If you have problems applying or paying the application fee, please contact the Office of Graduate & Professional Admissions at gradadmissions@osu.edu

3 Letters of Recommendation 

  • Recommendation letters need to be from three different sources. Academic sources are preferred.
  • Applicants are strongly encouraged to request that their references submit recommendation letters electronically. After the application has been successfully submitted, the recommenders will receive an email from the Graduate & Professional Admissions. This email will contain instructions to recommenders on how to submit. Please allow up to 5 business days for the recommender instructions to arrive.
  • For online submission, the references will be sent an email requesting a recommendation. Applicants are encouraged to contact their references to be sure they received the Graduate & Professional Admissions instructions and have provided a recommendation.
  • Hard copy submissions recommendations are accepted if references cannot be submitted electronically. Hard-copy letters of recommendation must be on official letterhead, signed, and mailed to the ECE department directly by the recommender in a sealed envelope. Recommendation letters on plain paper are not accepted. Each letter must be attached to an official Graduate School Reference Form, which is completed by the recommender. Letters without Graduate School Reference Forms are not accepted.

Hard-copy recommendations may be mailed to:
ECE Graduate Program
205 Dreese Laboratories
2015 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210

GRE & English Proficiency Requirements for 2023 Applicants

  • GRE: The GRE is not required for the ECE Master's of Science or PhD graduate admission application.
  • English Proficiency: International students who do not have a degree from a U.S. institution are required to submit an English proficiency score. For more information, please expand the English proficiency section from the Office of Graduate Admissions page.
  • If English proficiency scores are required, they need to be official or received directly from Educational Testing Services (ETS) prior to ECE graduate admissions committee review. Self-reported English proficiency scores are not considered official. The Ohio State University Code is 1592.

Mailing address:
The Ohio State University
Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions
P.O.. Box 182004
Columbus OH   43218-2004

Express Mail Address:
The Ohio State University
Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions
S.A.S. Building
281 West Lane Avenue
Columbus, OH  43210-1132

Save yourself time! Please do not submit the following items:

  • Research papers, theses, etc.
  • Provisional certificates, conference certificates, etc.
  • CDs
  • Bank statements. These will be requested at the time you are admitted, if necessary.
  • Special binding or folders to keep your documents together.

Additional Information:

  • OSU Student Financial Aid Information: Student Financial Aid - The Ohio State University (osu.edu)
  • Check application status: http://appstatus.osu.edu. You must reference your application number and date of birth to use the online status check web page.
  • If you have problems submitting application items, please contact the Admissions Help Desk.
  • Graduate and Professional Admissions processes documents electronically at gpadocs@osu.edu.
  • Please use the gpadocs@osu.edu email address to submit electronic documents or when requesting official transcripts and scores be sent to complete your application. You may refer to the Application Requirements tab in your Applicant Center to see what documents are still needed.
  • Allow five business days for uploaded documents to be reflected in your Applicant Center. Please upload each document only once, unless it has changed, or you are instructed by our office to resubmit. Multiple submissions may delay the processing of your application.