Apply for Admissions
Applications for admission are required for all graduate certificate and degree programs. See note for non-degree and off-campus applicants in the Frequently Asked Questions below.
The Application Process
Applications are processed in the SEAS Office of Graduate Admissions. The office creates and maintains your file until it is academically complete. Our staff will contact you if documents are missing or incomplete.
Files that are academically complete are signed out to a Graduate Admissions Evaluator to undergo a thorough initial evaluation. During this step, the Evaluators review all materials for completeness and authenticity, and they determine if basic minimum requirements have been met. Once this initial evaluationis complete, your file will be sent directly to the Graduate Admissions and Records Coordinator (GARC) in your department.
Your Graduate Admissions and Records Coordinator (GARC) handles your file from the time that the pre-evaluation is completed. He or she coordinates the admissions process for the department and will be your main contact within your department. Your file will be reviewed by a faculty member or faculty committee to determine admissibility. Your GARC will provide you with your decision letter, which will be signed by the department´s chairperson.
Important! All applications should be completed online, at the GW's ApplyYourself site. Here, you will create a personal login and complete your application. Be sure to keep a record of your login ID and password to enable you to check on the status of your application later on. You may start your application and save your work as you go along before submitting it; however only submitted applications will be reviewed.
Each program has its own unique requirements. Find out the specific requirements by clicking on the Admissions Requirements box that corresponds with your program of interest on Our Programs page.
All documents should be sent directly to:
SEAS Office of Graduate Admissions
725 23rd Street, NW, Room 103
Washington, DC 20052
Have a question? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions below or contact SEAS Office of Graduate Admissions at (800) 537-SEAS or (202) 994-6158 in the DC-area, between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Eastern Time. You can also email us at engineering@gwu.edu. Please expect a response from our office with one business day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pre Application
You should visit the Graduate Programs Near You page.
As of Spring 2009, SEAS will offer a PhD at the doctoral level. SEAS will no longer be offering the DSc.
Decisions to award assistantships and fellowships are made at the departmental-level by a faculty-review committee. The staff in the Office of Graduate Admissions (who answer e-mail messages and phone calls) do not determine financial aid criteria and are not involved in financial aid decisions. Your chances of receiving financial aid cannot be determined prior to the Graduate Admissions Committee reviewing your completed application package.
If you wish to be considered for a fellowship or scholarship, your must submit your application by the fellowship/scholarship deadline (January 15 for the Fall term and September 1 for the Spring term), along with the required GRE scores and letters of recommendation.
Please visit this http://www.gwu.edu/apply/graduateprofessional/costsfunding#tuition for up-to-date information on tuition and fees.
Admissions criteria and decisions
To be considered for admission, international applicants must submit scores from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS). International applicants exempt from this requirement must hold a post-secondary (bachelor´s or master´s) degree from a college or university in the United States on one of these countries.
Minimum scores for admission consideration are:
- Academic IELTS: an overall band score of 6.0 with no individual score below 5.0
- TOEFL: 550 on paper-based; 213 on computer-based; or 80 on Internet-based
Admitted students who are required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS are also required to take the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) placement test at GW before registering for classes. Those who have a TOEFL score of 600 on the paper-based, 250 on the computer-based, or 100 on the Internet-based test, or who have an overall band score of 7.0 on the academic IELTS, with no individual band score below 6.0, are exempt from taking the placement test.
Depending on the EAP test results, students may be restricted to the number of courses that can be taken in addition to EAP courses. Students assigned to EAP courses should anticipate additional tuition expenses as well as a possible extended period of time required to complete their degree programs.
TOEFL and IELTS scores may not be more than two years old.
GRE: 5246
TOEFL: 5246
IELTS: none needed
GRE scores are required for all Ph.D. applicants. Applicants to the Masters of Science or to the professional Engineer or Applied Scientists are not required to submit GRE scores unless they wish to be considered for an assistantship or fellowship. SEAS does not have a minimum GRE requirement. GRE scores are weighted with other academic factors to determine admissibility. Average GRE scores for applicants to all SEAS graduate programs in Fall of 2006 were as follows:
Verbal 455
Quantitative 712
Analytical 703
Chances are, while completing your application, you checked off a box that asked if you would like to be considered for fellowships or scholarships. Applicants applying for fellowships or scholarships are required to provide this extra documentation. If you inadvertently checked this box off, please let the SEAS Office of Graduate Admissions know that you do not wish to be considered for fellowships or scholarships by emailing engineering@gwu.edu.
Application Requirements
Find out the specific program requirements by clicking on the Admissions Requirements box that corresponds with your program of interest on Our Programs page.
All applicants should submit the Statement of Purpose online. When required, Letters of Recommendation can be requested and submitted online as well.
SEAS Office of Graduate Admissions
725 23rd Street, NW, Room 103
Washington, DC 20052
The Statement of Purpose is the essay that should accompany your application for admissions. This essay should be uploaded into the ApplyYourself application system at the time you submit your application. If you forgot to submit your Statement of Purpose, you can email it to engineering@gwu.edu. Be sure to include your full name and date of birth in the email so that we can match your essay with your application.
PhD applicants should submit a 400-600 word essay that indicating your primary and supporting fields of study, your specialized interests, and the general subject area of your planned dissertation or professional project.
All other applicants should submit a 250-500 word essay stating your purpose in undertaking graduate study at The George Washington University; describe your academic objectives, research interests, and career plans; and discuss your related qualifications, including collegiate, professional, and community activities, and any other substantial accomplishments not already mentioned.
Graduate students enrolled in a degree program through SEAS are asked to choose an Area of Focus that best matches their own academic and professional goals. Applicants to the graduate program can choose from a variety of Areas of Focus listed here. Your Area of Focus should be identified on your application for admissions.
Yes! All international applicants should review this page carefully to understand all supporting documents required for issuance of an I-20 or DS-2019.
Application procedure
You should contact the Office of University Students.
The application fee for the 2009-2010 school year is $60.00. This fee covers the administrative cost of processing your application.
The application fee can be paid by credit card when you submit the online application. You may also choose to pay your application fee by check. If you pay your application fee by check, please note that your application will not be considered complete, and therefore will not be processed, until the fee is received.
The application fee is required in order for us to process your application and therefore cannot be deferred.
Once an application is complete, it generally takes 2-3 business days to complete the pre-evaluation. From there, the file moves to the department for faculty review and decision. The length of time for the faculty review and decisions varies depending on the availability of faculty to review applications.
Applicants for doctoral programs, international applicants seeking a student visa from GW, and applicants who wish to be considered for a fellowship or scholarship should apply by January 15 for the Fall term and September 1 for the Spring term. It is particularly important that international applicants meet these deadlines to allow sufficient time to process visa applications.
All other applicants should apply by May 1 for the Fall term, October 1 for the Spring term, and March 1 for the Summer term.
If you are interested in applying after the deadline, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at engineering@gwu.edu. Applications may be considered after the deadline, depending on space availability.
You can find the ApplyYourself link at https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=GWUGRAD
Post Application
Once your application is submitted online it is downloaded to our systems in SEAS Office of Graduate Admissions, where it is processed and undergoes a pre-evaluation.
During this step in the application process, all supporting documents are gathered by the Office. It is the applicant´s responsibility to ensure all documents are sent to the Office or uploaded as part of the online application.
Pre-evaluations can be completed with unofficial transcripts, but official transcripts must be provided before full admissions can be offered.
Unofficial GRE, TOEFL, and IELTS scores can be verified by the Office at the request of the applicant.
Admissions decisions are made at the department-level by members of our faculty. The staff in the Office of Graduate Admissions (who answer e-mail messages and phone calls) do not determine admissions criteria and are not involved in admissions decisions. Your chances of being admitted cannot be determined prior to the faculty members reviewing your completed application package.
Note: Faculty likewise cannot comment on an applicant's chances. For this reason, we ask that you do not contact faculty directly regarding your admission status.
If you receive a letter of admission, you may defer your admission by making the request in writing. Deferrals are granted up to one year.You may make this request by email to engineering@gwu.edu. If you do not attend after one year, you may have to reapply for admission.