Admissions Requirements and Process

At this time, the department is no longer accepting applications to the M.Eng. in Railway Engineering program. Please refer to the Transportation Engineering area under the Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) as well as the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) website for information about program options that may be of interest.

• Eligibility
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• Application Process
• Application Deadlines
• Support Documents and Test Scores Required
• Additional Recommendations

 

Eligibility

Applicants must hold either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering or related fields.  For a full status admission, the Graduate College requires a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 (B average) in their last two years of undergraduate study.

International applicants should consult the Graduate College’s International applicants page for additional eligibility criteria.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

The department requires that all applicants submit an official record of their scores for the GRE General Test. Applicants should request that the Educational Testing Service send GRE scores to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign using our institution code number 1836.  All scores are reported to a central database where all departments can access them.

For admission purposes, scores are only valid for five years prior to the proposed term of entry. Railway Engineering does not have a minimum required score.

GRE General Test – averages for CEE applicants approved for admission:

• Verbal: 155
• Quantitative: 165
• Analytical Writing: 4.0

Information about test dates and locations can be found on the GRE website.

The GRE is administered by the Educational Testing Service.

Application Process

Apply to the Graduate College using the online graduate application. Follow the application instructions and use the checklist provided to help you assemble the information and support material you will need when completing the application. A nonrefundable application processing fee is required with the submission of your application. The application fee for domestic applicants is $70; for international applicants, the fee is $90.

Application Deadlines

Fall Term

• June 1 for international applicants
• June 15 for domestic applicants, international applicants who are currently attending a university in the U.S.

 

Support Documents and Test Scores Required

To be considered for admission, applications must include all support documents including test scores. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

• Three letters of reference
• Statement of purpose/Personal statement (CEE does not require a Program Specific Statement)
• Resume or CV
• Copy of your most current transcript, or a final transcript and certificates of degree or diplomas.
• GRE scores – official scores from ETS for the general GRE
• Proof of English Proficiency – for applicants whose native language is not English.

 

Additional Recommendations

• Please view your transcripts after the upload to be sure they are legible.  Your transcript must show the name of the university and your name.
• Please do NOT mail or fax your academic credentials or application support documents.  All of the required support documents should be uploaded to the graduate application.
• Please do not send additional materials (e.g. publications, photographs, videos, CDs, or portfolios).  These items are not reviewed during the admission process.  They will be discarded.