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Q. What is the deadline date for returning my application package?
A. Applicants for Fall semester admission who wish to receive full consideration for financial aid should have COMPLETED applications on file by 15 January. Later admits are considered for support based on the availability of funding. International applications will be accepted until 1 March, and all other applicants should have applications on file by 1 April. Those who apply and are accepted early receive the best consideration when the first round of funding decisions are made in early February of each year.
International applicants for Spring semester admission who
wish to receive
full consideration for financial aid should have COMPLETED applications
on file by 15 August of the calendar year preceding admission;
all other applicants should have applications on file by 15 October.
Those who apply and are accepted early receive the best consideration when
the first round of funding decisions are made at the end of November.
Q. When will I be advised of the admission decision?
A. The admissions committee will evaluate your application package after all of the required materials have been received by the department. Because we also consider the availability of financial aid, it may take several months to complete the review process.
Q. Do all application materials need to be sent at the same time?
A. No. Materials can be sent as you assemble them. Each time application materials are received, you will be notified that either your application is complete, or that outstanding items are still needed before review can begin. When you receive such an email, you need only be concerned with the items marked.
Q. I do not have an undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering. Can I still apply?
A. Certainly. We routinely accept applicants with backgrounds in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, and other engineering fields. To broaden your background appropriately, you might wish toconsider courses in fluids, structures, propulsion, dynamics, and control. Mathematics is always helpful, as well. Exactly which courses you might take depends on what you anticipate concentrating on in grad school.
Q. Can the application fee be waived or deferred?
A. No. University policy precludes the waiver or deferment of the application fee. If you can not pay the fee personally, a third party (friend or relative) may pay the fee on your behalf. Applications received without the fee cannot be processed.
Q. Can the GRE requirement be waived?
A. We do occasionally waive the GRE requirement for our own undergraduate applicants (based on high GPAs and/or strong letters of endorsement from faculty members). However, there are good reasons for taking the GRE, including:
1) Admission is not usually the key question -- financial aid is. You are at a disadvantage in the competition for College of Engineering fellowships and perhaps departmental teaching assistantships if you have not taken the GRE.
2) If you do not take the GRE, we know you are not applying to other graduate schools. We may think that you will decide to study here even if we do not provide any (or much) financial aid. It's to your benefit to have multiple opportunities to compare. (It's called the market system.)
Q. Is there a form for reference letters?
A. Yes. Please use the form provided. Supplementary reference letters may be submitted on personal or business stationery.
Q. Is there a form for financial aid?
A. No. All applicants will be considered for any financial aid for which they are suited after the application process has been completed. Admission, and admission with financial aid, is awarded on a competitive basis to those presenting the strongest credentials.
Q. What do you look for when admitting students to your graduate program?
A.
1. Good grades in relevant courses.
2. Evidence of abilities to think independently, work with others, communicate.
3. GRE scores.
4. Other distinguishing qualities (could be extra-curricular). Research experience,
leadership, accomplishment, and the like.
Q. What are the admission criteria?
A. Candidates must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. Students with at least a 3.0/4.0 junior/senior grade point average in the major and appropriate course backgrounds may be considered for admission. Some typical features of students admitted in the last round of applications follow.
Q. What are the average GRE scores for international students who have received financial aid?
A. Approximately V 550 Q 750 A 650
Q. Tell me about Graduate Assistantships.
A. There are two main types of graduate assistantships at Penn State, Teaching Assistantships (TA) and Research Assistantships (RA). Typical appointments are "half-time" and require a minimum of twenty hours of service per week. The financial support for RAs is usually provided by external grants made to individual faculty members, while that for TAs is provided by Penn State.
TA responsibilities typically include grading, running lab sections, holding office hours and problem sessions, and occasional lecturing. TA positions do not usually include summer support. In addition, because students usually complete the bulk of their coursework in three semesters, a TA usually provides for slightly reduced tuition support in the fourth semester.
RA activities typically include literature review, problem definition, analysis, experiments, report writing, and presentations. A report of this research work and its results will likely constitute the bulk of a student's thesis. RA positions usually include summer support, at a rate comparable to that of the academic year stipend. To inquire about the possibility of an RA, you should contact individual faculty members who are doing research of interest to you. Should external support be in place at the time you enter, you will likely have the opportunity to convert your assistantship to an RA. Should a Research Assistantship not become available, it is the policy of the Department to guarantee a second year of financial support, provided you are making satisfactory progress in your academic work.
Research assistantship (RA) offers guarantee financial support for one or more years. Continuing RA support is predicated on making on satisfactory progress towards a degree, and may be affected by the availability of external research funds. In the event that your progress is satisfactory but research funds are not available, the Department will make every effort to continue your support in the form of a teaching assistantship.
Q. When will I get the I-20/Visa Documents?
A. The dean of Graduate Enrollment Services will notify the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) of your admission, at which time OISS will review your financial guarantee and the required supporting documentation (as specified in the application package). Please be patient, as this office handles visa documents for thousands of students. Your document will be sent via UPS once it has been completed; however, if the financial guarantee has not been met, no document will be prepared.
Q. Should I take the Test of Spoken English (TSE)?
A. A high degree of English language proficiency is a Penn State requirement for all degree seeking students whose native language is not English. In order to be considered for a teaching assistantship, International applicants must present an acceptable score (250-300 or 55-60) on the TSE.
Q. Are you interested in international applicants? How many will you accept?
A. Yes, of course. About 12-15 new international students join us each August.
Q. How do international students do in the competition for fellowships, TAs or RAs?
A. About 3-4 of the typical 12-15 international students will come with their own funding; often these students are from Taiwan or Korea. The other 9 will have some kind of research or teaching assistantship. It is rare for a Chinese student to obtain a teaching assistantship, because language is usually a challenge.
Q. Where can I get specific information about fellowships?
A. Hertz Foundation Fellowships (31 OCT)
B. NSF Graduate Research Fellowships (early NOV)
C. NASA Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Fellowships (1 FEB)
D. DoD (NDSEG) Fellowships (early JAN)
E. Science, Mathematics, And Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Scholarship Pilot Program (U.S. citizens; undergrad and grad) (early MAR)
F. U.S. Air Force Space Scholars Program (early JAN to end FEB)
G. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Graduate Fellowships (30 APR)
H. Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship Program (nominated by undergraduate institution) (30 APR)
I. Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowships (Female Ph.D.) (15 NOV)
J. Josephine De Kármán Fellowship (final year Ph.D., senior undergrad) (31 JAN)
K. NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program (underrepresented grad students) (1 FEB)
L. AHS Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) Scholarships (1 FEB)
M. AIAA Foundation Graduate Scholarships and Awards (31 JAN)
N. I/ITSEC (Simulation and Training) Graduate Student Scholarships (28 FEB)
O. Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Fellowships (mid-FEB) More info
P. IBM PhD Fellowship (Completed at least one year in a PhD program; nominated by a faculty member. ) (1 NOV)
Q. Penn State Materials Research Institute Fellowship (nominated by Department) (28 FEB)
R. Soros Fellowships for New Americans (1 NOV)
S. Los Alamos National Lab Graduate Student Program (rolling)
T. Harry S. Truman Scholarship Program (for juniors contemplating careers in public service; nominated by undergraduate institution) (1 FEB)
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