Iowa State University’s Office of Admissions application portal is a fantastic resource for all applicants.  Please make sure you visit their website to make sure you fulfill all of their requirements to ensure you submit a complete application.  You can visit the application portal by clicking on the following link: Office of Admissions application portal. The Industrial Manufacturing and Systems Engineering (IMSE) Department also has program-specific requirements that must be fulfilled before your application can be considered complete.  Please visit the following link to make sure you are submitting all of the required documents: IMSE Graduate Program Requirements. [jaccordion] Q. What is the difference between being accepted versus being admitted?:: A. The difference between these two words is incredibly important.  When an application has been submitted, the Department’s Graduate Committee reviews every application and determines whether or not the applicant(s) should be accepted into the Industrial Engineering Graduate program.  Final approval is granted by Iowa State University’s Graduate College and should they approve an applicant, the Office of Admissions will formally admit the applicant to the University.  Only then is the process 100% complete. *** These two terms have been highlighted throughout this FAQ in order for you to better understand the difference. [jacc/] Q. Am I able to request an analysis of my eligibility prior to applying to the IE program?:: A. No. We do not analyze any applicant documents unless they are part of an official application or pre-application; therefore, we strongly encourage students to apply to our program so we may view your documents as an official applicant. [jacc/] Q. What is the application deadline for admission?:: A. Completed applications are due January 15 for Fall consideration and September 1 for Spring consideration. [jacc/] Q. I submitted my application, when will I know if I am accepted?:: A. You will receive a confirmation email from the Department when all of the required documents have been received and your application has been marked “complete.”  Once the deadline for that semester’s consideration has passed, the Department’s Graduate Committee will review all of the applications.  This process takes approximately 4-6 weeks AFTER the application deadline has passed and NOT before.  Once the Graduate Committee reaches their decision, every applicant will be notified via email, whether they were accepted or denied.  Please note that acceptance letters will only be ACCEPTANCE letters and your application must still be approved by ISU’s Graduate College and then ISU’s Office of Admissions formally admits and notifies the applicant via letter of admission. [jacc/] Q. Will the degree I obtained from my previous educational institution be accepted by ISU?:: A. The Department is not permitted to answer this question. The Office of Admissions reviews and validates the transcripts of each graduate applicant after the application is submitted. If you want to know whether your university is accepted, please contact them at gradhelp@iastate.edu. Please note, they do not calculate transfer credits. [jacc/] Q. Is there a fee to apply?:: A. For Fall 2024 applicants, there is no application fee. [jacc/] Q. Do I need to take the GRE test for admission?:: A. All PhD applicants must provide GRE exam scores as part of their application. This requirement can be waived if it presents a hardship, but in order to have the most competitive application possible, we strongly encourage that all PhD applicants take the GRE and submit their scores. [jacc/] Q. Are official GRE exam scores required if I have earned (or will earn) my Bachelor’s from ISU?:: A.  Yes, external (to IMSE at ISU) PhD applicants must provide GRE scores. If an applicant is a current B.S. IE student at Iowa State University and has a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater, the requirement of supplying GRE scores is waived. Likewise for a recent (within the last six years) B.S. IE graduate from Iowa State University with a GPA of 3.0 or greater, the requirement of supplying GRE scores is waived. Applicants who have been granted this waiver can, however, submit GRE scores if they wish. [jacc/] Q. What scores do I need on the GRE test to be accepted?:: A. As a guideline for prospective students, minimum GRE scores for new students are 155 on quantitative, 145 on verbal, and 3 on analytical. [jacc/] Q. What scores do I need on the TOEFL or IELTS exam?:: A. Here are the minimum TOEFL scores we can accept:
Test Score
TOEFL Paper (PBT) 550
TOEFL Internet (iBT) 79
IELTS 6.5
PTE 53
[jacc/] Q. What is required for the Statement of Purpose?:: A. The statement of purpose should be structured as follows – Answer the following four questions (maximum of 125 words on each question with a maximum of 500 word limit for the entire document.  It is strongly recommended that you adhere to the 500-word maximum.):
  • Why do you wish to pursue graduate studies in industrial engineering at ISU?
  • What are your career goals after completing your degree?
  • How have your background, education, and/or experiences prepared you for graduate study?
  • What are your research interests for a thesis or dissertation? (for M.S. and Ph.D. applicants only).
[jacc/] Q. What background is required to be considered for acceptance to the graduate program?:: A. To be considered for acceptance to the graduate program, the applicant should have a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or related field from a college, university, or technical school of recognized standing.  Other degree programs will be considered on an individual basis, but completion of a Calculus sequence through Differential Equations is required.  High academic achievement or other persuasive evidence of professional accomplishments is expected for acceptance to the program. [jacc/] Q. I have been admitted by ISU’s Office of Admissions.  When do I register for courses?:: A. You will be able to register for classes on the date indicated by the Office of Admissions. [jacc/] Q. My undergraduate degree is not industrial engineering. Will I have to take prerequisite courses?:: A. This will depend on your major and the courses you have taken. If you have an engineering degree, you should not need additional courses. Other degrees may require additional course work. [jacc/] Q. Is financial aid available for graduate study?:: A. If you are a domestic student there is funding available for you through ISU’s Office of Student Financial Aid; however, this funding is very limited. Please visit their website to learn more about your options: Office of Student Financial Aid. If you are an international student you are not eligible for traditional financial aid because one of the requirements for admittance to ISU is verification that you have sufficient resources to support yourself financially while you are here. The IMSE Department typically offers full funding in the form of an assistantship to top-quality PhD applicants, which means assistantships are highly competitive. [jacc/] Q. I am an international student and I have received my letter of acceptance. When will I receive the I-20 form for my visa?:: A. The University’s Office of Admissions will be sending your I-20 form along with your official admissions letter and you should receive it within 6-8 weeks of acceptance to the program. However, if you have not submitted your required financial documents to the Office of Admissions, you will not be offered admission and an I-20 will not be issued to you, which could delay your arrival to campus. To avoid this delay, please submit your financial documents in accordance with the Office of Admissions policy. Please visit the following link to learn more about the financial documents (and all of the other required documents) you need to submit: International Graduate Student Application Instructions. [/jaccordion]