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Graduate Admission

How to Apply

Application Deadline is January 5th!

The Graduate School Application must be submitted electronically.

 

The following documents may now be uploaded to the Graduate School Electronic Application and do not need to be sent to the Mathematics Department separately.

  • Electronic copies of transcripts (or equivalent documents for institutions outside the U.S.) from all post-secondary institutions attended, in the language of instruction (and official English translation if the language of instruction is not English). Applicants who accept an offer of admission will be notified by the Graduate School that official/original transcripts and documents must be sent from the originating institutions in the official language of the institution(s) attended (and if the language of instruction is not English, an official English translation must also be sent). The Graduate School will review all official documents to finalize the offer of admission. An offer of admission will be revoked if official/original documents are not received by the Graduate School within specified deadlines, or if official/original documents differ from the copies uploaded by the applicant prior to the offer of admission. For applicants whose degree conferral is in progress at the time of uploading copies, the deadline specified for receipt of official/original documents will allow for the passage of the reported date of degree conferral, and that conferral must be confirmed on the official/original documents received by the Graduate School, in order for the offer of admission to be finalized.
  • At least three letters of recommendation from persons who are familiar with the applicant's qualifications to study graduate mathematics. We do not require / supply forms for letters of recommendation. We request plain text letters from recommenders. On the Graduate School application, letters are requested to be uploaded electronically. The individuals that you list will receive an email from the Graduate School with the necessary information for them to upload the documents.
  • Personal statement of purpose.
    • There are no specific requirements for what applicants should address when writing their statement of purpose. This statement offers an opportunity for applicants to introduce themselves at a more personal level. For example by explaining why they want to join our graduate program, what motivates or interest them the most in mathematics, what research or other relevant experience they have had.
  • A brief description of the junior, senior and graduate level mathematics courses which the applicant will have completed upon entering graduate school. The description should include the course name, subject matter covered, text(s), instructor and the grade received.
  • Resume/CV
  • Research document/papers. This is OPTIONAL. This is provided for those applicants who have written research documents and/or papers and would like to include them with their application packet.

 

You will need to request the following items to be reported to the Graduate School at Penn State.

  • Scores from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) are required of all non-native English speakers.

    Penn State code: 2660

    This is a Graduate School requirement, and the minimum scores are:

    TOEFL: 550 (paper test)

    213 (computer-based test)

    80-19 on the speaking section (internet-based test)

    Applicants with iBT speaking scores between 15 and 18 may be considered for provisional admission, which requires an institutional test of English proficiency upon first enrollment and, if necessary, remedial course work.

    IELTS: 6.5

    It is highly suggested that applicants who completed their undergraduate degrees in countries where English is not the language of instruction take the Test of Spoken English (TSE).

 

TOEFL Information

The language of instruction at Penn State is English. International applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the exceptions noted below.

International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement who have received a baccalaureate or a masters degree from a college/university/institution in any of the following: Australia, Belize, British Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Republic of Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States and Wales.

Information about the TOEFL can be obtained by visiting their web site at http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/. Information about the IELTS can be obtained by visiting its Web site at http://www.ielts.org/

 

Note

Please do not submit information with your application that cannot be used in the admission decision process, e.g., Individual Education Plans (IEPs), medical records, statements from physicians or psychologists, or legal documents. Such information will be returned by your intended program of study.

We do not admit new students into the Master's program.  New students should apply for the PhD program.  Please contact gradstudies@math.psu.edu before applying for the Master's.