 ADMISSION PROFILE
EECS is the largest department in the McCormick School with about 190 graduate students. We receive about 700 MS and PhD applications a year. Last year, we offered admission to approximately 10% of the PhD applicants and 20% of the MS applicants. Admission decisions are based on the overall academic record, quality of the school attended, Graduate Record Exam scores (GRE), grade point averages (GPA), strength of letters of recommendation, work experience, and match with faculty research interests. We do not have minimum thresholds other than those set by the Graduate School. In recent years, the average GRE's for PhD applicants offered admission were 550 verbal and 790 quantitative. For MS applicants offered admission, the averages were 530 verbal and 760 quantitative.
International applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The Graduate School considers 600 to be the minimum acceptable paper-based TOEFL score, 250 to be the minimum acceptable computer-based TOEFL score or 100 to be the minimum acceptable internet-based TOEFL score. To be eligible for a teaching assistantship, international applicants must submit an official TSE score of at least 50 or score at least 26 on the TOEFL speaking section.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, you must (1) apply using the online application form at the Graduate School web site, (2) send all supplemental materials to the EECS department. There are no paper application forms for either admission or financial aid. To access the online application, go to (The Graduate School Admission page), and click on the "Apply Online" link.
On the online form:
If you wish a PhD, with or without a masters degree, select the PhD option.
The MS option is only for terminal Masters. It does not constitute admission to further work towards a PhD.
Currently Computer Science is primarily a Doctoral program. Specify ECE or CS as your specialization based on the research areas that best fit your current interests. This choice can be changed after admission, as long as there is a faculty member willing and able to advise you. Information about the areas of research in EECS can be found at the department web site: http://www.eecs.northwestern.edu
In addition to the application form, you must submit the following Supplemental Materials to the EECS department:
On the Areas of Research Interest form, mark your two or three top choices for specific research interests. You can give more detail in your Statement of Purpose. For example, a student who would like to pursue research in "wireless networks" might select the Signals and System division, and/or the Computer Engineering and Systems division.
An applicant may not be admitted without a complete application. All primary and supplemental materials must be received to render an admit decision; denies may be made with incomplete applications.
Where to Send Supporting Materials
After you apply on-line, all supporting material should be mailed directly to:
EECS Graduate Admissions
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Northwestern University
2145 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208-3118
The instructions with the on-line application tell you how to pay the application fee.
Deadlines
See the Graduate School web site for deadlines.
Admission
Our general practice is to admit students only in the Fall Quarter. The only mechanism for Winter or Spring Quarter admission involves the intervention of one of our faculty, who must agree to support the student in question as a research assistant for the remainder of the academic year. To explore this possibility, you should contact individual professors listed on our Department's web page.
FINANCIAL AID
MS applicants: Financial aid is not available. This include fellowships,
research assistantships, and teaching assistantships.
PhD applicants: We assume Ph.D. applicants require financial aid, and
will therefore only admit candidates if we have support in the form of
assistantships or fellowships. If you do not require financial aid from
us, it is important to let us know. Include a signed letter in your
supplemental materials, stating that you don't need financial aid, and
briefly describing your source of funding.
Teaching Assistantships
Approximately 20 Teaching Assistantships (TA) are available for new and returning students each quarter. For the 2007/2008 academic year, stipends for teaching assistantships are $15,174 (for nine months) plus tuition scholarship.
TAs are generally responsible for grading and staffing of laboratory sections of undergraduate classes as well as for leading discussion sections of some courses.
In order to be appointed a TA, international applicants must take either the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and receive a score of 50 or higher or take the TOEFL IBT and receive a score of 26 or higher on the speaking section. Applicants who want to be considered for TA support in the first year must have the TSE score before April 15 preceding the Fall quarter in which they intend to enroll. In addition, foreign applicants must get a score of at least 600 on the paper-based TOEFL test or 250 on the computer-based test in order to be appointed a TA.
Typically most students are supported as Research Assistants (RAs) on research grants and contracts. In most cases, RAs work on projects that lead to thesis or dissertation topics. Applicants with strong research experience can contact individual faculty and inform them of their interests and experience. Please be selective and contact only faculty members whose interests match your own, otherwise you do not stand a good chance of receiving a reply.
For the current academic year 2007/2008, stipends for RAs range from $13,995 to $17,550 (for nine months) plus tuition.
Fellowships
Besides assistantships, fellowships are available for students who are exceptionally well qualified. Unlike assistantships, fellowships usually do not require the student to perform any duties. Fellowships are extremely competitive and generally applicants will need to have a cumulative score on the GRE greater than 2200 to be considered for this type of financial aid.
The monetary award varies depending on the fellowship but is generally similar to that of a research assistantship. The Fellowships are awarded only for the first academic year of graduate study--after this the students are supported by regular assistantships.
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