Completing and submitting the application

A complete application requires that you submit some materials to the Graduate School via the online application, and some directly to your Field of Study by mail. Please note that the Graduate School will not accept materials sent by e-mail or fax.

Submit the following to the Graduate School:

• The online application, available at apply.gradschool.cornell.edu
• The nonrefundable $70 application fee

Some materials must be submitted directly to the Graduate Field to which you are applying. See information and addresses in the Fields of Study online catalog).

Statement of purpose A one- or two-page statement stating your reasons for undertaking graduate work, as well as an explanation of your academic interests, including their relation to your undergraduate study and professional goals. Include your full name and your proposed field of study at the top of each page.

Transcripts Submit official, complete transcripts from each college or university previously attended to the field to which you are applying. If it is against an institution's policy to send transcripts to the applicant, the transcripts can be mailed by the school directly to the field to which you are applying. Addresses can be found in the Fields of Study online catalog.

International credentials All transcripts or academic records must be official documents provided in the original language. If that language is not English, they must be accompanied by certified translations into English. If not issued by the college or university as original documents, they should be notarized, full-sized photocopies. They should include grades received in each subject each year, and the number of weeks and hours per week that each subject was studied. Courses must be described in detail. The general subject name (e.g., "mathematics") is not sufficient; the particular subject (e.g., "differential equations," "algebraic topology") must be identified.

Recommendations Two or three letters of recommendation (depending on the field) must be submitted from faculty members acquainted with your work. If that work occurred some time ago, check with the field to see whether recommendations from those familiar with your professional performance might be acceptable.

Under federal legislation, once enrolled, students have access to their letters of recommendation. If you request, such right of access can be waived by checking the appropriate box on the online application.

Application fee A nonrefundable application fee of $70 must be submitted with the application. Payment must be by: 1) an e-check in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank, 2) a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover credit card.

Application fee waiver In cases of extreme financial need, the Graduate School will consider a request for a fee waiver. A letter of request for a waiver and documentation of need, such as a letter from a college financial aid office, must be sent to the Graduate School. E-mail must be sent to the Graduate Student Services Representative for your proposed field of study. 

Application for financial support Application for merit-based aid-fellowships, assistantships, and tuition awards is part of the application for admission; no additional form is needed. All applicants are eligible to be considered for merit-based aid. All awards are made by the field.