Energy Science, Technology & Policy

The application deadline for Fall Semester (August start) admission is January 15.

The application deadline for Spring Semester (January start) admission is August 31.

A completed application will include the following:

• Online Application Form (demographics, education & employment history, GPA, etc.) 
• Selection of Degree
• Selection of Engineering Concentration
• Uploaded unofficial transcript- official transcripts are required upon admission
• Official TOEFL, IELTS, DuoLingo English Test scores for non-native English speakers*
• Uploaded Resume/CV
• Three letters of recommendation**
• Four required essay questions

Please note:
*Test scores are only considered official if they are received directly from the testing center. See FAQ#5 for score delivery instructions.
**Recommender contact information should be entered in your online application. Recommenders are provided with a link to answer questions and upload a letter to your online application.

-Students do NOT need to submit Letters of Financial Support OR International Funding at the time of applying.

Note: Faculty likewise cannot comment on an applicant's chances. For this reason, we ask that you do not contact faculty directly regarding your admission status.

The admissions committee evaluates all aspects of a completed application and one aspect is not a determining factor in the admissions decision. They do not set a hard cut-off for undergraduate grades although a 3.0 is preferred. Decisions are made by the admissions committee based on looking at the application in its entirety and especially considering overall GPA, as well as, courses taken and grades in senior-level technical classes, TOEFL scores, resume, three letters of recommendation (at least one from faculty), and your responses to three short essay questions.

No, there are only two terms of admission- Fall and Spring. There is no priority given to applicants who submit their applications "early". The admissions committee will only begin to review completed applications shortly after the deadline.

The correct school/department codes for EST&P are listed here. If these codes are not available in the ETS pull-down menu, please select the codes for the CMU Materials Science and Engineering department and notify the EST&P program office of this situation.

TOEFL code: 2074

IELTS scores can be sent electronically to:
Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering
431 Hamerschlag Drive
Ansys Hall Suite 250
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
---Email energy@andrew.cmu with your TRF No.
--- Do not have paper IELTS scores mailed

DuoLingo English Test (DET) scores should be sent to: Carnegie Mellon University – College of Engineering

NOTE: As an applicant, an English proficiency exam is required for non-native English speakers. The program accepts TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo scores (must be sent electronically to the university from the company).  Applicants who are non-native English speakers can receive a requirement waiver if they have or will complete a four-year undergraduate program at a university within the United States or a native English speaking country before the start of the first term they are enrolled.

Official transcripts are not required for the admission process unless you are admitted to and enroll in the program. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for the application review process and should be uploaded to your online application. Recommender information should be entered in your online application and recommenders should submit their recommendation letters through the online application system. Our address is:

Energy Science, Technology and Policy, Scott Hall 5103
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh PA 15213

Please refrain from mailing hard copies of supporting documents and other documents such as publications or certificates (besides test scores/transcript). These items will not be filed with your application and will not be held by the program.

Yes, it is acceptable for your letters of recommendation and official score reports to arrive after the application deadline. Receipt of these reports a week or two after the deadline will not affect your chances of being admitted.

Letters of Recommendation do not need to be received prior to your application being submitted.

Yes, the admissions committee prefers that you use the free WES GPA calculator to convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale. The alternative is to convert your GPA into a percentage of the maximum possible score used at your institution; then calculate the equivalent number out of the maximum possible 4.0 scale that represents this same percentage. If you believe proportional conversion does not fairly represent your undergraduate GPA, you may offer an explanation in your application’s optional essay question. The admissions committee is displeased when during transcript review they discover an applicant has entered an arbitrary and inflated number as their equivalent GPA out of 4.0

Free WES GPA calculator to obtain a U.S. GPA calculation: https://applications.wes.org/igpa-calculator/igpa.asp

An official letter of financial support is an original letter (or bank statement) indicating that you are receiving financial support from an outside agency (parents, company, fellowship, etc.). 

This official letter is needed for international students at the time of admission and I-20 processing, but is NOT required by the admissions committee at the time of application.

Non-Native English speakers must submit TOEFL, IELTS, or DuoLingo English Test (DET) scores.
NOTE: As an applicant, an English proficiency exam is required for non-native English speakers. The program accepts TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo scores (must be sent electronically to the university from the company).  Applicants who are non-native English speakers can receive a requirement waiver if they have or will complete a four-year undergraduate program at a university within the United States or a native English speaking country before the start of the first term they are enrolled.

Minimum score requirements for TOEFL: Reading = 22; Listening = 22; Speaking = 18; Writing = 22; Total iBT score range = 84
Note: CMU and EST&P do not accept computer-based TOEFL scores.

Minimum sub-score recommendations for IELTS: Reading = 6.5 ; Listening = 6.5 ; Speaking = 6; Writing = 6; Band Score = 6.5      

Minimum sub-score recommendations for DET: Literacy=105; Comprehension=115; Production=70; Conversation=95; Total DET score = 105

NOTE: The EST&P program take sub-scores and total scores into consideration. If any score is below our minimum, your application may not be considered.

In most cases, this means that we have not yet received your official score reports directly from ETS/DuoLingo. If you have already requested ETS/DuoLingo to send your official scores, you need not take any further action. TOEFL scores do not come directly to the department since TOEFL scores are required for both undergraduate and graduate students. Instead, they come to the university's Enrollment Service office and then are sent out to the departments.

It is acceptable for your official score reports to arrive after the application deadline as long as it is during the committee review process. Having your reports arrive after the deadline will not affect your chances of being admitted.

Yes, we will expedite admission for CMU undergraduates/alumni. EST&P does not offer a BS degree so we cannot offer you a formal Integrated Master's/Bachelor's (IMB) degree option. We ask you to complete an abbreviated application and submit two letters of recommendation (with simplified process for CMU faculty recommendations). 

Interested CMU undergraduates are encouraged to make and appointment and meet with an EST&P advisor for more details on expediting the application process.

EST&P is a coursework based professional master's program and students are primarily self-funded through personal savings and educational loans, or externally funded through government or private fellowships or by their employer. The Graduate Admissions Staff do not determine financial aid criteria and are not involved in financial aid decisions. Masters students are encouraged to apply for external funding.

All applicants to the EST&P program are considered for an alumni scholarship by the admissions committee at the time of admission review, which is the only minimal financial support offered through the program (~20% reduction in tuition). Selected applicants will be notified of this decision in their offer letters.

CMU Student Financial Services

Private Loan Information 

Fellowships
Students who are interested in applying for external fellowships should see their advisor or check the on-line information provided by the Office of Scholarships and Fellowships Web site. The website is an excellent resource for locating an abundance of information regarding available funding for students.

External Funding Opportunities Outside Carnegie Mellon

U.S. Department of Education Resources
U.S. citizens and permanent residents may complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)online to apply for federal financial aid. Students may obtain information regarding their loans through the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program, including deferment forms and payment information. Information about the federal student aid programs may be found at www.studentaid.ed.gov.

Grad PLUS
Graduate or professional students may be eligible to borrow a Federal Graduate PLUS Loan. This loan allows you, not your parents, to borrow up to the cost of attendance less any other financial aid you receive. You must be a US citizen or permanent resident to qualify. Credit checks are also required to determine eligibility, but the credit criteria are much less stringent than for most private alternative loans. If you don’t meet the credit criteria you may still obtain the loan with an “endorser” who does meet the credit requirements. PLUS applicants cannot have adverse credit based on a review of at least one credit report from a national credit reporting agency.

Private Student Loans:
Students may have the option to borrow funds through a private lender. These loans are credit based, so applicants may need a cosigner. International students may utilize private lenders if they have a US citizen or permanent resident as a cosigner. Very limited lender options are available for international students without a US citizen/permanent resident co-signer.

FASTChoice is a loan comparison service offered free-of-charge to schools by the Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation. Private loan options are available for both students and parents.

Other Resources for US Citizens 
The following websites are available for researching other sources of financial aid. Please be sure to pay close attention to the stated application deadlines.         

• CMU FASTChoice
• www.fastweb.com      
• Sallie Mae Graduate Student Scholarship Search    
• College Board Scholarship Search
• Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

Sources of Financial Aid for International Students
The following information is designed to help international students in the search for additional sources of financial aid. This list includes a Fellowship Program from the Institute of International Education, a number of Loan Programs, and relevant websites and online sources of information.

Private loan information can be found on CMU FASTChoice.

Grants and scholarships:
Institute of International Education (IIE)
The IIE is a nonprofit organization that promotes international education. They provide information about the Fulbright Program, as well as a program finder function, on their website. The number and amount of grants differs from country to country. They also publish several useful guides, including Funding for US Study: A guide for Foreign Nationals, English Language Orientation Programs (a guide to ESL programs in the US), and Academic Year Abroad. Books can be ordered through e-mail to iie-books@iie.org.

You may also write to:
Institute of International Education (IIE)
809 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017-3580

International students may find the information on the websites below helpful in researching funding sources:

• CMU Fellowships and Scholarships Office
• www.internationalscholarships.com
• www.edupass.org
• https://educationusa.state.gov/
• AAUW International Fellowship (for women)
• P.E.O. Scholarships and Fellowships (for women)
• American Society of Civil Engineers Fellowships

Students applying for an I-20 for visa purposes will be required to submit an International Student Information form and a Financial Statement and Affidavit of Support from their sponsor guaranteeing financial support for the student for the duration of their degree program.

Emergency Loans

The Office of the Dean of Student Affairs offers short-term emergency loans for supplies, medication, food or other unexpected circumstances. The loans are interest-free and for short periods of time (not longer than a month).

Taxes

The deadline for local, state, and federal taxes is April 15.  Questions about your tax status should be addressed to the IRS or the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Although subject to federal taxes, student stipends are generally not assessed local or state taxes.

Once your application package is complete, we catalog the contents and then forward it to the Graduate Admissions Committee. All applications are held for review until after the application deadline; thus, there are no early decisions. Please contact energy@andrew.cmu.edu should you have an extenuating circumstance which requires an early decision.

The Graduate Admissions Committee begins reviewing applications shortly after the application deadline. Depending upon the number of applications received, this process can take a month or so. Once all of the applications have been reviewed, online tracking will be updated, and a letter will be made available to you electronically informing you of the decision. Therefore, it is important that you continue to check your online application status frequently.

You can track your application status online. This site is updated when material is received and decisions are made, so please feel free to check your status frequently during the peak admission season.

No, there is not a paper application available for submission. The entire process is completed online except in some cases the submission of your official transcripts.

Please refrain from mailing hard copies of supporting documents and other documents such as publications or certificates (besides your official transcript). These items will not be filed with your application and will not be held by the program.