Prospective Graduate Students: ECE Admission Process

Admission Types

Unconditional Admission:

• A bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, or in a closely related field, from an accredited institution, with a grade point average of at least 3.0/4.0 (or equivalent) for the last 60 hours of the undergraduate degree and on any coursework completed since graduation.
• General GRE scores must be submitted. While no minimum GRE scores are used to exclude students, typically students entering the program have GRE scores greater than 450 on the Verbal, greater than 750 on the Quantitative and greater than 4.0 on the Writing Assessment.
• International students must submit an official TOEFL score of 580 or better.
• Three letters of recommendation on official letterhead with mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and email of the recommender.

Conditional Admission (Only for citizens or Permanent Residents of the United States)

• A bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, or in a closely related field, from anaccredited institution, with a grade point average between 2.6 and 3.0 with high GRE scores (or equivalent) for the last 60 hours of the undergraduate degree and on any coursework completed since graduation.
• The conditionally admitted student must earn a grade point average of at least 3.0 on the first 12 semester hours of graduate work after enrolled at the University of Houston. A general petition needs to be submitted to change conditional admission status after 12 semester hours.

Admission Requirements

1. Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements: GPA 3.0/4.0 (Masters programs) or 3.3/4.0 (Ph.D.). Foreign transcripts will be evaluated for comparison with the U.S. grade point scale. 2
2. Passport photo
3. Recommendation Letters: Three letters are required. It is preferred that letters of recommendation come from university professors familiar with the student's work. However, letters from other sources will be accepted. In any event, recommendation letters must be on the official letterhead of the university or industry from which they are being sent. Letters not arriving on official letterhead will not be accepted. Recommendation letters from a friend or relatives will not be accepted unless the individual has been closely related to student’s project/course work. (Recommendation letter form)
4. Resume
5. Statement of Purpose is to let the dept. know your future goals and objectives. (Statement of purpose form) Note: You MUST include this form with your Statement of Purpose.
6. Test Requirements: Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test and TOEFL (international students only). TOEFL minimums: 580 paper-based test; 237 computer-based test; or 92 internet-based test. Scores must be reported directly from ETS to our institution. Institution code is 6870. Dept. code for GRE is 1203 and 66 for TOEFL.
   While no minimum GRE scores are used to exclude students, students entering the program typically have GRE scores greater than 450 on the Verbal, greater than 750 on the Quantitative and greater than 4.0 on the Writing Assessment.
7. Transcript(s) from all institutions attended.
   Foreign applicants must submit both an original and an English translation of the transcripts. In addition, there may be other requirements relating to the acceptability of academic records. For example, all transcripts from Taiwan must have grades indicated in percentages. Applicants from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh must submit mark sheets for each year of studies beginning with the Secondary School Certificate (SSC). The registrar of the institute must stamp the mark sheets.

Admission Procedure

The following document lists the steps to be followed for applying to Electrical and Computer Engineering: Admission Steps

Please be sure to send all documentation to the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the address below at one time to avoid delays in your application process. Do not send application materials to the University Admissions Office or to the International Admissions Office. The ECE department will send you a message via email when your application is in the reviewing process.

Graduate Admissions
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Houston
N308 Engineering Bldg. 1.
Houston, Texas 77204-4005

In order to guarantee that your application is considered for the intended semester of enrollment, all application materials must be received by above deadlines. If all materials have not been received by the deadline, your application may be returned to you or deferred to the next available semester.

Please note that we cannot process your application until we have received all of the materials outlined in the given checklist. A checklist applicable to foreign applicants may be downloaded by clicking the following link:

• International Students Admission checklist
• US/Permanent resident checklist
• How to apply (link to texas on line): https://www.applytexas.org/adappc/gen/c_start.WBX

Application Status

A decision for Fall admission is typically made in April - late May. For Spring admission, a decision is made in October - late November.

The decision on admission will be based on a review of all submitted documents. Please note that meeting the above guidelines does not guarantee admission. The selection process for admission is selective, based on qualifications and match with departmental interests.

Application Deadline

• Fall Deadline: February 1st
• Spring Deadling: August 1st

*The on-line application process will not be available. Email the dept. for details.

Financial Aid and Related Information

There are no additional financial-aid application forms necessary. Many graduate students enrolled in the PhD program and the MSEE program in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department receive financial support either as a Teaching Assistant (TA) or a Research Assistant (RA). Click here for more information.

Non-thesis Master's candidates (MEE and MSCSE non-thesis option) are not eligible for RA or TA support, but may receive scholarships. Students with RA, TA, or scholarship support are eligible to pay in-state tuition, which is less costly than out-of-state tuition. Click here for more information.

Tuition and Fees

Current cost for tuition and fees can be found at http://www.uh.edu/financial/graduate/tuition-fees/tuition/index.php. Enrollment requirements posted at http://www.egr.uh.edu/academics/?e=gradpolicies1 will assist you in determining this cost.

A graduate student who receives an assistantship from the department may qualify for further support from the university. The graduate appointment will qualify a student for the non-resident tuition exemption (providing you with in-state tuition rates). Additionally, he/she may/will qualify for the Graduate Assistant Tuition Fellowship (GATF). This fellowship will cover the cost of 9 hours of tuition paid at the graduate student credit hour rate. Continued eligibility for this fellowship will be contingent upon meeting the fellowship eligibility criteria of both the department and the university. Please note that other mandatory fees and course fees are not covered by this waiver. In addition, basic health insurance is also available to each graduate student.