Graduate Application Information

ECE Department Admission Deadlines

Semester you are applying for. Application Deadline (without assistantship). Application Deadline (with Assistantship). See Note Below.
SpringOctober 15--
SummerApril 15--
FallApril 15January 15

Note: Normally, assistantships are awarded only for Fall semester applicants. All applicants will automatically be considered for any available awards. Applications received by January 15 will receive first consideration for awards. Applications received after this deadline will be considered for remaining awards.

Application Instructions

Use the list below as a guide for completing your application. Make sure you have sent or have notified the appropriate officials to send all required items to the Office of Graduate Admissions and the ECE department by the appropriate deadline date. Failure to submit ALL required documents may result in a delayed or rejected application.

This is an extract of the application information from the LSU Graduate School webpage listed here only for your convenience. The graduate school webpage should be treated as the OFFICIAL document at any given point of time.

To LSU Office of Graduate Admissions:

The following information must be sent to:
        LSU Graduate School Admissions
        Louisiana State University
        114 David Boyd Hall
        Baton Rouge, LA 70803-5901, USA
  1. Completed Application for Admission to Graduate Degree Program form. Forms are available from the LSU Graduate School Applications Page. Paper forms require an additional 4-6 week delay, so use the online forms if possible.
  2. Application fee (and any applicable late fee). If the application fee is not paid, then no action at all is taken on the application or the documents received.
  3. One official transcript from EACH college or university attended (including summer only work, and even if work appears on another institution's transcript) should be sent directly to the Graduate School. International applicants: Include degree statements and an English translation of each foreign document. Minimum GPA: 3.0 or equivalent.
  4. GRE scores should be sent directly to the Graduate School. Note: The ECE department requires GRE scores; however it does not have a recommended or minimum GRE score.
  5. TOEFL or IELTS scores should be sent directly to the Graduate School. TOEFL must be sent directly by ETS. The ETS institution code for LSU is 6373 (if required; see International Applicants section of Prospective Student Information at the LSU Graduate School Webpage).
    TOEFL minimum: 79 on the internet-based test, 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test. IELTS minimum: 6.5.

To the ECE Department:

The following information must be sent to:
        Graduate Admissions
        Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
        102 South Campus Drive
        Louisiana State University
        Baton Rouge, LA 70803-5901, USA
Use address eceapply@lsu.edu when the information is submitted electronically. Please include your Paws ID with all information submitted.
  1. A completed ECE Graduate Program Application form. It can be submitted electronically.
  2. At least three letters of recommendation. Please use the ECE Recommendation Form. For the sake of speed, your recommenders can email the completed form to us at: eceapply@lsu.edu. If e-mail is used, it MUST be supplemented by a hard-copy letter from each of your recommenders with their respective signatures.
  3. Statement of purpose. Please make a brief statement concerning your proposed program of study in the ECE department. Address such matters as area of interest, plans for development, and possible thesis/dissertation topics.

Useful Tips

Financial Awards

The department and the University offer a number of financial awards to new students, including assistantships, fellowships, scholarships and tuition waivers. When you apply to the ECE department, we will automatically consider you for all available awards. You are also encouraged to contact individual faculty members for research assistantship information. Decision on financial awards can take some time and you will be contacted if you receive a financial award. Please also see the Financial Awards and Opportunities page.

For International Applicants

[See International Applicants section of Prospective Student Information at the LSU Graduate School Webpage]

International applicants are advised to submit the application and supporting documents at least ten months in advance of the start of the semester they are seeking admission.

Test score requirements: International applicants must provide an official TOEFL score of 79 on the internet-based test, 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based or 6.5 on the IELTS test to be considered for admission. All test scores, including the GRE, must be submitted prior to admission. Though test scores must be sent directly by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to be official, you may submit unofficial copies of your test scores to speed the processing of your application.

Once the Graduate School and the ECE department have approved admission, and sufficient financial responsibility has been verified, the International Services Office (ISO) is notified. ISO will then prepare and issue the appropriate immigration documents to you.

International “OFFICIAL” Documents: Documents submitted to the Graduate School must be written in the language used for instruction (original language). An English translation of all documents submitted must also be included. Documents must be prepared by the institution which prescribes the curriculum of study.

“Official documents” are defined as official records of transcripts and degree statements in original language AND the English translations prepared by the institution. These documents must be sealed in the institution's official envelope with the official stamp across on the envelope. The individual pages of all documents must be printed on the institutions letterhead or stamped with the official logo/signatures of the proper authority. Any document not received in this manner is considered unofficial. (Signatures of a professor, government officials other than Ministry of Education, and/or notary public are NOT accepted as official.)

For applicants from countries whose institutions do not issue official copies to other institutions, the applicant may provide copies of the records for review purposes only. The applicant must prove that the provided documents are official before the admission process is finalized

Forms

Short Overview of the Application Process

When the Office of Graduate Admissions at the LSU Graduate School receives a paid application, a file is created and the academic credentials are forwarded to the ECE graduate program for review. The admission decision is a two-step process:

  1. The ECE Graduate Studies Committee evaluates the application, makes an admission recommendation, and notifies the LSU Office of Graduate Admissions.
  2. The LSU Office of Graduate Admissions then conducts the final evaluation and sends the official notification to the applicant.

Note: Final admission will not occur until all transcripts and test scores are received. Please review the application instructions carefully.

My Application Status

You can check on the status of your application usingthe LSU Graduate School Web form or by sending email to eceapply@lsu.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I apply?
The ECE department admits new graduate students during the Fall and Spring semesters. New graduate students are not admitted during the Summer.
What types of financial awards are available to incoming students?
The ECE department offers fellowships and teaching assistantships to highly qualified incoming students. It also nominates qualified incoming students for other awards (such as diversity fellowships). In general, these awards are made to doctoral students joining the department during the Fall semester. Individual faculty may also offer research assistantships.
What are the application deadlines?
To receive full consideration, the deadlines for students who are not seeking an assistantship are October 15 (for the Spring semester) and April 15 (for the Fall semester). Students are not admitted during the summer and assistantship awards are normally made during the Fall. To receive full consideration for an assistantship you must apply by January 15. There may be separate deadlines for some awards. In all cases, your application must be complete within 30 days of the application deadline.
What are the minimum GRE, TOEFL/IELTS scores required for admission?
There is no minimum GRE score. It is one of several considerations used to arrive at an admission decision. If required, the minimum TOEFL scores are Internet (79) Computer (213), Paper (550) and the minimum IELTS score is 6.5.
What are my chances of being admitted to the ECE Graduate Program?
Since the admission decision depends on a number of factors, including your academic record, letters of recommendation and GRE scores, we cannot evaluate your chances without your full application.
I have been admitted and want to know if I will receive financial assistance.
Graduate assistantships are offered on a competitive basis. If you receive an assistantship, you will be notified by the ECE Graduate Office as soon as a decision has been made.
How does the admission process work?
Once we have received all required application material, a departmental committee evaluates the application (this can take several days to several weeks depending on the time of year and faculty schedules), makes an admission RECOMMENDATION, and notifies the LSU Office of Graduate Admissions. The LSU Graduate School makes the FINAL decision on admission and notifies the applicant. You can find more information at the LSU Graduate School FAQ Page.

Useful Links




Updated on 17 September 2009, 10:41:12 CDT