FAQ Prospective Students

Frequently Asked Questions by Prospective Graduate Students

Admissions

Pre-Admission Test Requirements

International Student Information

Admissions

What is CALCE Graduate Program?

CALCE affiliated faculty members generally advise students in EPS specialization in Mechanical Engineering. Some faculty members may accept students from outside Mechanical Engineering as advisee’s. Please check with the individual faculty members with such possibility.

How can I apply at CALCE?

When applying to Mechanical Engineering, please select Electronic Products and Systems as one of the areas of interest. To ensure that your application is reviewed by members of faculty, select their names during the application process. Applicants to other departments should contact CALCE faculty members to communicate their interest.

What is the application deadline for the fall/spring semester?

Each program maintains its own deadlines for application. Please check with the Mechanical Engineering graduate program for specific information on deadlines. The deadline for other programs can be checked from the graduate program catalog.

What are the requirements for applying to Master’s and PHD programs at CALCE?

University and individual academic departments maintain their own requirement. For Mechanical Engineering graduate program the information on requirements can be obtained from catalog.

What is the minimum GPA required to apply at CALCE?

CALCE follows Mechanical Engineering guidelines and takes into account an overall strength of the applicants. Generally students with 3.5 GPA in a scale of 4.0 are best considered. Students expected for the CALCE program typically have much more than the minimum requirement. You may also contact the department: amata@umd.edu and individual faculty members.

What kind of financial aids are available?

Generally, financial aid is available to all students that are admitted at CALCE in the form of Graduate Research Assistantship and Graduate Teaching Assistantship. For exceptionally qualified students various types of Fellowships are also available. Information on financial aid at CALCE is available here.

How can I check the status of my application?

You can check the status of your application online by visiting apra website.

Pre-Admission Test Requirements

Where should I have my test scores sent?

Your test scores should be sent to the University of Maryland Graduate School, institution code 5814.

Does CALCE require that applicants submit GRE and TOEFL scores?

Yes, applicants are required to submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). CALCE follows the Mechanical Engineering graduate program requirements for GRE scores. Students whose native language is not English and who do not hold a degree from an accredited US institution are required to submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). There are, however, minimum Graduate School requirements for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Applicants with a score of 575 on the paper based test or 233 on the Computer based test (CBT) and above (with no sectional score below 50) may qualify an applicant for full admission.

International Student Information

I am an International student. Where can I get information about Visa?

All the information for the international students can be obtained from Office of International Affairs website. Information related to visa is available here.

Who will send me the documentation?

The documentation for the international students will be sent by three departments.
1. Admission documents by Graduate school.
2. Visa documents by International education Services, and
3. Assistantship documents, if any, by respective academic unit, such as Mechanical Engineering.
For any questions contact the respective departments.

Whom do I need to contact if the information on my I-20 is not correct?

For the information related to I-20 you need to contact OIA advisors.

Other Questions

How do I obtain information about Housing?

For the information on housing you can visit international programs housing website. It provides you with several links to find housing. There are also various associations such as Student Council of India, Chinese Student Association etc. who can guide you and provide information on housing.

If I have assistantship at CALCE, will I get tuition remission benefit?

All the students with more than 50% assistantship will be given tuition remission according to University of Maryland policy, which currently offers tuition remission of upto 10 credits for each fall and spring semesters for full assistantship and upto 5 credits for half assistantship.

Is health insurance necessary? If I have assistantship at CALCE, will I get health insurance benefit?

It is a requirement to carry health insurance for all students as per University of Maryland health policy. All students with more than 50% assistantship are offered University employee health benefit package.

For any other questions contact Dr. Diganta Das: digudas@calce.umd.edu