Published: July 31, 2020 • By Patrick McCreery

Recently, the Applied Mathematics Graduate Committee voted to waive the requirement for prospective graduate students to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for the 2021 application cycle. This decision, driven by the Department’s continued pursuit of educational equity, impacts the applications of 

  • Professional MS applicants for Spring 2021 and Fall 2021

  • Ph.D. applicants for Fall 2021

The Graduate Committee recognizes the disparate impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic along lines of privilege. Furthermore, with the disruptions to universities and schools across the nation, the application process for graduate schools is uniquely challenging and onerous for applicants at this time. The Applied Mathematics Department prides itself on educational integrity and equity, which requires continuous reflection of application requirements in extraordinary circumstances that may differentially impact communities. 

The Graduate Committee has invariably used a comprehensive approach to the graduate admissions process, including the consideration of a student’s lived experience, along with their personal essays, academic background, and letters of recommendation. Therefore, for this temporary test-optional policy, not submitting a GRE score will have no impact on the Graduate Committee’s consideration of a student: A student’s application with no GRE scores will be equally as competitive as a student’s application with submitted GRE scores. GRE scores from a test taken within the past five years until the application deadline will be considered as supplemental material to the application, but are not required. 

The Department of Applied Mathematics thanks you for your patience in these trying times and hopes that this can alleviate some burdens to submitting applications for graduate program admission.

More information about our graduate programs can be found on the academics tab on the APPM website.

 

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