Admission Requirements

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How to Apply

We strongly recommend that potential applicants contact faculty members with whom they are interesting in studying before applying.

We accept applications online via the Cornell Graduate School website. You should specify the “field of geological sciences” as there is no graduate field of earth and atmospheric sciences. In your essay, please indicate clearly the disciplines within geological sciences in which you are interested (e.g., “active tectonics,” “low temperature geochemistry,” “global change,” etc.). Your essay, and indeed your entire application, will be stronger if you have carefully investigated Cornell’s strengths via these webpages and individual faculty pages, the published literature, and have contacted individual faculty with whom you might be interested in working.

Deadlines

  • Fall

    January 1

  • Spring

    Check with field (we typically don’t admit students for the spring term).

Required Admissions Items for M.S. Applicants

  • Academic Statement of Purpose

    The first paragraph should be a summary (150 words) highlighting the topics or areas you are interested in studying, naming faculty members or groups with whom you would be interested in working, and outlining academic and research experiences that distinguish you. The statement of purpose should be no more than two pages.

  • Personal Statement

    The personal statement should provide the Admissions Committee with a sense of you as a whole person, and you should use it to describe how your personal background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. For additional information about the personal statement please refer to the Graduate School.

  • English Language Proficiency Scores

    TOEFL or IELTS exam is required of all international applicants from countries where English is not the official language unless the applicant has studied for at least two years in a country where English is the official language and the language of instruction was English. 

    Please visit the Graduate School website for information on the English Language Exam Requirement.

  • Unofficial Transcripts

    An unofficial transcript from each university you have attended is required for submission. The transcript(s) must be in english. You will upload your transcript(s) yourself in your online application.

    Admitted students are required to submit official electronic transcripts directly to the Graduate School Admissions Office after accepting the offer of admission and before enrolling.

    For more information, please consult the Graduate School’s Transcript Requirements webpage.

  • Letters of Recommendation

    Three letters of recommendation are required and should be sent electronically.

  • CV or Résumé

    You are not required to submit a CV or résumé; however, if you wish, you may upload a scanned copy of your CV or résumé into your application; include a list of publications, if applicable, with your CV.

  • GRE

    Not Required.

Financial Aid

Information on tuition and fees can be found on the Cornell Graduate School website. There are a variety of forms of financial aid available to graduate students at Cornell. Nearly all our Ph.D. and M.S. students receive financial aid that provides tuition, academic-year stipend and health insurance. Summer support may also be available. This financial aid is generally available for up to five years for Ph.D. students and two years for M.S. students and is contingent upon satisfactory academic progress.

  • Department fellowships – the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences typically has available to it two fellowships, known as the Long Fellowship and the McMullen Fellowship.
  • Cornell fellowships – the field of geological sciences typically has available to it two Cornell Fellowships, which are awarded to incoming Ph.D. students.
  • Teaching assistantships – students supported on teaching assistantships spend an average of 15 hours a week assisting with the teaching of courses in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. This teaching experience is vital to those wishing to go on to a teaching career and it is likely that many graduate students will be appointed as a teaching assistant at some point during their Cornell career.
  • Graduate research assistantships – most graduate students in geological sciences are supported as graduate research assistants through a faculty member’s externally funded research project.
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships – we encourage all applicants and first-year graduate students to apply directly to NSF for these prestigious and competitive graduate fellowships.
  • NASA fellowships – graduate students commonly apply for these fellowships after their first year, when their research project has become well-defined.
  • Fellowships from international governments, agencies, or companies – graduate students may be sponsored by an agency in their home nation.
  • Other fellowships – we occasionally have students supported on Department of Energy or Department of Defense fellowships.

Please note that Cornell University expects all applicants to complete their application materials without the use of paid agents, credential services, or other paid professional assistance. The use of such services violates university policy, and may lead to the rejection of application materials, the revocation of an admissions offer, cancellation of admission, or involuntary withdrawal from the university.