Applicants for admission to the Graduate School should hold a baccalaureate degree granted by a faculty or university of recognized standing or have completed a degree or diploma program equivalent to the baccalaureate degree program at Cornell, have adequate preparation for graduate study in the chosen field, and present evidence of promise in advanced study and research.
Additional admissions information and the application itself can be found on the Cornell Graduate School website .
Deadlines
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Fall
January 1
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Spring
September 15
Required Admissions Items for Ph.D. Applicants
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required and should be sent electronically.
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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.
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GRE
Not Required.
Financial Aid
The graduate field of atmospheric science offers full financial support, including tuition, stipend, and health insurance, to all students accepted into our program. This means that we sometimes must decline applications from students who are very well qualified, but for whom we cannot identify support because the student’s interests are not a good match for our research programs, or because of limited availability of external grant funds. We offer graduate research assistantships through either the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences or through the external grants of individual faculty members, and teaching assistantships through the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Prospective and continuing graduate students are encouraged to apply for full or partial funding from NSF, NASA, AMS, NOAA, and other agencies that offer fellowships and scholarships in the atmospheric sciences.