Ph.D. Program Application Details

The graduate program in Mathematics leads only to the Ph.D. degree. Students are not accepted for an M.S. degree.

Prerequisites

Mastery of the material required for an undergraduate major in mathematics, including a rigorous course in advanced calculus and real variable theory that will serve as an introduction to measure theory and courses in linear algebra and modern abstract algebra at an advanced level. Applicants should also have some familiarity with applications of advanced calculus. Most successful applicants score 700 or above on their GRE subject test.

Application Guidelines

Students must submit an online application at apply.gradschool.cornell.edu by January 4. The following are submitted with the online application:

• a statement of purpose,
• GRE scores for the general test and subject test in mathematics,
• TOEFL scores (details given below),
• three letters of recommendation.

A transcript must also be submitted by January 4 to the following address: Graduate Admissions, Department of Mathematics, Malott Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-4201.

TOEFL Requirement — Test of English as a Foreign Language

TOEFL scores are required for international students whose native language is not English. Only students who have studied full time for two or more years at a college or university located in a country where English is the native language and where English is the language of instruction are exempt from the TOEFL.

The minimum TOEFL requirements are as follows: IBT test (replaced CBT) after September 1, 2005: 20 Writing, 15 Listening, 20 Reading, 22 Speaking. All four scores must be reported. Applicants will not be considered if any minimum score is not met.

Admission Decisions

Admission decisions are typically made in mid-February. Under the rules of the Council of Graduate Schools, students have until April 15 to make their decisions.

Financial Aid

Everyone who applies for admission to the graduate program in mathematics is automatically considered for financial aid. For many years the field has been able to provide financial support — through a teaching assistantship, fellowship, or graduate research assistantship — to every graduate student who is making satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. degree, and it expects to continue this practice.

Some of our students have fellowships from the National Science Foundations or other sources. However, most are supported by Teaching Assistantships, which pay $21,400 for 10–15 hours per week in 2009–2010. Duties may be (i) grading for advanced courses, (ii) giving recitation sections, or (iii) teaching a section of calculus. Assignments to courses are made by the Director of Teaching Assistant Programs, Maria Terrell, but are based on the students' requests.

Summer Aid

It is our intention to make summer support available to all students who would like to remain in Ithaca during the summer. For students who have completed three years of graduate school, this will typically be in the form of a research assistantship paid for by a professor's grant or by the graduate school. First and second year students will, in general, hold teaching assistant jobs in Summer Session courses. We also encourage students to apply for other forms of summer support that enhance their graduate education.

Equal Opportunity

It is the policy of Cornell University to actively support equality of educational and employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, or handicap.

Last modified:November 18, 2009