Welcome and thank you for your interest in applying to our graduate program! If you would like to know about the admission process from the Program Director, register for our admission information session on NOVEMBER 20, 2024.

The application for Macromolecular Science & Engineering is administered by the Rackham Graduate School.  Applications are accepted for students interested in pursuing a PhD or a Master’s. Macro faculty conduct a holistic review of all applications and make recommendations for admission which are then finalized by Rackham.  During the application process, you will receive communications from both Rackham and Macro.

All application materials should be submitted online by the application deadline via the Rackham Graduate School application.

Please review the video from the College of Engineering for valuable insights on navigating the graduate engineering application process.

Application Timeline

  • September 7th – PhD and Master’s applications become available
  • December 15th – PhD application deadline
  • January 15th – Master’s application deadline
  • January-April – Admission offers made for PhD and Master’s students
  • March – Visit weekend for admitted domestic PhD students
  • April 15th – Decision deadline for accepted students

For full consideration PhD applications should be submitted by December 15th, and Master’s applications by January 15th. Applications submitted after the deadline will be accepted and reviewed, but chances for admission may decline as our limited spaces are filled.

Required Application Materials

  • Rackham Online Application
  • Statement of Purpose – This is a statement about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how Macro will help you meet your career and educational objectives.
    • This statement should only be 1-3 pages.
  • Personal Statement – This is a statement that details the personal journey, including cultural, geographic, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges, that has motivated you to pursue a degree from Macro.
    • This statement should only be 500 words or less.
  • Three Letters of Recommendation – These letters should be submitted electronically via the Rackham application.
  • Curriculum vitae 
  • GRE Scores – The University of Michigan’s ETS institutional code is 1839.
    • Starting in the Fall of 2023, the GRE is no longer required.
  • Transcripts
    • Applicants must upload a scanned copy, front and back, of their official transcript/academic record issued by the Registrar or Records Office, to ApplyWeb for each bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree earned or in progress. The scanned copy of the official transcript is used for initial review by the graduate program faculty.
    • A downloaded transcript from your school portal or system is an unofficial transcript and not acceptable for review.
    • If you are attending or have graduated from a Non-U.S. institution, review the Required Academic Credentials from Non-U.S. Institutions for requirements by country.
    • Applicants will enter a “self-reported” GPA on the application.
      Note: International applicants will be directed to a third-party website that provides a tool for converting grades and GPA to a U.S. 4.0 GPA equivalent scale.
    • An official transcript must be submitted to Rackham only after an offer of admission is made.
      • See Rackham’s detailed instructions on how to submit transcripts/academic records to the Rackham Graduate School.
    • U-M Ann Arbor Applicants (current or previous students): Do not submit your U-M Ann Arbor transcript. Rackham will obtain your U-M Ann Arbor transcript internally. Submit only degree transcripts from other institutions you attended including U-M Dearborn or U-M Flint.

Requirements for International Students

  • English Proficiency Test Scores – Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency.  Applicants are required to provide an official score report from either the Michigan English Language Battery (MELAB), the test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS), or the Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (ECPE).  See Rackham Graduate School for more details on this requirement including minimum scores and exemptions.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Do we need a background in polymer science for the admission into the program? Our program requires your interest in macromolecules. We welcome applicants from a very diverse background as our program is interdisciplinary in nature. Students with backgrounds in any area of science and engineering are welcome to apply.

  1. Do I need to contact any potential advisor before application? The admission decision is made by the committee. You can contact any potential advisor before application based on your interest, but this is not necessary at all for admission.

  1. If I contact a faculty after admission but later during the interview in the first semester I find another advisor who suits best for me, can I change my mind? Even though you talk to any advisor, you can change your mind after admission. You need to talk with at least four faculties in the first semester, you have the option to join any lab group.

  1. How is life in Ann Arbor? Ann Arbor is one of the best five college towns in the US. You can find restaurants of almost every culture, quite a lot of parks around Huron river and a lot of exciting and fun events.

  1. Do you have a fee waiver available for students? For fee waiver, there are some options for domestic students from Rackham. For international students, college/Rackham do not provide any fee waiver. But if you absolutely need that, you can reach out to the program director and see if he can provide anything from the program. Note that acceptance of your fee waiver request is not any way related to the admission decision.

  1. What does the funding package look like for PhD students? The stipend that UM provides is very generous. The GSI/GSRA for 2024-2025 to $41,308 for all 12 months. You do not need to pay any semester or other fees for a PhD degree. You and your dependent health insurance (medical and dental) will be covered. 

  1. What is the minimum requirement for CGPA? Does low CGPA automatically disqualify my application? The minimum requirement for CGPA is 3.5. We follow the holistic review process. If you have a low CGPA but your other components of the application are very strong, you will be a strong candidate for our program.

  1. Do you consider extracurricular and leadership activities during the admission process? Our program strongly values your extracurricular and leadership experience. Student leadership roles are very important for our program.  We have monthly meetings of students with the program director and the program manager, and students play an active role in program’s decisions and activities.

  1. Is MS required to get accepted into the PhD program? Having an MS is helpful for the PhD admission process? No, MS is not required to get accepted into the PhD program. Having an MS degree itself is not necessarily helpful. But the research experience during the MS can be helpful for the admission process.

  1. Is there any funding opportunity for an MS degree? Unfortunately, there is no funding available from the program. Rackham provides some funding for the MS students. Check https://rackham.umich.edu/funding/ to see if you are eligible for any funding. GSI positions in other departments are sometimes available.

  1. After graduation, I have been working in the industry for five years. Is it a limitation for admission? Not at all, we have many excellent students who worked in the industries before starting the program.

  1. What are my chances of getting accepted into the program? We receive about 80 applications every year and our target number of PhD students is 5-8 (based on the availability of the funding).

  1. What are the research interests of the program? Our faculties work on a broad area of interest expanding from fundamental polymer science to advanced engineering applications. Check our faculty page for detailed information.