Application Process FAQ | Future Students | NC State OR

Fall deadlines for various categories:

• The deadline for funding first-round Ph.D. offers and recruitment weekend invitations is January 18.
• The deadline for funding Ph.D. offers is March 15.
• International master’s students must apply by March 15.
• Master’s students and certificate seekers have until June 1 for Fall admission.
• For Spring admission, master’s students and certificate seekers should apply by November 25.
• Summer 1 admission (certificate only) has a deadline of March 25.
• Summer 2 admission (certificate only) has a deadline of May 10.

Contacting faculty or prospective advisors before applying to the doctoral program is unnecessary. Admission is to the program, not directly to a lab or advisor.

The application fee is $85 for domestic and US permanent residents, $95 for international and $40 for certificates.

In special circumstances, we can waive the fee. Please contact our Executive Assistant of Operations Research at operationsresearch@ncsu.edu | 919.515.2350.

Complete and submit the NC State Graduate School Online Application with the application fees and all supporting documents directly to the Graduate School. Supporting documents include:

• One transcript from all post-secondary institutions attended. You will need to provide an official transcript upon recommendation for acceptance.
• Residence form if claiming NC residence for tuition purposes.
• References from at least three people who know of the applicant’s academic record and potential for graduate study.
• A non-refundable application fee.
• Official GRE test scores.

You must electronically send your official GRE and TOEFL test scores from the Education Testing Service (ETS). Use NC State University Institution Code 5496 for Test Score Distribution. No department code selection is required.

To submit IELTS scores, email the TRF number or a copy of the IELTS score sheet to the Graduate School Admissions Office at graduate_applications@ncsu.edu. The admissions office staff will access your official score on the IELTS website and upload it to your online application. Alternatively, you can send a hard copy official IELTS score report to the Graduate School Admissions Office at the following mailing address:

Graduate School Admissions Office
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 7102 / 1020 Main Campus Drive
Raleigh, NC 27695 USA

You do not need to submit your official transcripts when you submit your application. However, you must provide official transcripts and degree statements no later than one month into your first semester. Please mail them to the Graduate School Admissions Office at the following address:

Graduate School Admissions Office
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 7102 / 1020 Main Campus Drive
Raleigh, NC 27695 USA

You can check your application status through the online application. As the Graduate School receives each supplemental document, its status will update to “complete.” However, you cannot view the completion status of your Areas of Interest Form online; you must check it in GradWatch.

If you have recently submitted your online application and paid the processing fee, your application will remain “incomplete” until we receive your recommendation letters and attach your standardized test scores.

GRE and TOEFL scores are electronically reported to NC State University by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). It typically takes up to four weeks for NC State to receive these scores from ETS. After that, the Graduate School Admissions Office requires several business days to match supplemental documents and exam scores to your online application. If any supplemental documents are missing, the OR Program will notify you.

We understand that waiting to hear back about your application can be stressful. We appreciate your patience during the application process. You should receive a decision within three to eight weeks after completing your application.

Contact the graduate school at graduate_applications@ncsu.edu.