1. What are the most important factors in admission decisions?

Transcript (do you have a strong enough background to succeed in grad school at Maryland?), letters of recommendation, GRE subject score (optional, but recommended to submit if above 700). If you are an international applicant, the TOEFL (or IELTS or PTE) score is important.

2. How many students are accepted?

In a recent year, 300 people applied, 60 were offered admission, and 15 accepted our offer.

3. Do you admit students for the Spring semester?

The Mathematics PhD program only accepts students for Fall admission. The Mathematics Statistics program accepts students during the Spring and Fall semesters; however, there is no funding for PhDs for Spring admits. Furthermore, there is no funding for MA students at all. 

4. Do you admit students who are aiming only for a Masters degree?

In Math we admit students only for PhD degree. For Statistics, if you are considering going for a PhD degree, you should apply directly to the PhD program. We do offer a MA without Thesis for Statistics/Stat BB. Please visit the AMSC website for more options regarding Masters degrees. 

5. Do I need the GRE Subject test? What score should I have?

For the Fall 2023 application cycle onward, GRE Subject Tests and GRE General Tests are strongly encouraged but are not required. If you are only able to sit for one exam, please take the GRE Subject Test. We recommend you submit scores if they are above 700.

6. What grade point average do I need? 

We would like to see transcripts with mostly A's in your mathematics courses. Your GPA should be above a 3.0.

7. International Students Only: What score do I need on the TOEFL?

Please note the following SPEAKING scores. 

Students will be exempt from speaking English support classes in one of two ways

• A speaking sub-score of 24 (iBT TOEFL) or 7.5 (IELTS) on their admission English proficiency exam. 

• Exempt from submitting English proficiency exams for admission, based on Graduate School guidelines.

Speaking scores below 24 on TOEFL or below 7.5 on IELTS will require Teaching Assistants to enroll in an English Language course their first semester. 

Please note the following WRITING scores:

Students will be exempt from writing English support classes if they score 24 or above on TOEFL or 7 or above on IELTS. 

Writing scores below 24 on TOEFL or below 7 on IELTS will require all students (whether they are a TA or not) to enroll in an English Writing course (UMEI 007)  that will not be covered by the department. As of 2023, the cost of this course is $3,083. More info on costs: https://marylandenglishinstitute.com/english-programs/umd-students/

Please note the following READING/LISTENING scores:

You will not be admitted to the program unless you have the reading score of 26 (TOEFL) or 7 (IELTS).

You will not be admitted to the program unless you have the listening score of 24 (TOEFL) or 7(IELTS).

8. I am a student from a non-English-speaking country who received a Masters degree in the US or other English-speaking country/school. The Graduate School has waived the TOEFL requirement. Do I still need the TOEFL?

Your TOEFL scores will be waived for your application since you received education in the United States. 

9. I have a transcript from my institution that is encrypted. What should I do?

Do not upload an encrypted transcript to the application. It will upload as a blank document and will not be able to be used for evaluation. Please print the document out, scan it, then upload the scanned version. 

10. What if I don't know what area I'm interested in? Am I allowed to change areas when I get to graduate school? 

You probably have some idea what direction you might be headed, for example, analysis, algebra, logic, geometry, etc. It's best to list one or two areas, since "undecided" could result in your application not being considered as carefully by admission committee members who are assigned applicants in their field to review. You can of course change your area of interest while in graduate school. There are areas of mathematics that you might currently not know anything about, but after taking a course you decide that's what you really want to do. The first two years of graduate school are usually spent expanding your horizons and figuring out what area you want to pursue.

11. What if some of my application materials arrive late?

When materials arrive after a file has been reviewed, sometimes it gets missed. So, a few days late is often no problem, but a few weeks late could hurt your chances. Please do your best to get materials in by the deadline, including your letters of recommendation. 

12. What should be on the Personal Statement and/or Supplementary Application Essay?

We want to know your mathematical interests in addition to your interest in attending the University of Maryland. For example, including which professors you are interested in working with, research projects you have completed, your future career interests, or exciting Mathematical ideas that interest you are all appropriate topics to discuss in the personal statement.

 If there is something in your record that is going to raise questions (for example, it's been ten years since you were an undergraduate), answer those concerns if appropriate. If this applies to you, you can also discuss your community involvement or service, leadership, or overcoming social, economic, or physical barriers. There is no required length for the personal statement, it can be a few sentences long or a few pages.

The writing sample is optional and is a space for applicants to share any publications or written mathematical papers with the admissions committee.

14. What courses should I take to be ready for grad school?

For almost all areas of math, we want to see real analysis (epsilon-delta proofs, compact sets, Cauchy sequences, etc.) and a theoretical linear algebra course (not just row operations on matrices; there should be linear independence, diagonalization theorems, minimal polynomials). For pure math, a good course in abstract algebra is recommended. For more applied areas, some partial differential equations or complex analysis is good. Generally, the more math, the better. If you are at a school that offers grad courses, then taking a grad course (and doing well) increases your chances. If your school doesn't offer grad courses, then take as many upper-level courses as possible.

15. How do I support myself during graduate school?

All of our accepted PhD students (except a few who are supported by employers) are offered support by the University, usually in the form of a Teaching Assistantship. This covers your tuition (up to 10 credits) and, as of 2024, pays a stipend of 28,311 dollars per year. First and second year students usually receive an additional 5,000 dollars per year. This makes the typical total of support for a first year student to be 33,311 dollars.

Additional opportunities for summer funding and research fellowships may be available. Teaching Assistants teach 4 to 6 hours per week, depending on the course. The total time commitment is around 12 to 15 hours per week. Some more advanced grad students are supported as Research Assistants, with funding usually coming from the advisor's research grant.

There is no financial support for MA Statistics students.

16. When are accepted students notified for the Fall Semester?

Acceptances are made from February through mid-April. You will receive an official notification through email and through the graduate application portal when a decision is available.

17. Does the program offer fee waivers?

18. How long does it take to get a PhD?

The median time is around 5.5 years.

19. What percentage of the students complete the program?

Our recent estimate is that around 75% of entering students will complete their PhD.

20. What do students do after they graduate? 
See the list of recent jobs.

For application FAQs (technical questions), please see: https://gradschool.umd.edu/admissions/admissions-requirements