The application deadline for the MSPE Program is April 1. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit their application and supporting documentation as soon after the first of the year as possible, as admission decisions for those with complete applications are made as early as February 1.
No, the MSPE Program only admits students to the fall semester.
You are only required to upload unofficial copies of your transcripts and degree certificates into the online application. If admitted, you will then be required to present original or certified transcripts and degree certificates to the Graduate College when you arrive on campus. Do not mail these documents to the MSPE Program office.
Details about document requirements and how to submit them to the Graduate College can be found at Admitted Student Final Credential Requirements | The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
No, we do not allow the transfer of other credits, from the University of Illinois or anywhere else, to fulfill MSPE degree requirements. Nevertheless, in cases like this, we encourage our students to substitute other MSPE approved courses for similar ones taken elsewhere.
The Graduate College does not accept any credential evaluations prepared by services such as WES. Rather, the applicant should upload unofficial copies of their transcripts and degree certificates as part of the online application process, and the Graduate College will perform its own evaluation of the credentials. This is an unnecessary cost to incur when applying to the MSPE Program.
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not strictly required (except for students who want to be considered for the Ph.D. track). We nevertheless do recommend that you take this test and self-report the results (quantitative, verbal and analytical) as part of the application process.
The GMAT is not required; results should not be reported if exam has been taken.
For more information, see MSPE Program English Proficiency Requirements for Admission.
You can request your official TOEFL test scores from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Request scores to be sent to institution code 1836. Department codes are not necessary so either leave this blank (if that is an option) or enter 00.
Exemption Criteria
Applicants who meet one of the following criteria are exempt from the English proficiency requirement for admission:
- Received a post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution or an institution in a country recognized by the Illinois Graduate College as having English as the primary language (see below) within five years of the proposed admission term. PLEASE NOTE: A post-secondary degree from a foreign institution affiliated with a US university does not satisfy this criterion.
- Completion of at least two years of post-secondary study in the U.S. or an institution in a country recognized by the Illinois Graduate College as having English as the primary language (see below) within five years of the proposed admission term.
Illinois Graduate Admissions recognizes the following countries as having English as the primary language: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St. Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, and Zimbabwe.
The MSPE Program prefers that funding documentation be submitted at the time an application is uploaded. If your funding documentation is not available when submitting an online application, please contact the MSPE office for further instructions.
For information about evidence of financial resources, please see the Graduate College Application Instructions. International students will not be issued their I-20 or DS-2019 until proof of adequate financial resources is submitted.
The Declaration and Certification of Finances form is available for download within your online application. Please refer to the PDF of the Declaration and Certification of Finances form for specific expense amounts.
Federal student loans are available for U.S. citizens and permanent residents though the Financial Aid Office on the Illinois campus. Office of Student Financial Aid
The MSPE Program is a cost recovery program, therefore fellowships and assistantships are not available. A small scholarship pool is available to Illinois residents who are U.S. citizens, which are awarded based on merit. For inquiries contact the MSPE office.
Child of Employee Tuition Waivers are only applicable to undergraduate programs. MSPE students will be responsible for all assessed tuition and fees.
Placement of students in the Ph.D. track is solely at the discretion of the director of the MSPE Program who determines each student’s adeptness and eligibility for it. Decisions are rendered after the first advising session during the orientation period in August.
Students must have a strong background in economics, quantitative methods, and English, and with excellent GRE scores.
Specifically, students must have had good performance in:
- TOEFL or IELTS (if international)
- GRE exam
- Economics—a course in microeconomics and macroeconomics, as well as some higher-level economics course in a specific area
- Mathematics—calculus sequence
- Statistics—courses in probability, statistics, and econometrics
Yes, the MSPE Program is designated a STEM-designated program, which allows international students to remain in the U.S. and gain work experience through Optional Practical Training (OPT) for an extended period of time. Graduates of STEM-designated programs are allowed to apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT, provided certain employment conditions have been met. For more information on the OPT STEM, visit the International Student and Scholar Services website.
Admission decisions are sent by an email message to applicants.
If admitted, instructions on how to accept are contained in the email message that is sent to the applicant. Acceptance by the stated deadline is required or the offer will be voided.
Admitted students will be provided a link in their admission email notification. Payment can only be made by using a credit card. Acceptance to the MSPE Program is not considered finalized until the deposit is remitted.
A student who does not meet one or more of the admission requirements may be approved for admission with limited status. The most common reasons for limited status admission are:
- Low GPA (grade point average below the minimum of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale)
- Non-native English speakers admitted with a TOEFL score below 613 PBT, 257 CBT, or 103 IBT OR IELTS score below 6.5 with one or more subsections below 6.0 will be required to take an English Placement Test upon arrival to campus. Based on their performance on this test, they may be required to enroll in noncredit English as a Second Language (ESL) course(s) as part of their degree requirement.
If you are admitted on limited status, you will be allowed to enroll the first semester. You must satisfy whatever restriction is indicated in your Notice of Admission to continue in the program and/or to be granted a degree.
MSPE students come from a variety of backgrounds, some with stronger math skills than others. The MSPE Program offers an intensive math course, which is conducted as part of the orientation program for all new MSPE students. This course serves as a refresher of the math content that will be utilized during the students’ courses in the program.