Admissions Process

New NREM graduate students typically enter in the fall semester. We accept applications at any time, but admissions decisions are made during spring for students planning to enter in the summer or fall term, and in late fall for students planning to enter in the spring term.

NREM Graduate Student Admissions Checklist

Applicants to NREM graduate programs are considered for admission only following nomination by one of the department faculty who agrees to serve as major professor. Applicants should contact our professors directly very early in the application process.

Once all items on the checklist below have been completed and submitted, your completed application file will be reviewed by the NREM Graduate Admission Committee. The committee will then decide whether to make a recommendation for admission.

1. Contact NREM faculty
2. Seek nomination from the faculty member with whom you would like to work. This person is your proposed major professor.
3. Obtain a nomination letter from your proposed major professor
4. Submit the ISU Graduate School Application
5. Send to ISU Graduate Admissions Office:
   • Official transcripts (all schools attended since high school.)
   • Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
   • International students must also submit official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores and a financial support statement.
6. Send to NREM:
   • Personal cover letter briefly reviewing your background and stating as specifically as possible your graduate school and professional goals.
   • Résumé/Curriculum Vitae
   • Three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to judge your ability and potential for graduate study.
   • Nomination letter from your proposed major professor

It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit all required materials and confirm that they have been received. Allow several weeks for your materials to be received and processed, and then check with NREM Student Services: (515) 294-6148.