Admissions

Application

Follow the link to Cornell's online ApplyWeb Portal.

When you are filling out the application, under Academic Program Selection, select Operations Research and Information Engineering, M.Eng (Ithaca). Your first choice of concentration is what will be evaluated - e.g., if you intend to apply as a Financial Engineering student, select "Financial Engineering" as your first choice. Concentration choices are: Data Analytics, Applied Operations Research, Financial Engineering, Information Technology, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering, Semester in Strategic Operations, and the Systems Engineering minor.

Academic Statement of Purpose (≤1000 words)

This forward-looking statement should describe your objectives in pursuing the Master of Engineering (M.Eng) degree program in ORIE. Please state specific reasons why you wish to be considered for your first-choice concentration. Include why the Cornell ORIE M.Eng is a good fit for you, what you intend to study and why, how you will apply what you learn in your first job after graduation, and how you will enrich the learning of your peers by sharing your education and experience. Use this as an opportunity to demonstrate that you have researched the Cornell ORIE M.Eng program and have developed a plan to include it in your professional development. Do not repeat information we can easily read from your resume and transcript.

Personal Statement (≤1000 words)

This reflective statement should describe your personal journey and the influence it has had on your decision to pursue an M.Eng degree in ORIE, and how it has prepared you to contribute to Cornell's collaborative problem-solving environment. It is an opportunity to highlight any lived experiences or interactions - including successes, failures, conflicts, injustices, or journeys of self-discovery - that have significantly shaped or serve to demonstrate your problem solving, communication, collaboration and teamwork, leadership, maturity and self awareness, endurance, and/or resilience.

Résumé

Please include an up-to-date résumé where requested in the online application.

Transcript(s)

• Upload a digital copy of your Unofficial Transcript with your application.
• If you attended multiple institutions, you may need to merge files into a single document.
• Early in January, we will request updated transcripts showing the outcome of your Fall classes (if relevant).
• Official transcripts are not requested until the completion of your graduating semester.
• NOTE: Certain institutions only offer Unofficial Transcripts in the form of a protected .PDF file that may return an error from the ApplyWeb system. If this happens, please submit a screenshot of your unofficial transcript.

Letters of Recommendation

• Two letters of recommendation are required for application to the ORIE M.Eng. program, but three are preferred.
  • Ideally, submit two letters from academic contacts who can speak to the skills relevant to your concentration, and one letter from a professional (i.e., internship) reference that highlights your achievements while working in a non-academic setting.
• Electronic recommendation requests are generated in the process of submitting the online application.
  • The October 1 (for Spring)/December 1 (for Fall) deadline refers to the application itself. Your recommenders will be able to submit letters for an indefinite amount of time afterwards, but we will not begin to review your application until we have received at least two.
  • We do not accept recommendations through third-party portals, such as Interfolio.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)/Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

• The GRE and/or GMAT is required for the Fall 2025 application season.
  • Send your scores via ETS or mba.com - they will be matched to your application upon receipt.
  • Applicants who have completed or are completing an undergraduate program at Cornell University are not required to submit these test scores.
• While we accept both, we prefer the GRE.
• Have scores delivered electronically to Cornell University Graduate School, Institution code 2098.
  • Department codes are not needed
  • If ETS or mba.com require you to select a Department code, you may choose code 99 “undecided.”

English Language Requirement

International applicants should review the English Language Proficiency section of the M.Eng. Application Guide, which include exemption requirements.

Video Interview

Shortly after the application deadline (December 1 for Fall, October 1 for Spring), you will receive a link to complete a pre-recorded video interview. This interview should not take more than half an hour. Please be sure to either whitelist all emails containing references to Cornell University, or frequently check your Spam/Junk folders, as these invitations tend to be flagged by most filters.

The link will also include detailed instructions on how to ensure that you do not face technical difficulties during your interview. Failure to read and follow these instructions may result in your video interview not being evaluated.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites Page

In order to confirm that an applicant has fulfilled the necessary prerequisites for the program, as listed below, specific information is required within the application.

M.Eng. Program Prerequisites (must be satisfied prior to matriculation):

• A standard engineering calculus sequence, including linear algebra (with eigenvalues and eigenvectors), and vector calculus, similar in content and rigor to Cornell courses MATH 1910, MATH 1920, and MATH 2940.
• An introductory engineering probability and statistics course similar in content and rigor to Cornell course ENGRD 2700.
• An intermediate-level computer programming course in a general programming language such as C, C++, Java, or Python, similar in content and rigor to Cornell course ENGRD 2110. Courses that entail programming applications, but where programming is not the primary focus are not acceptable substitutes. Courses in statistical modeling languages, such as SAS, are not acceptable substitutes.

Additional prerequisites for the Financial Engineering concentration  (must be satisfied prior to matriculation):

• Two semesters of calculus-based probability, statistics, and/or stochastic processes, similar in content and rigor to Cornell courses ENGRD 2700, ORIE 3500 and/or ORIE 3510. Courses in which probability and statistical methods are used, but where theory is not the primary focus are not acceptable substitutes, nor are professional exam credentials (e.g., CFA, FRM).
• An introductory finance course, covering topics such as financial instruments, risk-return tradeoffs, and capital budgeting. Courses in economics and accounting are not acceptable substitutes.
• Strongly recommended: A course in differential equations, similar in content and rigor to Cornell course MATH 2930.
• Strongly recommended: Proficiency with R and/or Python.

Additional prerequisites for the Data Analytics concentration  (must be satisfied prior to matriculation):

• A two-semester sequence of calculus-based probability and statistics theory, similar in content and rigor to Cornell courses ENGRD 2700 and ORIE 3500. Courses in which probability and statistical methods are used, but where theory is not the primary focus are not acceptable substitutes, nor are professional exam credentials (e.g., CFA, FRM).

Financial Aid and Tuition

Please see the Paying for Your Degree page for more information.