What does it cost to apply?

Each applicant must include a nonrefundable $30 application fee. Your application will not be processed (so that we can make a decision on your admission) if this fee is not paid. The University of Florida and the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, due to limited resources, cannot pay, waive, or defer this application fee for applicants. Remember...this fee needs to be sent to the Office of Admissions, not the ABE department. Do not ask for this fee to be waived, deferred, or paid by the university or this department.

Will I be notified when you receive my application?

All students who file an electronic application will receive a confirmation e-mail notifying them that their application has been received. Students can expect to receive the e-mail approximately 48 to 72 hours after submission.

If you do not pay on-line by credit card, please realize that the Office of Admissions will wait at least three weeks for your application fee to go through the bank. They will not start processing your application until the fee is cleared. Also the Office of Admissions takes three to four weeks to review your application materials and if anything is missing they will wait until it comes in. So having all materials sent at the same time except for scores from ETS, will help speed the processing of your application. This department does not have access to the materials that you send to the Office of Admissions. This is why we ask you to send us copies.

When will a decision be made regarding my admission to the ABE graduate program?

Once Admissions asks us to make a decision, it will take our committee three or more weeks for the decision to be made. If you would like for anyone other than you to have access to the information in your application file, you must provide written consent with the names of those whom you wish to have access. This includes inquiries pertaining to the status of your application. This cannot be sent through e-mail or fax. We strongly encourage you to also send a written consent to the Office of Admissions as well as our department.

What should I submit with my application?

When applying, the University of Florida and the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department would like for you to submit copies of your transcripts, GRE scores, and TOEFL scores (if applicable).

• Official copies of these scores and transcripts should be sent to the Office of Admissions, along with the application fee. The address is P.O. Box 2946, Gainesville, FL 32602-2946. Official scores from ETS should be sent to this office. Please be sure to send your application fee to the Office of Admissions, not our department. It will only delay the processing of your application if the fee comes to the ABE department.

We appreciate your help in our efforts to expedite the admissions process. The University of Florida will not process any application without acceptable GRE scores and a TOEFL score (when applicable). The minimum TOEFL score required is 550 for the paper-based test, 213 for the computer-based test and 80 for the internet-based test. Download three letter of recommendation forms. You need to have three professors and/or employers - who can attest to your academic ability - fill one out and return it to us. They are not required to be on the form; however, your file will not be considered by our admissions committee without three letters of recommendation. Therefore, you must insure that your references are mailed.

What type of financial assistance is available to graduate students?

The following is general information on financial assistance:

• To obtain a research assistantship, graduate students must contact specific faculty members in areas of their research interest. If the student meets the faculty member's requirements and there is funding available, then the assistantship will be offered to the student by the faculty member.
• To obtain a teaching assistantship, all international students must have submitted a grade of 50 or higher on the Test of Spoken English (TSE). If you meet the above qualifications and if there are available positions, you will be considered for appointment when the department makes teaching assistant assignments.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We offer graduate programs through the College of Engineering and also through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Make sure that you know which College you are applying for.