Frequently Asked Questions
1. Have my application materials arrived?
Answer: Application materials should be sent to the Graduate School at the following address (not the Mathematics Dept.).
2. What is the minimum acceptable GRE Mathematics Subject Test score?
Answer: There is not a minimum acceptable score for the GRE Subject Test. However, most all of our successful applicants score above the 50 percentile.
3. Do I have to take the GRE Mathematics Subject Test?
Answer: Although we do consider applicants that have not taken the GRE Mathematics Subject Test, we strongly recommend that candidates take the test since the results are one of the most important criteria in making our final decisions.
4. What is the average GPA of the graduate students that have been matriculated?
Answer: We do not have an average GPA for our successful applicants since they come from all over the world and from many different GPA systems as well as course requirements.
5. Do Master's Degree students receive teaching assistantships?
Answer: No. Financial aid is only offered to students admitted to the Ph.D. program.
6. Do I have to fill out other forms to apply for financial aid?
Answer: No. All successful applicants are offered teaching assistantships which include a tuition waiver, a stipend and health insurance.
7. What is the minimal accepted TOEFL score?
Answer: University policy requires a minimum score of 570 on the paper-based test, 230 on the computer-based test and 88 on the internet-based test. See the Special Requirements for International Students section of the Graduate School web page for more details: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/gradschool/prospective_students/applications_and_information/index.html#international
8. Do I have to take the TOEFL exam?
Answer: All international students who have not received a degree from an English-speaking university must take the TOEFL exam.
9. Where do I send my application materials?
Answer: Application materials should be sent to the Graduate School at the following address (not the Mathematics Dept.).
ATTN: Mathematics
10. Do I have to send my official GRE and TOEFL scores?
Answer: We will consider applications with self-reported scores. However, all successful applicants must submit original scores before they can be admitted.
11. What are the teaching obligations of the graduate students?
Answer: See the Graduate Teaching Program web page at http://www.math.vanderbilt.edu/teach.html.
12. How many students do you matriculate each year? or How many international students do you matriculate each year?
Answer: Over the last 8 years we have had incoming classes ranging in size from 8 - 13. All applicants are given equal consideration regardless of their nationality.
13. What is the most important application criteria?
Answer: There is not one single criteria that is most important in deciding among our applicants, but transcripts (courses taken and grades received), letters of recommendation and the GRE Subject score are all heavily weighted.
14. Attached is my application information. Can you evaluate my chances of being accepted into the program?
Answer: No. We can only evaluate applications after we have received all of the requested information, including letters of recommendation and transcripts as well as the completed application materials of all the other candidates.
15. Do you accept applications for the spring semester?
Answer: No