The GRE is neither required nor accepted
The department states this directly.
Doctoral · Cornell Information science
Cornell Information Science PhD: no GRE, and a waiver for UK citizens
The Cornell Information Science PhD page says the department does not require or accept the GRE, and its English language proficiency requirement can be waived for citizens of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or Canada (except Quebec), among other criteria. The page describes a Fall 2027 round and says spring applications are not accepted. Contacting faculty before applying is not necessary, though the page says it is not harmful.
Official information · last verified for 2027-28 entry
What Cornell asks for in Cornell Information Science PhD
Taken from the Cornell Department of Information Science PhD admissions page and read on 2 November 2026. The page describes 2027-28 entry. For a 2028-29 start, applied for in 2027-28, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; Cornell's requirements, dates and funding for 2028-29 are awaiting publication, and none is stated here.
A waiver route for UK citizens
Citizens of the UK and several other countries may be waived from the English test.
A committee decides
Admissions decisions are made by a committee, not individual faculty.
Official sources
Read on 2 November 2026 on the Cornell Department of Information Science PhD admissions page, which describes 2027-28 entry. The application portal, deadlines, funding and the English-test scores were not used and are not stated. No deadline, fee, funding amount or place number is stated.
The decision
Does your record fit what the programme page asks?
This guide concerns only the Cornell research degree. The reading below is Avandy's judgment (heuristic), built from what the programme page says.
It fits if
you are a UK citizen or otherwise eligible for the waiver, have no GRE to send and want a committee-based admission.
Think again if
you plan to send a GRE score or to rely on a pre-arranged adviser. The page says it does not accept the GRE and a committee decides.
Check the page
The Graduate School's programme page is the source; deadlines, funding and score thresholds change by cycle and are not stated here.
How the application is read
What the programme page lists
The page describes the Fall 2027 round, says spring applications are not accepted and states that the department does not require or accept the GRE. It lists an English language proficiency requirement with waivers, including for citizens of the UK, and a committee-based admissions process. The PhD and the Master of Professional Studies have different requirements and admissions processes. This guide states no deadline, fee or funding term.
How the programme runs
Focus and working pattern
Applicants are told it is not necessary to discuss an application with faculty before applying. Admission is to the department and a first-year advisor, as described on the page. Research areas listed include HCI and interface design, applied machine learning, social media, ubiquitous computing and information networks.
Avandy's judgment
Where an application can go wrong
These points are Avandy's heuristic reading of the page. They are not Cornell rules and carry no probability.
Sending a GRE score
The page says the department does not accept it.
Missing the waiver
Citizens of the UK and several other countries can be exempt from the English language requirement.
Mixing up the PhD and the MPS
They have different requirements and admissions processes.
Next steps
A sensible order of work
The order is Avandy's suggestion, built from the page's own steps.
Check your record
Compare your coursework and experience with the stated expectations.
Prepare the written work
Draft the statements and writing sample the page asks for, in the formats it lists.
Plan the tests
Check which tests are required, optional or not accepted.
Read the current page
Read the programme page for the cycle you apply in.
Planning for 2028-29 entry
Planning for 2028-29 entry: what carries over and what awaits publication
Cornell's programme page describes entry in 2027-28. A start in 2028-29 means applying in the 2027-28 cycle, under rules Cornell has not yet published. Each item below is either last verified for 2027-28 entry, which means Cornell published it for the previous cycle and it may change, or awaiting publication for 2028-29 entry.
The structure of the programme and the application
The expectations, the written work and the test policy are described on Cornell's programme page, which carries no entry-year label. Cornell has not published the following cycle.
Deadlines, places, funding and fees
This guide states none of them. Cornell publishes them per cycle; read the page again for the cycle you apply in.
What to do now
Check your record against the programme page, prepare the written work it lists and plan any required test.
Support
Independent support with the research statement and fit
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Cornell University or any of its departments, and it has no relationship with any member of staff. Support sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant and a PhD-level Academic Mentor help the applicant test a research idea against the department's published research areas and plan their own statement. Support here is limited to testing a research idea against the department's published research themes and planning the applicant's own statements; it does not extend to contacting staff on the applicant's behalf. Avandy does not write or submit any part of an application, cannot arrange a supervisor and promises no outcome or funding.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What does the Cornell Information Science PhD ask for?
The English language proficiency requirement may be waived for citizens of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or Canada (except Quebec), among other criteria.
Is a test required?
The page says the Information Science department does not require or accept the GRE. It lists an English language proficiency requirement with waivers, including for citizens of the United Kingdom.
Does this guide state a deadline?
No. The page carries no entry-year label and this guide states no deadline, fee or funding. Check the programme page for the cycle you apply in.
Does the programme include funding?
This guide did not use Cornell's funding sections and states no funding.
Students and families
Talk to us about the Cornell Information Science PhD
Tell us about your degrees, your research experience, the research question you want to pursue and the supervisors or groups you have in mind. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to develop the research statement.