Graduate Degree Programs

Admission Requirements

Admission to ILR is competitive, but each application is considered in its entirety and in comparison with other applications for the same class. The admissions committee, composed of faculty members from all concentrations, review the applications carefully and consider many factors in admissions decisions.

Cornell University expects all applicants to complete their application materials without the use of paid agents, credential services, or other paid professional assistance. The use of such services violates University policy, and may lead to the rejection of application materials, the revocation of an admission offer, cancellation of admission, or involuntary withdrawal from the University.

• Areas of study - Successful applicants have undergraduate (and graduate) degrees from a wide variety of majors including: the social sciences, humanities, psychology, business, history, law and others.
• Work experience - Work experience is not required, but a majority of applicants for the professional masters programs (MILR and MPS) have spent a few years in the workplace. The MILR program is intended for students with 1-4 years of work experience, but we also admit a small group of outstanding students directly from strong undergraduate programs.
• Transcripts - From all colleges or universities you've attended must be submitted. There is no specific minimum grade point average used as a cut-off, although undergraduate coursework and grades are a factor in the admission decisions.
• Recommendations - 2 academic recommendations are required. Some applicants may want to submit professional recommendations instead of academic ones, which is permitted, but bear in mind that the admissions committee will want to know how you are likely to function in an academic setting. We prefer that letters be submitted on official letter head and have a signature at the bottom.
  
• Interviews - After your application has been submitted and reviewed by the ILR Graduate Committee, you may be invited to interview. This step is a positive indicator of interest, but does not guarantee admission; it serves as an opportunity for us to further determine fit with our program as we complete a final review of your candidacy. All interviews are conducted by invitation only, at the discretion of the Graduate Committee.  If invited, you must participate in order to complete the application process.
   
  Interviews may be scheduled on campus, in domestic or international locations, via Skype or phone by alumni or staff. Neither the timing of your interview invitation nor its format, whether in-person or via Skype, implies anything about the status of your application or affects your candidacy.
  
• Resume - All applicants are required to submit a resume with their application.
• Statement of Purpose - MILR applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose with their application.
• Writing Sample - MS/PhD applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a writing sample. Applicants who have already completed a Master's degree must submit a copy of their Master's thesis.
• Required tests - All applicants are required to submit test scores.  Applicants may take either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). The GRE is our preferred test and is taken by the vast majority of applicants. The LSAT is not accepted in place of the GRE or GMAT.

Note: Please do NOT send any application items, such as resumes, transcripts, etc., through regular mail because we cannot include them in your application for the committee. ALL items must be submitted/uploaded through the online application system.

Please note that the graduate committee considers applications as a whole and test scores are only one of the criteria considered in making admissions decisions. There is no "cut off" score for admission to the program or awarding funding. You can view our mean GRE and GMAT scores below.

TOEFL is required for international students from countries where the native language is not English. Applicants must meet set minimum category scores in order to be admitted to Cornell University under the Cornell Graduate School policy. According to Cornell Graduate School requirements, applicants with TOEFL scores below the following minimums in any of the four categories cannot be admitted to Cornell University:

• Listening: 15
• Reading: 20
• Speaking: 22
• Writing: 20

ILR recommends applicants have a minimum total score of 100 on the TOEFL with recommended sectional scores of 25 in each category. Applicants who score below 25 in any TOEFL category may be asked to complete Cornell's summer English for International Students and Scholars (EISS) program prior to enrolling in ILR classes in order to assure admitted students of the best chance of success in the program.

Current MILR Class Profile

Average Class size: 56.0 students
Average age: 27
Average years of work experience: 3.9 years
Mean GRE: 159 Verbal; 154 Quantitative; 4.3 Analytical
Mean GMAT: 34 Verbal; 36 Quantitative; 4.7 AWA
Mean TOEFL: 104
International Population: 36%