Admission

Admission to the Institute of Design is highly competitive. Our faculty admissions committee reviews portfolios and applications on a rolling basis. There is no standard "type" of applicant; we encourage diversity and evaluate each applicant on an individual basis. We do seek a mixed group of people with varied backgrounds and experiences.

It is important that applicants demonstrate, through their previous academic work and other experiences, intellectual achievement, motivation, discipline, responsibility, imagination, perception and an open mind. Projects and experiences are judged not only on their intrinsic qualities and demonstrated promise, but also on evidence of the applicant's ability to initiate and follow through on work that is personally meaningful.

Application requirements and forms, by degree

	MDes	MDes/MBA	MDM	PhD	notes
prior degree	four-year Bachelor's degree, minimum GPA 3.0/4.0	four-year Bachelor's degree, minimum GPA 3.0/4.0	four-year Bachelor's degree	Master's degree
test scores	GRE: required for applicants without a Bachelors in design from an English-speaking university - min. 1000/1600 and 2.5/6.0 TOEFL: required for international applicants without a bachelor's degree from an accredited, English-speaking university - min. 600 (250 Computer Based, 100 Internet Based)	GMAT: min. 500 and 2.5/6.0 TOEFL: required for international applicants without a bachelor's degree from an accredited, English-speaking university - min. 600 (250 Computer Based, 100 Internet Based)	GRE: encouraged but not required TOEFL: required for international applicants without a bachelor's degree from an accredited, English-speaking university - min. 600 (250 Computer Based, 100 Internet Based)	GRE: min. 1200/1600 and 3.0/6.0 (may NOT be waived) TOEFL: required for international applicants without a bachelor's degree from an accredited, English-speaking university - min. 600 (250 Computer Based, 100 Internet Based)	GRE institution code for IIT is 1318, dept code 2405 TOEFL code is 1318, dept code 0002 GMAT code is 1318 and program code K2G-DS-26. GMAT may be substituted for GRE
portfolio	required for applicants w/Bachelor's in design; encouraged for all	required for applicants w/Bachelor's in design; encouraged for all	required in some cases (may include non-design projects)	required for applicants w/Master's in design
work experience	typically 2-5 years	typically 2-5 years	minimum 5 years leading innovation projects	variable, must show high academic achievement
recommendations	three letters required from current and/or prior contacts	three letters required from current and/or prior contacts	three letters required from professional contacts, at least one current	three letters required demonstrating academic achievement
interview	encouraged	encouraged	required	required - must match faculty research interest
other	applicants without a Bachelor's in design must complete an intensive two semester Foundation sequence before beginning the main program	applicants without a Bachelor's in design must complete an intensive two semester Foundation sequence before beginning the main program	demonstrate peer recognition (e.g. publications, lectures, awards)	must have a research interest matching a current faculty research topic
tuition and costs	MDes/PhD cost of study	contact us for details	MDM cost of study	MDes/PhD cost of study	employers supporting applicants' tuition must attest that the organization understands the requirements of the program
application forms	pdf, 244k	pdf, 244k	pdf, 220k	pdf, 228k	application fee of $50 required for all applicants

Also see: class composition statistics (from 2004-05)

General Deadlines & Fees
Students may be admitted to begin graduate study at the start of any regular semester. The Fall semester usually begins the third week of August, the Spring semester begins the third week of January.

Fall semester admission
All applicants		February 15th
Late deadline (U.S. MDM applicants only)		June 1st

Spring semester admission
International applicants		September 15th
U.S. applicants		October 15th

An application fee of $50.00 is required of all students who have not previously paid an application fee to IIT. This fee is nonrefundable.

Visiting the Institute of Design
Faculty and staff encourage all prospective students to visit ID if possible. Such visits enable prospective students to determine if ID's curriculum, atmosphere, and academic rigor match their educational/professional needs. Please email the admissions office or call 1.312.595.4900 for an appointment or more information, or RSVP for an event such as an Open House.

Also see: New Student Guide to life at ID (from 2003; PDF, 175K)

Contact Information

Graduate Admission
Institute of Design
Illinois Institute of Technology
350 North LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60610-4726
USA

tel: 1.312.595.4900
fax: 1.312.595.4901
e-mail: design@id.iit.edu

Modified: Monday, 14-May-2007 11:47:50 CDT