Admissions

The PhD in Machine Learning is an interdisciplinary doctoral program spanning three colleges (Computing, Engineering, Sciences).  Students are admitted through one of nine participating home schools:

Application requirements and deadlines follow the same as that of the home unit an applicant is applying through. For example, ML PhD applicants to the ECE home unit follow the same rules as the PhD ECE application requirements and deadlines. 

External applications are only accepted for the Fall semester each year. The application deadline varies by home school with the earliest deadline of December 1. Most home schools have a final deadline of December 15. Check with home schools above for more specific details. 

Click here for application information and to apply 

 

Applicants must meet all admissions standards (including requirements on the minimum GPA, minimum GRE/TOEFL scores) of the home unit, which may vary. After an initial review, the unit’s representative of the ML Ph.D. Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) will submit their candidates for review and the final admission decision will be made by the ML FAC.

Note most home units have made the GRE optional for fall 2023 applications. Contact the home unit at the above links for any specific info. 

The committee’s decision to admit will be based on (1) prior academic performance of the applicant in a B.S. or M.S. program at a recognized institution, including coursework and independent research projects, (2) prior work experience relevant to ML, (3) the applicant’s statement of purpose, and (4) the letters of support.

Please note that application requirements may vary by home unit, including the application deadlines and test score requirements, as well as support for incoming students (including guarantees of teaching assistantships and/or fellowships) are determined by the home units. Please review the home unit links above or contact them directly for details.

Have Questions?

Please contact the above home units directly for questions related to:

  • Application status
  • Application deadlines
  • Application fee waivers
  • Assistantship/fellowship opportunities
  • Program fit
  • Advising Matching
  • GRE requirements - Many units have made this test optional. 
  • TOEFL minimum requirements and TOEFL waivers are determined by the GT Graduate Education Office: https://grad.gatech.edu/english-proficiency. Note home units may required higher scores. 
  • Desired content in Statement of Purpose and Recommendation Letters

For technical application questions, please contact grad.ask@gatech.edu: 

  • Creating or using an account login
  • Forgotten password
  • Uploading documents 
  • Difficulty with recommender emails
  • How to access application status information (including application checklist)
  • Difficulty with the touchnet payment system

For general inquiries about curriculum or program requirements, please see FAQs or contact mlphdprogram@gatech.edu.

 

Georgia Tech Transfer Students

Note the process is revised as of November 2025. Please follow the guidance below as the ML PhD handbook does not yet reflect the updated process. 

If you are already enrolled in a Ph.D. program in one of the nine participating schools noted above, you may apply internally to the ML Ph.D. program as a transfer student.  You will be subject to the standard ML curriculum and qualifying requirements, so this is recommended only for graduate students in their first or second year.  

An important requirement for transfer admission is that the student must have a commitment for a research assistantship (GRA) for at least one year with a ML PhD Program Faculty, who will be their thesis advisor.

Change of major and/or transfer requests are not considered during any phase II registration periods (August and January). 

Note that transfers are processed one time near the end of each semester for the next term. Please note the following final deadlines:
  •  November 21 for Spring 2026 start
  •  April 30 for Summer 2026 start
  •  July 24 for Fall 2026 start
Please allow an additional 2-4 weeks for notification of approvals and next steps.  

When all necessary approvals are obtained, the student will then be instructed on how to finalize the change their change of major to ML PhD.

Please contact mlphdprogram@gatech.edu with any questions and to request a ML PhD Transfer Request Form.