Graduate Admissions at Meridian AI
Meridian AI offers graduate programs at the master's, certificate, and doctoral levels. All enrolled MS and PhD students receive full funding through research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or fellowships. There are no unfunded graduate enrollments.
Degree Programs
MS Programs (2 years) — Meridian offers six MS programs, one in each school. MS students complete a combination of required courses, electives, and a capstone research project. Most MS students are co-supervised by two faculty members, often across schools.
PhD Programs (4-5 years) — Doctoral programs are offered in LLM Engineering (SLR), AI Theory and Foundations (SFM), and AI, Ethics, and Society (SSG). Admission is highly selective; each cohort is small by design to ensure close faculty mentorship.
Professional Certificates (6-12 months) — Credit-bearing graduate certificates in specialized areas. Certificate students take a subset of MS coursework without completing a full degree. Many certificate students are working professionals attending part-time.
AI Literacy Certificate (non-credit) — An open-enrollment online program for non-technical professionals. No degree requirement. See the AI Literacy Certificate page for details.
Admissions Requirements
All degree applicants should submit:
- Transcripts from all prior institutions
- Three letters of recommendation
- A statement of purpose (2-3 pages)
- A writing sample demonstrating analytical ability
- GRE scores (optional; not used as a threshold criterion)
- For MS and PhD programs: prior coursework or equivalent experience in mathematics (linear algebra, probability, calculus) and programming
For PhD applicants, prior research experience — demonstrated through publications, preprints, thesis work, or research project descriptions — is strongly valued. PhD applicants are encouraged to identify potential faculty advisors in their statement of purpose, though this does not affect admissions decisions.
We accept applications for fall enrollment. The application deadline is December 1 for fellowship consideration; we accept rolling applications on a space-available basis through February 1.
Financial Support
Every enrolled PhD and MS student receives a stipend, full tuition coverage, and health insurance. Stipends are competitive with peer research institutions and are adjusted annually.
Meridian administers a merit-based fellowship program that provides additional support to exceptional students. Fellowship applications are part of the standard admissions process; no separate application is needed.
We actively recruit students from under-resourced backgrounds and partner with institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America through preparation programs that provide research mentorship before application.
How to Apply
Applications are submitted through the Meridian AI application portal. The application fee is $75; fee waivers are available upon request.
Questions about admissions should be directed to the Graduate Admissions office.