Drexel University MSc Robotics and Autonomy 2026:Admission,Fees,Scholarship and Placement

Drexel University Master of Science in Robotics and Autonomy is offered full-time and part-time on campus; this article targets the approximately two-year full-time route in Philadelphia. Applicants need an engineering or computing bachelor’s degree and GPA 3.0 on 4.0, approximately 70% to 75% or CGPA 7.0 to 7.5 on 10. For the Spring 2027 intake, the calculated 45-credit tuition baseline is US$63,000 (INR 59.96 Lakhs).

The programme integrates perception, cognition, control and action through machine learning, robotics systems and either thesis research or additional coursework. It best suits applicants with quantitative engineering preparation who want to connect computational autonomy with physical robot design and deployment.

• The interdisciplinary curriculum draws from electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and computing rather than treating robotics as a software-only field.
• Students may choose a thesis route for doctoral preparation or a coursework route for broader technical specialization.
• Fall-start full-time students can pursue an optional graduate co-op, while Spring entrants must plan without that route.

Also Check: Drexel University MS Admission

Drexel MS Robotics Fees and Living Costs 2027

Spring 2027 uses Drexel’s 2026-27 quarter fee schedule, which lists School of Engineering tuition at US$1,400 (INR 1.33 Lakhs) per credit. The target curriculum requires 45 credits without co-op.

Target-cycle cost basis: The calculation uses five full-time quarters, the published US$280 (INR 26,647) term fee and the US$300 (INR 28,550) first-year programme fee. Later tuition increases are not included.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of US$ 1 = INR 95.1675 as of 27 October 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

Source: Drexel’s 2026-27 graduate tuition page and the current quarter-based Robotics and Autonomy catalog.

Drexel’s official nine-month international estimate for School of Engineering quarter programmes is US$69,058 (INR 65.72 Lakhs). It combines US$37,800 (INR 35.97 Lakhs) for tuition and fees with living and other costs.

• Use the US$69,058 (INR 65.72 Lakhs) estimate when preparing first-year I-20 financial evidence.
• Use the US$64,700 (INR 61.57 Lakhs) baseline when comparing the 45-credit course price before living costs.
• Do not deduct merit aid until the admission letter states the award amount and payment schedule.

Cost of Living in Philadelphia for Robotics Students

Drexel publishes combined living and other-cost estimates rather than a private rent or food breakdown. Monthly figures below divide each official nine-month amount by nine without inventing expense categories.

An 18-month planning illustration doubles the nine-month non-tuition estimate and adds the calculated course baseline. The resulting US$127,216 (INR 1.21 Crore) is not a university-published total and excludes future price changes.

Read More: Cost of Living in USA for Indian Students

ROI reality: The 18-month illustration reaches INR 1.21 Crore before future increases. A Spring applicant should secure departmental permission and written funding before treating the intake as affordable.

Drexel MS Robotics Admission 2027

Drexel publishes four international deadline windows, but Spring and Summer entry are restricted. The department must approve a non-Fall start before an international applicant submits the graduate application.

Forward-looking intake context: The official Robotics page lists recurring month-and-day deadlines without years. The mapped dates below are therefore expected for the named future intakes rather than cycle-confirmed dates.

Drexel does not publish a portal cutoff time beside these programme deadlines. Submit from India before the Philadelphia calendar date and keep the portal confirmation as evidence of timely completion.

Academic Eligibility for MS Robotics and Autonomy

The academic baseline is a bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited institution or an equivalent international qualification. Electrical, computer and mechanical engineering plus computer science are Drexel’s preferred preparations.

The 3.0 minimum establishes eligibility rather than selection probability. An Indian applicant should demonstrate linear algebra, probability, programming and control foundations because the curriculum combines machine learning with robot dynamics.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

Drexel Engineering now publishes both TOEFL scales, so applicants should use the exact scale shown on their score report. An Indian English-medium degree is not listed as an automatic waiver.

• Book a test early enough for official scores to reach Drexel before the intake deadline.
• Request a waiver only when the published United States institution condition applies to the completed degree.
• Use the 4.5 TOEFL line only for a result reported on the new scale.

Tip for Indian students: The strongest fit combines programming with controls or mechanics evidence. Spring applicants also need written departmental permission before the expected 15 January 2027 deadline.

Drexel MS Robotics Application 2027

Spring 2027 applicants should contact the department before paying the application fee, because non-Fall entry is restricted. Fall 2027 is the direct route for applicants who prioritize graduate co-op eligibility.

Drexel reviews MS files after required materials arrive, but the checked programme pages publish no decision date. This makes an early complete file more useful than an early form missing recommendations or transcripts.

Application Timeline and Required Actions

The target deadline is mapped from Drexel’s recurring Spring deadline and remains labelled expected. Each stage below protects either intake eligibility or the technical narrative needed for this interdisciplinary course.

The approximately 500-word essay should show how the applicant moves from algorithms to embodied systems. A useful narrative connects one project to perception, planning, control or hardware integration and then identifies the preferred study route.

How to Position a Robotics Application

Drexel accepts electrical, computer and mechanical engineering plus computer science backgrounds. The application must bridge any missing side of that spectrum because the curriculum expects both computational reasoning and physical-system understanding.

• Computer science applicants should document controls, electronics, embedded systems or robot-hardware exposure.
• Mechanical applicants should show programming, probability, machine learning or computer-vision preparation.
• Electrical applicants should connect signals and control work to complete robot behaviour or autonomous decision-making.
• Research-focused applicants should identify thesis interests without presenting a faculty match as guaranteed supervision.

Spring entry can start the degree sooner, but it removes the published Fall-start co-op pathway. Applicants prioritizing United States experience should therefore compare Spring speed against Fall’s six-month experiential option.

Check Out: Drexel University Engineering Courses

Application tip: Secure Spring permission before paying US$65 (INR 6,186), then make every document support one coherent robotics direction. Choose Fall instead when co-op access materially changes the career plan.

Drexel MS Robotics Scholarships 2027

Full-time international MS applicants receive automatic engineering scholarship consideration at admission. Drexel publishes no separate target-intake deadline for the principal Dean’s Scholarship or Leroy L. Resser Fund.

Current published awards: Values retain Drexel’s stated terms because the Spring 2027 award notice is applicant-specific. Only the signed admission package can establish the amount available for I-20 planning.

A confirmed minimum Dean’s award would reduce the current-rate tuition illustration from US$63,000 (INR 59.96 Lakhs) to US$48,000 (INR 45.68 Lakhs). This scenario excludes term fees and future increases.

Drexel says a US$15,000 (INR 14.28 Lakhs) Dean’s award is normally spread across five quarters. Its first-year allocation would be US$9,000 (INR 8.57 Lakhs) across three payments.

• Submit a complete academic file because the principal engineering awards are decided with admission.
• Use only the portal’s first-year award allocation when calculating I-20 financial evidence.
• Ask about assistantships separately because Drexel says these roles are limited and generally offered to doctoral students.
• Do not combine percentage discounts with another Drexel award unless the final notice explicitly permits it.

Read More: Scholarships in USA for Indian Students

Scholarship reality: A minimum Dean’s award would remove INR 14.28 Lakhs from the tuition illustration. Without written funding, the applicant must retain the full gross-cost plan.

Drexel MS Robotics Salary 2027

Drexel publishes no Robotics MS cohort salary or offer rate on the checked programme and career pages. University-wide master’s outcomes, engineering co-op pay and external occupation data provide different forms of context.

Evidence scope matters: Neither the Drexel-wide survey nor the mechanical-engineering benchmark predicts an individual robotics result. The co-op figure applies only to students who secure an eligible placement.

Source: Drexel’s Class of 2024 graduate survey, current engineering graduate co-op page and BLS May 2025 occupation data.

The university-wide salary combines many master’s programmes, while the co-op average covers engineering placements across listed degrees. Spring-start Robotics students cannot assume access because Drexel reserves graduate co-op for Fall-start full-time on-campus students.

Robotics-Related Industry Pay Context

BLS groups the university’s robotics job outlook with mechanical engineers, so its sector wages are external market benchmarks. They describe occupations across experience levels rather than Drexel graduate starting pay.

Source: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mechanical Engineers, May 2025 wages.

The sector spread shows why a specialization decision matters financially. Medical robotics, autonomous systems and intelligent manufacturing lead toward different employer groups, so applicants should build projects for one target market.

Return on Investment for Indian Students

The 18-month planning illustration is US$127,216 (INR 1.21 Crore) before future increases. Course-specific placement data are unavailable, so a reliable payback period cannot be calculated from the published evidence.

• A US$15,000 (INR 14.28 Lakhs) Dean’s award lowers borrowing, so set the loan limit only after the portal confirms funding.
• Fall entry unlocks a co-op averaging US$1,098 (INR 1.04 Lakhs) weekly across engineering, so compare that option with Spring’s earlier start.
• The possible 36-month OPT window depends on the listed CIP code and an E-Verify employer, so verify both before accepting a role.
• The US$104,110 (INR 99.08 Lakhs) market median is not starting pay, so model repayment from an actual offer and location.

Gross salary overstates cash available for loan repayment because federal, state and payroll deductions depend on work location and tax status. Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator after receiving an eligible offer.

An India-return plan should not translate the United States median directly into rupees. It should instead price the loan against verified Indian robotics, controls or automation offers in the intended city.

ROI reality: Drexel supplies useful co-op and university-wide evidence but no Robotics cohort outcome. The rational choice needs written aid, a specialization-linked portfolio and a country-specific employment plan.

US Visa for Drexel MS Robotics Students 2027

Indian students normally use the F-1 student visa after Drexel issues Form I-20. The visa fee is US$185 (INR 17,606), while the I-901 SEVIS fee is US$350 (INR 33,309).

• Graduates can seek 12 months of OPT and may qualify for a 24-month STEM extension through CIP code 14.4201.
• An H-1B employer must meet the applicable actual or prevailing wage rather than a single national salary threshold.
• An F-2 spouse or unmarried child under 21 may accompany the student, but F-2 dependants cannot work.
• The degree creates no automatic permanent-residence route, so sponsorship and immigration category determine any settlement timeline.

Check Out: Post Study Work Visa in USA

Visa reality: The catalog’s robotics CIP code can support a longer work window. The extension still requires a matching I-20, related employment and an E-Verify employer.