Graduate Admission Policies
Regular Admission
An applicant whose credentials meet both of the following minimum requirements may be considered for regular admission:
- GPA Requirement: The applicant must have a grade point average, based on a 4.0 system, of 3.0 overall, 3.0 for the last 60 semester hours in a degree program, or 3.0 for a completed graduate degree program, and
- Entrance Exam Requirement: The applicant must have a score on the appropriate entrance examination that is acceptable for regular admission, if required by the department or degree program to which the applicant is seeking admission.
Conditional Admission
An applicant whose credentials do not meet the requirements for regular admission may be considered for conditional admission. An applicant may be considered for conditional admission if he or she has both a grade point average of 2.5 overall and an entrance examination score acceptable for conditional admission, if one is required by the department. An applicant may also be considered for conditional admission if he or she meets EITHER the GPA requirement for regular admission (GPA of 3.0) OR the entrance examination score requirement for regular admission.
Number of Applications
Application may be made to up to two programs at a time. If a student applies to two programs, he or she must submit two separate and complete sets of application materials (Application Data Sheet, Statement of Purpose, letters of recommendation, transcripts) and two application fees. Each set of application materials must clearly identify the program to which the applicant is applying.
Required Application Materials
Action cannot be taken on an application until the following have been received: Application Data Sheet, Statement of Purpose form, official transcripts of all colleges attended, official score reports of entrance examinations (if required by the department), letters of recommendation (if required by the department), TOEFL or IELTS score (for applicants whose native language is not English), application fee, and any other application materials required by the specific department. On February 24, 1998, the Graduate Council approved a policy that allows graduate departments or programs to request a change or elimination of the requirement for letters of recommendation for its applicants.
Reminder
Applicants are reminded that the preceding quantitative requirements for regular and conditional admission are minimum requirements. Divisions or departments may set higher standards. Admissions decisions are based on a composite of qualitative and quantitative information including the applicant's statement of purpose and letters of recommendation, the academic standing of the programs in which the applicant has studied, relevant professional activities and achievements, test scores, previous grades, and the recommendation of the faculty in the area to which the applicant is seeking admission. Not every applicant whose credentials meet stated quantitative standards is admitted.
For more information, please read the Graduate School Catalog.