Policies & Procedures

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish a comprehensive graduate admissions policy.

Policy

The College of Graduate & Professional Studies (CGPS) receives and processes all applicants for admission to graduate programs.  Graduate program directors and program faculty review applications and admit applicants they determine will most likely be successful in their graduate studies based on their qualifications. 

Because each graduate program may require different preparation, this broad policy is used in conjunction with program-specific admissions requirements.

Procedure

Graduate Admissions: Applicants to graduate programs must hold a conferred bachelor’s degree or international equivalent from a college or university accredited by the appropriate institutional (formerly regional) accreditation agency prior to starting their graduate program. In addition, qualifications and potential for success are determined by a review of at least two of the following, depending on program admissions requirements:

• Overall undergraduate GPA
• Standardized graduate test score
• A personal essay
• A résumé
• Relevant work experience
• Recommendation letter(s)

Appeals: An applicant denied admission may submit to the CGPS a written appeal with updated and/or additional information to be reviewed by the program director.

Fees:  Each applicant for admission shall be assessed a non-refundable application fee or be granted a fee waiver. 

Conditional Admission

Applicants may be admitted to a graduate program on conditional status if their application is missing one required element and/or if they do not meet one admission criteria.  Conditional admissions requires the approval of the graduate program director and will be monitored by the director of graduate admissions.

Approved by the Board of Visitors, June 12, 2020.
Revised June 2022.