Admissions Policies

ADMISSION

Application to graduate programs is a two step process. Applicants must first apply and be admitted to the Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education (the Division). Once a student is admitted to the Division, the student’s application materials will be forwarded to the appropriate department for consideration. Admission to the Division does not guarantee admission to a graduate degree program. Students should be aware that individual graduate programs may have requirements that are more stringent than those of the Division, and they may have additional requirements as well. Students are advised to read the admission section for the program to which they apply for additional requirements, required test scores and required grade point averages (GPA). If students have questions that are specific to the program’s requirements they should contact the graduate coordinator of the program.

Graduate students may be admitted as regular, conditional, and provisional students. Graduate courses cannot be used to simultaneously fill both graduate and undergraduate level requirements.

Regularly admitted students meet all of the admissions requirements of the Division (below) and their graduate program’s additional criteria (see the admissions criteria specific to your program in its section).

Conditionally admitted students are students who have an undergraduate degree (or a Master’s degree for doctoral program applicants) in or directly related to the graduate program, but who do not meet the GPA or GRE requirements for unconditional admission to a program. Conditionally admitted students must earn a 3.0 GPA or better by the completion of their first semester of study.

Provisionally admitted students are students whose bachelor’s degrees (or a Master’s degree for doctoral program applicants) are not in or directly related to the graduate program to which they have applied, but whose GPA and GRE scores indicate a high likelihood of success. Provisional students must make up deficiencies through undergraduate course work that will not count for credit toward a graduate degree. The specific course work will be determined by the student’s program.

Students who desire to take graduate courses but who are not pursuing a graduate degree may also be admitted as special students. Admission as a special student will be granted primarily for the purpose of participating in special graduate course offerings, or for taking courses which will be transferred to another institution. Special student status is not intended for students who have been denied admission or dismissed from the Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education and such students will not be permitted to enroll as a special student. Special student admission status is granted for the semester for which the application is submitted. Further enrollment as a special student must be approved on a semester-by-semester basis. Admission as a special student in no way guarantees subsequent regular admission into the graduate program.

Most programs limit the amount of time or number of credits a student may earn as conditional, provisional or special students. These limits can be found in the programs’ admissions sections below. Students may not transfer credit that has been used to fulfill degree requirements at another academic institution.

All applicants to the Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education must have completed a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate field of study from an accredited college or university. All applicants to the Division must submit:

 

1. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Some programs require minimum GPAs for acceptance to individual programs. Minimum GPAs are listed in the Admissions section of each program below, if applicable.
2. Official GRE scores^*. Scores may not be more than 5 years old. Some programs require minimum scores for acceptance to the individual program. Minimum scores are listed in the Admissions section of each program below, if applicable.
3. An Application for Admission to the Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education. A paper copy of the application may be downloaded here.
4. Three letters of recommendation.
5. A Letter of Intent/Statement of Purpose indicating why the applicant is interested in the program, and how a graduate degree will impact his or her career or life.
6. Copy of Immunization Records, including MMR. International applicants also need TB test results (MMR and TB tests can be obtained on site).
7. Pay the non-refundable application fee.

 

International students will also need to submit:

1. Official TOEFL score. Minimum scores for acceptance to individual programs are listed in the Admissions section of each program below. International applicants who hold degrees or diplomas in a related subject from post-secondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) or who have successfully completed at least a two year post-secondary course of study in which English was the language of instruction are not required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.
2. UAPB Affidavit of Support.
3. Homeland Security Form I-134 Affidavit of Support.
4. UAPB Financial Statement (Graduate).

 

International transcripts that are not in English and/or not based on a 4.0 scale (4.0 = A, 3.0 = B, 2.0 = C, 1.0 = D, 0 = F) must be independently translated and evaluated. The university accepts evaluations from:

 

Worldwide Education Services, P. O. Box 5087, Bowling Green Station, New York, NY 10274

Transcript Research, 9540 Garland Road Suite 381, Box 383, Dallas, TX 75218

Educational Perspectives, PO Box A3462, Chicago, IL 60690-3462

Worldwide Education Consultant Services, 5521 N. Expressway 77, Brownsville, TX 78520

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., PO Box 514070, Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470

 

Incomplete applications will not be processed!