Graduate admission requirements

Graduate admission is selective and meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The number of students admitted to a particular program is limited to the resources and space available in each program. All applicants for a graduate degree or certificate program must meet minimum University admission requirements as well as departmental requirements. 

University admission requirements include:

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Minimum GPA. To be considered for Regular admission, applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or the equivalent (on the U.S. 4.0 scale) from the degree granting institution(s). Applicants who have earned 9 or more letter-graded graduate credits must have a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 or the equivalent; this graduate GPA supersedes the undergraduate GPA. Applicants who have a cumulative undergraduate GPA between 2.5 and 2.74 or the equivalent from the degree granting institution(s) are eligible for University Conditional status. After completing 9 letter-graded graduate credits at PSU with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, students with University Conditional status will automatically be given Regular status.
  • Previous PSU students returning after an extended absence can be considered for Academic Forgiveness which will allow up to three terms to be excluded from the cumulative graduate GPA calculation
• Copies of transcripts from all colleges and/or universities attended (except PSU), including junior colleges and community colleges
• $65 application fee + $2 processing fee
• Recommendation for admission from the appropriate graduate program's department

University enrollment requirements include:

• Verification of official transcripts from degree granting institution(s) and all colleges and/or universities attended where any graduate credits were completed
• Proof of English language proficiency as demonstrated by:
  • Completion of a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, or Zimbabwe, or;
  • Completion of one of the following exams:
  • • International Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), minimum overall score of 80; minimum subscores of 18 in reading and writing
    • International English Testing Systems (IELTS) exam, minimum overall score of 6.5; minimum subscores of 6.5 in reading and writing
    • Pearson Test of English-Academic (PTE), minimum score of 60 overall
    • Duolingo English Test (DET), minimum score of 110
  • Tests more than two years old are accepted if the score exceeds the minimum requirement and the applicant has maintained continuous residency in the United States since the exam date

In cases when a student does not meet University admission requirements, departments may choose to submit a Graduate Admission - Special Approval Request to the Graduate School. This process may only be initiated by a department.

International applicants must also submit:

• Copies of official degree certificates/diplomas
• Certified translation of transcripts and degree certificates/diplomas
• Financial documentation demonstrating adequate financial support for at least the first year of study

Depending on the individual graduate program, additional departmental requirements may include:

• Personal essay or statement of purpose
• Letters of recommendation
• Standardized test scores, e.g. GRE or GMAT
• Resume
• Writing samples
• Portfolio