General Admission Requirements

Admission to Graduate Certificate Programs

To be eligible for admission for a graduate certificate program, students must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, have a grade point average of 2.75 or better (on a 4.0 scale) for the final 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate and/or graduate courses, and satisfy specific departmental criteria. A maximum of two graduate courses (6 semester hours) from another institution can be transferred into a certificate program [Applications with GPA below 2.75 for the last 60 hours are automatically denied and will not be reviewed].

Graduate credits earned in a graduate certificate program may be applied toward a subsequent master’s degree with specific consent by the department.

Admission to Master’s Programs

To be eligible for admission to master’s programs, individuals must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and present a record of prior academic performance that indicates potential for success in graduate level studies. Applicants with a grade point average of 2.75 or better (on a 4.00 scale) for the final 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate and/or graduate courses, OR have a Masters/Doctoral degree, and who satisfy specific departmental criteria, are generally recommended for full admission. However, individual programs may have higher GPA and several other requirements and prerequisites for full admission. Based on the recommendation from the program/department, 9 to 12 graduate semester hours or up to 33% of the program requirement [which were not part of a completed degree] may be transferred into a master’s program from another institution.

Applicants are expected to have completed a general education program that includes courses in the natural sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, social sciences, and the humanities. In addition, programs may have other course prerequisites or admission test requirements that require additional documentation. A term of student teaching, a year or more of satisfactory teaching experience, or Initial or Standard Teacher Licensure is required by some degree programs in Education. Refer to specific degree requirements in the departmental listings for details on prior student teaching and other prerequisites for individual programs.

Upon admission, each student is assigned by his or her program to an advisor whose purpose is to guide the student’s progress towards completion of the degree. The official program of courses is formulated by the student in consultation with the graduate advisor. This must be done before enrollment in the first semester.

Admission to Doctoral Programs

To be eligible for admission to a doctoral program, individuals must hold a Master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and present a record of prior academic performance that indicates potential for success in a doctoral program. Applicants with a grade point average of 3.5 or better (on a 4.00 scale) of all graduate work and who satisfy other specific program requirements are generally recommended for regular admission.

Admission to the College of Pharmacy

Please refer to the College of Pharmacy  section of this catalog for the admission process for the College of Pharmacy.

Residency Classification

The Office of Graduate and Professional Studies makes the initial determination of State residency status at the time of admission, based on the information provided by the applicant at the time of application. Once the student registers for classes, any request to change the residency status must be submitted to the registrar’s office directly.

Residency status for H Visa Holders

H Visa holders [H1B and H4], who are living in Illinois for 6months or more, may be eligible for in-state tuition. They must complete the residency application form, available on the graduate school website before registering for the classes, for the determination of eligibility.

Notification of Decision [Via Email]

Once a decision is finalized, the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School notifies the student of the university’s decision. If admitted, the term for which the applicant is admitted is stated in the official admission letter sent by the graduate school. Within 3-5 business days, the admitted students will receive their CSU credentials with the instructions to claim their account. If the admitted students do not receive instructions to claim their account within 5days they should contact the School of Graduate and Professional Studies phone: 773-995-2404; Email: grad-admissions@csu.edu.

Enrollment Deferral

Students are expected to enroll in the term for which they have been admitted. At the discretion of the Dean of the Graduate and Professional Studies and the academic department supervising the degree program, students may defer their initial term of enrollment for no more than one year by applying for deferral to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. If deferral is approved, students will be held accountable under the policies and procedures in effect at the time of their enrollment including the time to complete the degree, not the policies and procedures at the time of initial admission.

Withholding/False Information

Any applicant who knowingly withholds information or gives false information on an application for admission or readmission may become ineligible for admission to the university or may be subject to disciplinary action including expulsion.