General Admission Requirements

Admission to Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Programs¹

To be eligible for admission for a post-baccalaureate program applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

GPA Requirements:

1. Applicants must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale from the bachelor’s degree granting institution/university.
2. There is no GPA requirement for applicants with a master’s or a doctoral degree who are applying for a post-baccalaureate program.

Note: Individual post-baccalaureate certificates may have other program requirements and prerequisites that must be satisfied for full admission.

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.

GPA Requirements:

1. Applicants must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale from the bachelor’s degree granting institution/university (OR) If the overall GPA is below 2.75, applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 (on a 4.00 scale) for the final 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate and/or graduate courses.
2. There is no GPA requirement for applicants with a master’s or a doctoral degree who are applying for another master’s program.

Note: Individual programs may have a higher GPA and several other requirements and prerequisites that must be satisfied for full admission.

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 Health Sciences and Pharmacy   section of this catalog for the admission process for the College of Pharmacy.

Residency Classification

The School 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

Once a decision is finalized, If admitted, the term for which the applicant is admitted is stated in the official admission letter. The Decision letter can be accessed within the Application Portal. Within 3-5 business days, the admitted students will receive their CSU credentials with the instructions to claim their account via email. 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 School of 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 School 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.

¹Addendum 10/30/2024