Graduate College Admission

Admission to the Graduate College may be granted to a graduate of an institution in the United States that is accredited by a recognized regional association or to a graduate of a recognized institution in another country whose requirements for the bachelor’s degree are substantially equivalent to those of Iowa State University. For information concerning graduate study in a particular academic discipline, prospective students should correspond with the chair of the major program in which they wish to study.

The graduate application process at Iowa State is “self-managed,” which means that the student manages his/her own application by collecting the application, fee, academic records, letters of recommendation, and other supporting materials, and sends them in one package to the address listed in the Majors and Programs section of the graduate application brochure. The addresses are also listed on the Graduate College web site at www.grad-college.iastate.edu/academicprogram/programsummariesbya.html.

If an electronic application is submitted, two copies of the application are printed and the supplementary materials are collected and sent to the same address.

The application fee is $20 ($50 for international applicants). An electronic application is available on ISU’s graduate web site at www.grad-college.iastate.edu. This application fee is $25 for U.S. students and $57 for international applicants and msut be paid by credit card or electronic check (U.S. banks only). The application fee is required of all applicants except those who have attended Iowa State as undergraduates, or those applying for admission in the nondegree admission status. In addition, an applicant must request that each previous college or university attended provide official transcripts of grades and credits earned, and request that the institution from which the degree was granted provide a statement of the degree received and the applicant’s quartile class rank.

Many programs have very early application deadlines. For more details, check program deadlines at www.grad-college.iastate.edu/academicprogram/programsummariesbya.html. If a program has no deadline listed, the Graduate College recommends that for priority consideration of financial support and other program opportunities, applications should be submitted by March 1 for summer and fall and October 1 for spring, prior to the term for which admission is sought.

Categories of Graduate Admission
An applicant pursuing an advanced degree must be recommended by the program in which he/she will be pursuing an advanced degree and must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate College.

There are three admission categories for students who wish to pursue an advanced degree:

Full Admission status may be granted to students who meet either of the following requirements:

1. Graduate in the upper one-half of the graduating class with a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution; or

2. Graduate in the upper one-half of the graduating class from a recognized foreign institution where the requirements for the bachelor’s degree are similar to those at Iowa State.

Provisional admission status may be granted to students who meet the requirements for full admission (listed above), but have academic or prerequisite deficiencies to remedy. Transfer from provisional admission to full admission status requires the completion of the graduate English requirement, completion of the coursework prescribed to remedy the background deficiencies with a grade average of B or better, and the written recommendation of the major professor and approval by the Dean of the Graduate College.

Restricted admission status may be granted to students who do not rank in the upper one-half of their graduating class and/or lack adequate undergraduate preparation in the proposed field of study. Restricted admission may be granted to graduates of non-English-speaking foreign institutions, even though the student ranks in the upper one-half of the graduating class. Advancement from restricted to full admission status requires completion of 9 semester credits of graduate level course work as a graduate student with a cumulative grade average of B or better and satisfaction of the Graduate College English requirement. A recommendation is submitted in writing by the major professor and must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate College.

Graduate Admission Without a Declared Major
Admission without a declared major is a category for graduates of regionally accredited institutions in the United States who do not intend to seek an advanced degree from Iowa State University. Such students usually include:

1. Those who intend to transfer graduate credit earned at Iowa State University to other institutions.

2. Those who intend to use graduate credits earned for professional certification.

3. Those who enroll for personal satisfaction.

4. Those who enroll occasionally in off-campus graduate courses.

Students who wish to apply to Iowa State University without a declared major need to contact the Office of Admissions, 100 Alumni Hall (1-800-262-3810) for the nondegree application form for students in this category. The application form is also available at the web site at www.iastate.edu/~adm_info/nondegreegrad.html.

Applications and schedules for such students with an undeclared major are processed directly by the Office of Admissions and the Graduate College office; no program approvals are required. (Applications and schedules for students declaring a major require program evaluation and approval.)

A student without a declared major who subsequently seeks full, provisional, or restricted admission must apply to and be accepted by a graduate program and by the Graduate College for degree study. A new application, the application fee (unless the student attended Iowa State University as an undergraduate), and transcripts from all colleges attended are required.

For those students originally admitted to the Graduate College on a nondegree basis, no more than 9 semester hours of graduate credit earned under the nondegree option may be applied if the student later chooses to undertake a graduate degree program. The student’s program of study committee will recommend to the Graduate College which courses (if any) taken on a nondegree basis may be included in the degree program.

Graduate Admission of International Students
An applicant who is a graduate of a recognized foreign institution is subject to the same criteria for admission as a graduate from an institution in the United States and may be recommended for the same admission categories described above except that of the nondegree option. International applicants for nondegree status may be considered for admission at the discretion of the Graduate College dean. Application and admission deadlines for international students can be obtained from the publication Information for International Graduate Applicants.

International students are required to show evidence of financial support and to carry adequate health and accident insurance while in residence.

Admission Examinations
Graduate Record Examination. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not a university-wide requirement for all applicants. However, many programs require or recommend submission of GRE scores; individual program statements appearing in the publication Graduate Admissions Bulletin should be consulted for this information.

English Requirement for Native Speakers
The English requirement for native speakers is fulfilled by taking a diagnostic English test in their first semester of enrollment at ISU, and following the course of action recommended by their graduate program. The requirement must be satisfied before a student can change from restricted or provisional admission to full admission status. Additionally, the requirement must be met before taking a preliminary oral examination (Ph.D. students) or a final oral examination.

English Requirements for Non-native Speakers
Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not earned a bachelor’s or master’s in a country where the only official language is English are required to submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores as part of their application for admission. A minimum score of at least 197 on the computer-based TOEFL test is required for admission to the Graduate College. International students may also submit IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores in lieu of the TOEFL. The ISU Graduate College minimum is 6.0. Because some programs require a higher scores, applicants should check directly with the program to which they desire admission or see the bulletin Information for International Graduate Applicants for this information.

Graduate students whose native language is not English and who do not have an undergraduate degree from Iowa State University must also take the English Placement Test at the beginning of their first semester of enrollment. This test is administered by the Department of English in lieu of the Graduate English Examination. Students who do not pass this examination are assigned to one or more courses in the English 101 series. This coursework must be completed during the first year of study.

Graduate students whose native language is not English, but who have an undergraduate degree from Iowa State University, must take the Graduate English Examination for International Students, also administered by the Department of English, at the beginning of their first semester of graduate work. Students who do not pass this examination must complete English 101D during their first year of study.

New teaching assistants whose native language is not English are evaluated for their ability to communicate effectively in English before their assistantship assignments are made. Tests of oral proficiency and teaching skills (SPEAK and TEACH) are given before the beginning of each semester. A prospective teaching assistant who does not pass is required to complete coursework in speaking and teaching skills and must be retested.