Iowa State University

Graduate College Handbook

Chapter 1. Admissions

Admission with a Declared Major

All degree-seeking graduate students must have graduated with a bachelor’s or postbaccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or from a recognized foreign institution where the requirements for the bachelor’s degree or its equivalent are similar to those at ISU. Additionally, each applicant must be accepted at ISU by the major program, the Office of Admissions, and the Graduate College (for the structure and role of the Graduate College at ISU, see Appendix A).

Admission Categories

Full admission status may be granted to an applicant who either has achieved a grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or greater (on a 4.00 scale), or ranks in the upper one-half of his or her undergraduate class.

Provisional admission statusmay be granted to an applicant who satisfies the formal university requirements for full admission status, but who has certain academic background or prerequisite deficiencies to remedy.

Transfer from provisional to full admission status requires that the student:

• remove the background deficiencies (coursework taken will require an average of B (3.00) or better),
• meet the Graduate English requirement (for students whose native language is not English),
• secure a written recommendation from the program’s Director of Graduate Education or his/her major professor to send to the Graduate College, and
• obtain approval of the Dean of the Graduate College.

Transfer from restricted to full admission status requires that the student:

• complete at least nine semester credit hours of graduate-level courses as a graduate student at ISU,
• earn a cumulative grade point average of B or above (3.00),
• meet the Graduate English requirement (for students whose native language is not English),
• secure a written recommendation of the program’s DOGE or his/her major professor to send to the Graduate College, and
• obtain the approval of the Dean of the Graduate College.

Entrance Examinations

Examinations are not uniformly required of all applicants for admission. However, applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English equivalent to a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 530 on the paper-based test, 197 on the computer-based TOEFL test, or 79 on the recently instituted internet-based test as a part of the admissions process.

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. Individual graduate programs may require higher TOEFL or IELTS scores for admission.

Graduate programs may require or recommend (of both native and nonnative speakers of English) other entrance examinations, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), the Graduate School Foreign Language Test (GSFLT) or the Test of Spoken English (TSE). Information about each program’s requirements can be found at the Graduate College’s Web site at http://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/programs/APprograms.php.

Off-Campus Courses

Admission requirements are the same for on- and off-campus courses. Detailed information is available in the Iowa State University Catalog or from the ISU Extended and Continuing Education Office (102 Scheman, 515-294-6222, http://www.lifelearner.iastate.edu/). Students who have received the baccalaureate degree must register as graduate students if they wish to take graduate credit courses, but they may register without declaring a major.

Undergraduate/Professional Degree Programs and Graduate Degree Programs Taken Simultaneously

There are some cases when a student wishes admission to an undergraduate or professional program and to a graduate degree program at the same time. These situations are covered in the section called "Concurrent Degrees."

Admission without a Declared Major

Graduates of regionally accredited U.S. institutions who do not intend to seek an advanced degree at ISU may wish to undertake some graduate-level coursework and enroll as students without a declared major. They may:

• transfer graduate credits earned at ISU to other institutions,
• use graduate credits earned for professional certification,
• enroll for personal satisfaction, or
• enroll occasionally in off-campus graduate courses.

Students wishing to apply without a declared major must obtain an "Iowa State University Application for Nondegree Students" form from the Office of Admissions (100 Alumni Hall, 1-800-262-3810), or download a copy of the nondegree application from the Office of Admissions web site. A reason for attending ISU as a graduate student without a major must be included on the form. No application fee is required. Students without a declared major may not be awarded an assistantship.

A student without a declared major who subsequently seeks admission to a degree program must be aware of the following restrictions:

• The applicant must apply to and be accepted by the appropriate department or program and the Graduate College for degree study with a declared major.
• Those who do not have an undergraduate degree from ISU must pay an application fee.
• A maximum of nine semester hours of credit earned under the nondegree option may be applied to an advanced degree.
• Once admitted to a degree program, the student’s Program of Study (POS) Committee will recommend which courses, if any, earned under the nondegree option may be included in the program of study (maximum of nine semester hours of credit).

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