Admissions Guide

General Process

The admission process begins when a student applies to Graduate School. The application is available at http://gradschool.eku.edu/apply.  The application and supporting documents are sent to the Graduate School. There are three things that must be received by the Graduate School before a student file is sent to the department for review. They are:

• A complete application to the Graduate School

• Payment of the $40 application fee (UPDATE - as an incentive for our new graduate students, application fees for the have been waived!!  It's a great time to be a Colonel!

• An Official Transcript from the baccalaureate degree granting institution (if they are not receiving their degree from EKU)

Upon receipt of all applicable materials the student file will be available on the Slate CRM for review by the applicable graduate program coordinator. 

Review of the Application

After the department or program coordinator has reviewed the application, the Admission Recommendation Form is forwarded to the Graduate School. The department may either Reject the application or recommend the student for admission in one of the three admission categories:

• Clear Admission

• Provisional Admission

• Probationary Admission

The following criteria should be used in assigning admission categories:

Clear Admission

Clear Admission may be granted if ALL of the following criteria are met:

1. The applicant has been granted a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution

2. An official transcript showing the degree has been received by the Graduate School

3. The applicant meets the minimum GPA requirement for admission to the Graduate School

4. The official results of entrance examination scores have been received by the Graduate School

5. The entrance examination scores meet the admissions criteria establish by the program or a waiver has been requested by the program

6. The applicant has submitted all other information required by the department and the department recommends the applicant for admission without reservation

There are additional requirements for International Students:

1. The applicant must have submitted official TOEFL scores that meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School

2. The applicant has submitted a Declaration of Finances statement indicating sufficient resources to attend EKU

Provisional Admission

An applicant may be recommended for Provisional Admission if there are one or more items that are incomplete (e.g. the applicant's undergraduate degree has not been completed or official test scores have not been received) but that there is sufficient evidence that the student will meet the criteria for clear admission once the outstanding items have been received. Provisional Admission cannot be granted to any applicant with an undergraduate GPA that does not meet the minimum criteria set by the Graduate School. In making a recommendation for Provisional Admission, the department should also clearly indicate on the Admission Recommendation Form the conditions that must be met to grant Clear Admission to the program. These may include:

• Satisfactory completion of undergraduate degree

• Receipt of Official degree-granting transcript by the Graduate School

• Receipt of Official entrance examination scores (GRE, MAT, GMAT, etc.) that meet the criteria established by the program

Provisional admission allows the student to register for classes for one semester only. All outstanding items indicated on the Admission Recommendation Form must be received in the Graduate School before a student is allowed to register for ANY subsequent term. Provisional Admission may not be granted to International Students.

Probationary Admission

Applicant's whose undergraduate GPA and/or entrance examination scores are below the minimum required by the Graduate School or degree program may be recommended for Probationary Admission. Students admitted on probation are considered academically at-risk. As a result, applicants may only receive consideration for Probationary Admission if ALL required application materials have been received by the Graduate School and considered by the program. The Admission Recommendation form should clearly indicate any conditions that the student must meet, in addition to those required by the Graduate School, to be granted Clear Admission to the program. The following Special Conditions apply to students admitted on Probation:

• No student admitted on Probation may register for more than 12 hours while on Probationary Admission Status. Any attempt to register for more than 12 hours, either in a single term or over multiple terms, will be blocked by the registration system.

• Any student with a graduate GPA of under 3.0 after the completion of 9 semester hours while on Probationary Admission Status will be dismissed from the graduate program. Dismissal under this condition may not be appealed.

Probationary Admission may not be granted to International Students.

Special Considerations for International Students

Immigration regulations require that International Students may not be admitted on a probationary or provisional basis. As a result, the Departmental Recommendation Information will only be sent to the program if the Graduate School has received all transcripts, test scores (including TOEFL), a completed application, and payment of the application fee. Advisors should also be aware of the following considerations with regard to International applicants:

• Application Deadlines: Applications from outside the U.S. will not be considered if the application and supporting materials have not been submitted prior to the posted deadline for International Applications. Because of the time required for processing of student visas, the deadline for International students is well in advance of the Graduate Schools normal deadlines.

• Transcript Evaluations: All international transcripts must be evaluated to determine the equivalency with a U.S. baccalaureate degree. Many undergraduate degrees for institutions outside the U.S. do not meet this criterion. International transcripts are evaluated by EKU's International Student Office. Alternatively, international students may choose to have their transcript evaluated by WES to determine the equivalent degree and undergraduate GPA.

• English Language Ability: International applicants must have official TOEFL scores sent to EKU and they must achieve a minimum score of 550 to be eligible for admission. International students who receive their undergraduate or other graduate degree from a U.S. regionally-accredited institution are exempt from the TOEFL requirement. Applicants from countries where English is the official language (e.g. UK, Canada, Australia) are also exempt from the TOEFL requirement.

• Financial Requirements: International applicants must demonstrate adequate financial resources to study in the United States. A completed Declaration of Finances form that attests to the adequacy of resources must be received and approved through the Graduate School before an I-20 can be issued to the prospective student. The amount required in U.S. dollars is determined annually by the Office of Financial Aid and is posted on the website. Any stipend from a graduate assistantship and the associated tuition waiver may be used to offset the amount required for the issuance of an I-20.

Any recommendation for Clear Admission by the department will be considered pending until all requirements are met.

Communication with Students

At the time of application, each student will be sent an email confirmation of receipt of their application, followed by an "Acknowledgement of Application" email. The email will contain contact information for the graduate program and list all items that are have not been received by the Graduate School. The letter will also contain information on logging into their applicant status portal, which will allow them to review the status of their pending application.

Contact information for the student, including phone number, mailing address and email address, is provided to the department in the Department Recommendation Information packet.