The admission process begins when a student applies to Graduate School. The application is posted here.  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 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

Communication with Applicant

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.

After evaluation of your credentials by the appropriate department and by the Office of Graduate Education and Research, you will receive a letter from the Graduate Office providing notification of the admission decision. There are three possible admission decisions:

1. Admission has been granted under one of the categories listed below,
2. Admission has been denied, or
3. The decision has been deferred for reasons listed in the notice.

The admission letter will also state the conditions of admission and the period of validity for the admission.

Attendance in the Graduate School at Eastern Kentucky University is not a right. It is a privilege which may be withdrawn by the University or any area of graduate study if it is deemed necessary by the Office of Graduate Education and Research in order to safeguard the University’s standards.

Degree Seeking Admission*

* For students admitted into a master’s degree program

There are three classifications of Degree-Seeking admission:

1. Clear
2. Provisional
3. Probationary

Applicants who meet all of the general graduate requirements and the specific requirements for their particular program are eligible for clear admission. General requirements for clear admission are:

1. A baccalaureate degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution.
2. An overall undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) of 2.5
3. Submission of acceptable official test scores on an approved examination (see specific program requirements for information on acceptable examinations and scores).

Additionally, 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

A department may waive the requirements for clear admission stipulated in item 2 or 3 for applicants having already earned a graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution.

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

*Individual programs may have additional or higher criteria for clear 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.

An applicant who does not meet conditions 2 or 3 of the admission requirements for clear admission, but who does show promise for successful graduate study, may be granted probationary admission upon the recommendation of the appropriate department chair and approval of the appropriate college dean and Dean of Graduate Education and Research.

Students admitted under probationary status:

• Are permitted to take a maximum of 12 credit hours.
• Must achieve clear admission before they will be permitted to register for any graduate course work beyond an initial 12 hours.
• May not transfer graduate coursework earned at EKU to another institution until they have earned Clear Admission.
• May not attempt any graduate course work graded pass/fail. In the case where specific courses have been designated by a program for the satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading mode, a maximum of three hours of course work graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory may be permitted during the initial 12 hours.
• May be subject to special course requirements or other conditions imposed by the department, academic dean, and/or the Office of Graduate Education and Research.
• May not hold an assistantship.
• Are not permitted to register for a second semester until their grades are posted from the probationary semester.

To achieve Clear Admission students:

• Must successfully complete at least nine hours of approved graduate course work at EKU with a graduate grade point average of 3.0 or better
• Earn no more than one grade (regardless of the number of course credit hours) of “C” or lower
• Meet any additional requirements stipulated by their department

The Office of Graduate Education and Research will inform the student of all conditions required for consideration for clear admission at the time the student is granted probationary admission status.

International students may not be admitted on a probationary admission basis.

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), and a completed application. 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, IELTS, Duolingo scores or ELS Certificate sent to EKU. 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.

For more information regarding international admission requirements, please visit https://www.eku.edu/gradschool/international-students/.