An applicant must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. The Office of the Registrar determines that the applicant has an accredited bachelor's degree or will complete the bachelor's degree before commencing graduate study.
A student who expects to earn a graduate degree at this university must file an official transcript from the college or university granting the baccalaureate degree if other than the University of Northern Iowa. Only transcripts sent directly from the issuing institution to the UNI Office of the Registrar are considered official. Degree Status applicants who have attended other colleges or universities after earning the bachelor's degree must file an official transcript of each record.
The applicant should check with the department offering the major of their choice, to determine whether/which Graduate Record Examination (GRE) tests are required prior to admission. If required, the applicant must request that the scores be sent directly from the testing agency to the Office of the Registrar.
Students applying for admission to a graduate degree program in the College of Business Administration are required to submit their scores from the Graduate Management Admission test (GMAT). They need not take the Graduate Record Examination. The student must request that the testing agencies forward their test results directly to the Office of the Registrar.
Students from countries where the native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL. Foreign students should contact the International Services Office, University of Northern Iowa, for explanation of requirements. The minimum TOEFL required for admission to graduate status is 500. Individual departments may require a higher score.
Additional admission requirements (e.g. departmental application, letters of reference, goal statement, etc.) may be established by departments. Students should contact the department for this information.
Students will be admitted to Degree Status on one of two bases:
- Degree Status is accorded students who are deemed qualified by academic departments, to pursue a program of studies which can culminate in the earning of a graduate degree. Applicants are to specify their choice of degree program in their admission application.
The minimum undergraduate grade point average, or prior graduate grade point average, required for admission is 3.00 ("B" = 3.00) or its equivalent. Individual academic departments may require a higher grade point average for admission.
- Provisional Status
At the discretion of the academic department concerned, an applicant (with an undergraduate and prior graduate GPA of less than 3.00) may be admitted as a Provisional Degree Student. A Provisional Degree Student is admitted subject to certain reservations/requirements. The reservations/requirements must be overcome before a student may be removed from provisional status. A provisional degree student who completes eight (8) or more credit hours of a degree program with a 3.00 grade point average, or better, is generally eligible for reclassification to Degree Student Status. The responsibility for such reclassification rests with the academic department concerned. Reclassification review should take place the semester after the student has completed eight (8) semester hours. The department has responsibility for notifying the Dean of the Graduate College about the reclassification decision. No student may receive a UNI graduate degree while on provisional status.
The department admitting a student to its graduate degree program will draft a letter of acceptance to be sent to the student; this letter will describe the requirements necessary for completion of the degree program in question. Any waivers of degree requirements as established by a department must be furnished to the applicant by the department in the letter of acceptance.
Each student admitted to Degree Status is expected to consult with the head of the department in which s(he) intends to major regarding the assignment of an advisor. This should be done at the time of initial admission. The advisor will assist the student with the registration process and with the completion of a Program of Approval Form.