Graduate School Admission Requirements

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Institution Code: 1319

Admission to Graduate School

Illinois State welcomes applicants from all across the world. The Graduate School reviews U.S./Domestic Applicants and International Admissions reviews international applicants. View more information about International Student Admission Requirements .

Applicants are considered on the basis of their academic record and other performance requirements determined by the individual programs. These may include minimum GPAs, minimum scores on the GRE, GMAT or other standardized exams, personal statements or interviews, examples of work, or letters of recommendation.

In order to be admitted to Illinois State as a graduate student, a student must have earned a four-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college or university that is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting association. Some doctoral or certificate programs may require a master's degree.

Applying to Multiple Programs in One Academic Year 

If applying for a graduate program with multiple sequence options, all applicants are required to select one program sequence at the time of their application submission. Applying for multiple sequences within a graduate program is not permitted. However, you may add an additional sequence to your program of study after successful completion of your first semester of the graduate program with program coordinator approval. Applicants may apply for multiple graduate programs if desired, provided a unique application is submitted for each individual program. This intention must be communicated to the Graduate School prior to any application submissions. Application fees for graduate programs are non-refundable.

Transcripts

Application review

Applicants must present unofficial transcripts from each college or university other than Illinois State at which graduate, undergraduate, or non-degree credit was earned. The unofficial transcript should be easily readable and clearly indicate degree(s) awarded, courses and course grades for each term.

Current or former Illinois State students do not need to send ISU transcripts. However, you may need to provide transcripts from all other colleges attended.

Transcripts can be uploaded to the application for admissions. If sending official electronic or mailed transcripts, we recommend sending your transcripts after you've submitted your application to better match your transcripts with your file.

If you had a previous name or have a questions about a transcript showing up on your to-do list, reach out to the appropriate office:

Admission/Enrolling at Illinois State

If accepted, all students must present official transcripts from each college or university other than Illinois State at which graduate, undergraduate, or non-degree credit was earned. Students seeking readmission or who have been formerly enrolled at Illinois State do not need to resubmit previous transcripts.

To be deemed official, transcripts must be sent directly to Illinois State from the prior university.

U.S./Domestic Applicants
Sent electronically to GraduateAdmissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to:
Illinois State University
Graduate School
209 Hovey Hall
Campus Box 4040
Normal, IL 61790-4040

International Applicants
Sent electronically from your university to:
InternationalAdmissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to:
Illinois State University
International Admissions
Campus Box 6180
Normal, IL 61761
USA

View more information about International Student Admission Requirements . 

Application Fee

All applicants are required to submit a nonrefundable application fee or documentation for an application fee waiver. Your application will not be processed until the application fee or fee waiver verification is received. Due to the Declaration of Finances required, international applicants are not eligible for an application fee waiver. This fee or waiver must be received by the program's deadline.

Learn more about the fee or waiver documentation.

Enrollment Deposit Fee

A non-refundable enrollment deposit fee (EDF) of $150 will be required for all new graduate students prior to course registration or the issue of immigration documents. Students will only pay the enrollment deposit one time. Any student enrolling in multiple or additional programs, or needing to defer to a future semester, will not have to pay a subsequent enrollment deposit. Please refer to this webpage for more information on how to pay your EDF.

Additional Requirements

Master's students

In addition to the overall Graduate School requirements above, an individual applying to a master's program must also have a minimum 2.8 GPA (on a scale in which an A is a 4.0) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work (approximately the junior and senior years).

Many graduate programs require a higher GPA or may require the GRE or GMAT.

Specialist students

In addition to the overall Graduate School requirements above, an individual applying for a specialist program must also have a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a scale in which an A is a 4.0) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work (approximately the junior and senior years).

Doctoral students (Ph.D., Ed.D)

In addition to the overall Graduate School requirements above, an individual applying to a doctoral program must also:

• have earned a master's degree or equivalent in a discipline appropriate to the specific doctoral program
• have a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a scale in which an A is a 4.0) for their graduate coursework or in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work (approximately the junior and senior years).

The GRE is not required for admission to all doctoral programs. Check if the GRE is required specifically for admission to your intended program.

Types of Admission

Unconditional Admission 

An unconditional admission generally carries no academic restriction, though you may be expected to take some courses to make up for some undergraduate deficiencies.

Probationary Admission

A probationary admission may be granted to students who don't meet the minimum requirements of the program and the Graduate School but whose academic records demonstrate promise of high achievement. These students will be on probation when admitted and will frequently be given a trial period of one semester to meet specific requirements. Students who meet these requirements within the trial period will be taken off probation and admitted unconditionally; students who don't meet these requirements may be terminated from graduate studies at Illinois State at the end of the trial period.

Conditional Admission

A conditional admission is issued when the application for admission is missing a required official/final document. Most applicants are reviewed with unofficial transcripts or test scores. Admission to the University is contingent upon receiving official or final transcripts with a degree posted and/or official test scores, like GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS, etc. Documents must be sent to the University prior to the start of the term. A student may be terminated from graduate studies at Illinois State if the missing documentation is not provided within one semester.

Undergraduate Taking Graduate Coursework for Graduate Credit

Undergraduates can take graduate courses for graduate credit if they (1) have junior or senior status, (2) have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher. Total registration cannot exceed 15 hours in that semester. Graduate coursework will not be calculated in the undergraduate GPA. The transcript will indicate the grade received, the number of credit hours the course was worth, but 0 hours earned. This is due to only earned hours are calculated in the GPA. This is common transcript language used by Registrar/Bursar offices. There is no guarantee graduate courses taken will be accepted by another University as transfer credit.

All coursework taken for graduate credit must be approved by the department or school advisor and the Graduate School BEFORE registration. A form titled, "Undergraduate taking Graduate Credit" is available electronically in My.IllinoisState to be completed by the undergraduate advisor for approval.

Up to 12 hours of coursework will count toward an ISU graduate degree program only and has a limit of 6 years to be used. Coursework taken for graduate credit cannot count toward a bachelor's degree except under the provisions of integrated bachelor’s/master’s degree and accelerated master’s degree programs. This opportunity is also extended to last semester seniors of other universities who find it possible to take graduate work at this University while completing requirements for the bachelor's degree on their own campuses. Such graduate courses cannot be used in meeting bachelor’s degree requirements on their own campuses.