The following are the minimum requirements for admission into the Graduate College:
- Applicants must have earned at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college in the United States or a comparable degree from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad. A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (A=4.0), or comparable GPA for an international applicant, for the last two years of undergraduate study is a minimum requirement for admission. If an applicant’s undergraduate study is longer than four years, additional semesters may be used to calculate the admission GPA. Please note that proposed programs of study may require a higher GPA than the Graduate College’s minimum standard.
- Applicants enrolled in the final year of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college in the United States or a comparable degree program from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad, and who meet the GPA requirements stated above will be admitted conditionally pending receipt of final academic credentials showing the undergraduate degree as conferred.
- International applicants must meet minimum requirements based on their country of origin. Please note that proposed programs of study may require a higher GPA than the Graduate College’s minimum standard.
A student who does not meet one or more of the admission requirements:
- may be approved for admission with limited status with support from the academic program and approval from the Graduate College.
- may qualify for full status admission based on a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college in the United States or a comparable graduate degree from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad with an acceptable cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 (A=4.0), or comparable GPA for an international applicant.
- may qualify for full status admission after completion of a minimum of 12 credit hours as a non-degree student at the graduate level within the proposed academic major at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and received a cumulative GPA that meets the department minimum for good standing.
- may qualify for full status admission with support from the academic program and approval from the Graduate College if they have completed 10+ years of professional work experience in the field corresponding to the proposed academic major.
Official Academic Credentials
Applicants must list in their online application each institution of post-secondary education from which they have earned credit. Applicants must also upload to the online application their transcript/academic record (and diplomas or certificates of degrees if the degree is awarded and not listed on the transcript) for each of these institutions.
All credentials uploaded to the online application are considered unofficial. An applicant will only be asked to submit official credentials (transcripts, academic records, diplomas, certificates of degrees, etc.,) if they are admitted. These must be submitted during the first term of enrollment at the university in order to continue beyond the first term.
The university reserves the right to require official academic credentials at any time during the admissions process, and to rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between unofficial and official transcript(s) are found. (See section 1-303 of the Student Code for additional information.)
English Proficiency Requirements for Admission
Domestic Applicants. Proof of English proficiency is not required for admission for domestic applicants. Some domestic applicants may be required to demonstrate proof of spoken English if applying for a teaching assistantship. Please review the English proficiency requirements for teaching assistants.
International Applicants. All international degree-seeking applicants are required to submit the results of an accepted test as evidence of English proficiency unless they qualify for an exemption. Official scores are required to be submitted directly from the testing agency. All scores must be dated within two years of the beginning of the proposed admission term.
Acceptable tests and corresponding minimum scores are available on the Graduate College website. A student who does not meet the English proficiency requirement for admission may be admitted on limited status and be required to take the English as a Second Language Placement Test (EPT) prior to enrolling at Illinois.
English Proficiency Requirement Exemptions
Applicants who meet one of the following criteria are exempt from the English proficiency requirement for admission:
- Received a post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution (or an institution within an approved country) within five years of the proposed admission term.
- Completion of at least two years of post-secondary study in the U.S. (or an approved country) within five years of the proposed term of initial enrollment.
- Completion of at least two years of professional work experience in the U.S. (or an approved country) within five years of the proposed term of initial enrollment.
Approved Countries with English as the Primary Language
Illinois Graduate Admissions recognizes the following countries as having English as the primary language: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St. Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, and Zimbabwe.
English Proficiency for Teaching Assistants
Please note that all English proficiency requirements and exemptions listed above are for admission purposes only. Admissions minimums are not equivalent to minimums required for holding a teaching assistantship; and not all exemptions apply for those holding a teaching assistantship. For more information, please see the English Proficiency Requirement for Graduate Teaching Assistants.