Graduate Admission

Introduction & General Information

Associate Dean over Graduate Admissions: Brian Barton

Assistant Directors: Jermaine Williams

Panama City Campus Director: David Henry

Florida State University encourages applications for admission from qualified students regardless of race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other protected group status in accordance with all pertinent federal, state, and local laws on non-discrimination and equal opportunity. Admission of students to Florida State University is within the jurisdiction of the University, but subject to minimum standards adopted by the Florida Board of Governors. Preference for admission for any term will be given to those applicants whose credentials indicate the greatest promise of academic success in their chosen program of study.

The application for admission is available online at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp. When applying for admission, the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 allows colleges and universities to require the disclosure of social security numbers for the purpose of identification and verification of student records, including registration, financial aid, and academic records, and for verification of identity in connection with the provisions of its services. The University does not use social security numbers for student identification; instead, the University assigns a Florida State University student identification number (EMPLID).

An application cannot be submitted earlier than one year prior to the term for which admission is desired. In addition, the University reserves the right to close admission earlier than the published deadline(s) if any program limit is reached.

The Office of Graduate Admissions will post all decisions electronically on the Application Status Check, an applicant's private account created at the time of application. Admission is for a specific term, and if the student is unable to enroll for the term indicated on the Application Status Check, the Office of Graduate Admissions should be notified immediately. A change in term will result in a re-evaluation of the application. The applicant should not assume that admission will automatically be granted.

An official course-by-course evaluation is required for all academic records from non-U.S. institutions. Florida State University recommends the use of SpanTran for the credential evaluation because SpanTran will calculate the upper-division GPA; however, we will accept any National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) evaluation. Also, in accordance with Board of Governors Regulation 6.009 (1)(b), Academic documents must be translated into English and evaluated by a NACES provider.

Offers of admission to the University are often contingent upon the subsequent receipt of official college or university transcripts indicating satisfactory performance and verification of baccalaureate and master's degrees. Failure to submit such documents before the end of the second week of the initial academic term can result in the cancellation of admission and registration.

An application or residency statement submitted by or on behalf of a student that contains false, fraudulent, or incomplete statements may result in denial of admission or denial of further registration and/or invalidation of Florida State University credit and related degrees.

Prior to registering for classes, accepted students must be health compliant. For information regarding this requirement, refer to https://uhs.fsu.edu. Florida State University reserves the right to cancel the admission of any applicant whose health record indicates the existence of a condition that may be harmful to members of the University community.

Graduate Student Admission Policies

Admission to graduate study involves acceptance to the department or college in which the applicant expects to earn a degree. Final admission to the University is subject to approval by the Office of Graduate Admissions. While there are minimum admission requirements established by the Florida Board of Governors, the University can elect to exceed them.

In order to meet minimum University admission requirements, the applicant must have:

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally or nationally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all work attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working toward a baccalaureate degree, or

• A graduate degree from a regionally or nationally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, and

• Test scores from a nationally standardized graduate admissions test that are acceptable for the academic program to which the applicant is applying.

In addition:

• An applicant who is not in good standing (on probation or dismissal) at the last institution attended will not be considered for graduate study.

• Departments may impose more restrictive admission requirements than those stated above. It is recommended that applicants contact the academic program directly for information on departmental admission requirements.

• For graduate admission purposes, international applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit proof of a minimum score of either 550 on the paper-based or 80 on the Internet-based TOEFL examination, 6.5 on the IELTS examination, 55 on the PTE Academic examination, or the successful completion of Level 8 (Advanced Level) at Florida State University's Center for Intensive English Studies. For a provisional period of three years, starting in the Fall 2022 semester application period, applicants may substitute a score of either 180 on the Cambridge English Language Assessment, 55 on the Michigan Language Assessment, or 120 on the Duolingo for graduation admission purposes.

• Some departments may require a higher score or may waive the test requirement if the student has received a bachelor's degree or master's degree from a U.S. institution or other institution where English is the required language of instruction. International students expecting to receive appointments as teaching assistants are required to pass the SPEAK test which evaluates the English-speaking ability of non-native speakers of English and is administered at Florida State University. Students who receive a score of 26 or higher on the speaking section of the Internet-based TOEFL examination meet the University requirement to serve in all capacities as a teaching assistant; however, some departments may still require that the student take the SPEAK test.

Application

The application is available online at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp. It is recommended that the application be submitted nine to twelve months prior to the proposed term of enrollment.

A nonrefundable application fee of $30.00 is required. Applicants can pay the application fee online via their Application Status Check at https://admissions.fsu.edu/statuscheck. If payment is by check or money order, it must be made payable to Florida State University and drawn on a U.S. bank. The application will not be processed without this fee, and there are no provisions to have it waived or postponed, except for applicants in designated sponsored programs.

Deadlines for Applications and Supporting Documents for all Graduate Applicants*

The University deadlines for applications and supporting documents for all graduate applicants are:

*A submitted application and all materials required to make an admission decision must be received by the published deadline. However, some programs will accept required materials after the published deadline and applicants should contact the department for further clarification.

*Some departments may have earlier deadlines than those established by the University or may admit only for a specific term.

Transcripts

An official transcript from each college and/or university attended must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Transfer credit posted on the record of another institution is not accepted in lieu of submitting the official transcript from the original institution. Florida State University and other official transcripts already on file as part of the student's permanent record will be automatically obtained by the Office of Graduate Admissions. Transcripts are considered official when they are sent directly from the college or university to the Office of Graduate Admissions and contain an official seal and/or signature. Transcripts bearing the statement “Issued to Student,” notarized transcripts, or transcripts submitted by the applicant are not considered official.

Original documents or signed, officially certified photocopies of original documents may be submitted by the student only when institutions outside the United States will not send academic records to other institutions. The verifying signature should be that of an officer of the institution attended. All academic records that are not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations. Certified documents should be true copies that are signed and dated by an educational official familiar with academic records. Documents signed by a notary or other public official with no educational affiliation will not be accepted.

Test Scores

Official test results will be required from a nationally standardized graduate admissions test, such as the Graduate Record Examination revised General Test (GRE), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), or an equivalent test that is acceptable for the program to which the applicant is applying. These scores are considered official only when they are sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the testing agency. Examinee copies are not considered official.

Note: The Faculty Senate and Graduate Policy Committee have waived GRE and GMAT test requirements for all terms through Fall 2026 for Master's and Specialist applicants. Please note this waiver excludes degree programs in the College of Business.

International applicants whose native language is not English must submit an English language proficiency exam, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic), the Cambridge English Language Assessment, the Michigan Language Assessment, or Duolingo. These scores are considered official only when they are sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the testing agency and are not valid after two years.

Departmental Requirements

All applicants should contact their academic departments for specific deadline dates and departmental requirements, such as departmental application, statement of purpose (letter of intent), résumé or curriculum vitae, letters of recommendation, audition or portfolio, and application for fellowship or assistantship. These supporting documents should be uploaded to the online application. Do not mail departmental information to the Office of Graduate Admissions. It will delay the processing of your application.

Provisional Graduate Students

An academic program may recommend that a student be admitted to the University as a provisional graduate student. This requires that the program stipulate conditions that the student must meet during the initial semester/term of enrollment. The student will remain in this provisional category for only one semester/term and must meet all of the stipulated conditions during the initial semester/term to continue in the program. Students entering the University under this category register in the same manner as regular degree-seeking students. International students cannot be admitted into the provisional category.

A provisional graduate student must be reviewed by the academic program and the University at the end of the initial semester/term to determine whether the stipulated conditions were met. If the conditions were not met, the student will not be able to continue in the program. While in provisional status a graduate student must register for graded graduate-level coursework (5000-level or above; excludes S/U courses) commensurate with the load requirements of the program and must earn at least an average of 3.0 for all graduate-level coursework taken.

A hold blocking future enrollment will be placed on the record of a student who fails to meet the stipulated conditions during the initial provisional semester/term; such students will be ineligible to continue in the academic program. Students who met the minimum requirements for admission to the University either initially or during the provisional semester but failed to meet the program-specific conditions may subsequently seek admission to a different academic program as a degree or non-degree seeking student. A provisional student who does not earn at least a 3.0 average during the initial provisional term is not eligible for probationary status in the subsequent semester. Otherwise, a provisional graduate student is subject to the retention and dismissal regulations appropriate to a regular graduate student. For information on non-degree classification, see the subsection on ‘Non-Degree Students' in this chapter.

Traveling Scholar Program

The University participates in the Interinstitutional Academic Collaborative Traveling Scholar Program that enables a graduate student to take advantage of special resources available on another Atlantic Coast Conference campus but not available at the home campus, such as special course offerings, research opportunities, unique laboratories, and library collections.

A traveling scholar's graduate advisor will approach an appropriate faculty member at the proposed host institution and recommend the scholar for a visiting arrangement. After agreement by the student's advisor and the faculty member of the host institution, graduate deans of both institutions will be fully informed by the advisor and have the power to approve or disapprove. A student will register at the host institution and will pay tuition and/or registration fees according to fee schedules established by that institution. Credit for the work taken will be recorded at the home university.

Each university retains its full right to accept or reject a student who wishes to study under its auspices. A traveling scholar will normally be limited to one term on the campus of the host institution. A traveling scholar accepted by the host institution will be regarded as being registered at that institution for the period.

A traveling scholar is not entitled to displacement allowance, mileage, or per diem payments. The home university, however, may elect to continue the financial support of the traveling scholar in the form of a fellowship or graduate assistantship with any work obligation to be discharged either at the home or host institution.

Academic Common Market

The Academic Common Market (ACM) is an interstate agreement among southern states for sharing academic programs. Participating states approve their residents who qualify for admission to enroll in specific graduate programs in other states on an in-state tuition basis. Arrangements traditionally are limited to unusual programs or programs not offered within the state of residence. To enroll as an ACM student, an applicant must obtain certification from the State Coordinator in the student's home state. Students must be admitted to the appropriate degree program by the Office of Graduate Admissions, and the letter of certification must be received in the Office of Admissions before the first day of classes for the effective term. Information on the state's authorization of programs or the identity of the coordinator for a particular state may be found at http://home.sreb.org/acm/choosestate.aspx. For information on the programs in which FSU participates, contact the Academic Common Market Coordinator, 115 Westcott, (850) 644-7497.

Cooperative Programs in the State of Florida, Division of Colleges and Universities

Cooperative graduate degree programs may be established in which the faculties of two or more of the universities within the state of Florida, Division of Colleges and Universities system join in offering a degree program in a particular discipline. The degree is given by the university authorized by the State Board of Education to offer it, but coursework and faculty participation within agreed upon limits can occur on the campus of either or all of the participating universities. For information on possibilities in a particular discipline, students should contact the academic department.