Persons applying for admission to the Graduate School, if accepted, may be admitted in one of several categories as described below:
Regular Admission. Degree-seeking students who meet the established requirements for admission to the Graduate School and their chosen degree programs are granted regular graduate status. Conditions, such as the completion of one or more additional undergraduate or graduate course(s), may be specified.
Provisional Admission. Promising applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree but do not meet the formal requirements for regular admission may be granted provisional admission into a degree program. Full graduate standing is granted when these students satisfactorily complete prescribed courses or otherwise remove deficiencies which have been attached to their admission by either the Graduate School or their major department. Also, to move from provisional status to regular degree status, part-time students must earn at least a 3.0 GPA in their first twelve semester hours of completed graduate credit; full-time students must earn at least a 3.0 GPA in their first term of full-time graduate study (nine hours or more of completed graduate level coursework). Some programs may have higher requirements. If provisionally admitted students fail to meet the requirements as stated in their letter of acceptance, the offer of admission to the Graduate School will be withdrawn.
Special Admission. Some graduate programs allow students to be admitted to the Graduate School to take courses for one semester only while they are completing their application file. The student must provide evidence of holding a bachelor’s degree by submitting with his or her application an unofficial transcript from a regionally accredited institution. By the end of the one semester, the student who wishes to continue taking graduate courses must request a change to admission status using the appropriate Graduate School form.
Nondegree Admission. Some programs allow students who wish to take one or more graduate courses for self-improvement, teacher licensure, or exploration of graduate degree program offerings to be admitted as nondegree-seeking students. Such students must show evidence that they hold a bachelor’s degree by submitting an unofficial transcript from a regionally accredited institution and normally must have earned at least a 2.75 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate study. Persons granted nondegree status who later decide to work toward a degree must petition for regular admission. Nondegree students may request to become degree students by submitting the appropriate Graduate School form and all documents required by the program they wish to enter. Students should be aware that work completed in a special or nondegree status does not necessarily apply toward a degree, nor does being allowed to take courses imply acceptance into a degree program. If a student has taken courses in a special or nondegree status and later is formally admitted as a degree candidate, a maximum of twelve hours of the earlier coursework with grades of B or better may be transferred into a degree program. The student’s advisor, department head, and the graduate dean must approve such a transfer.
Guest Matriculant. Students enrolled at other regionally accredited graduate schools may be admitted temporarily to take a limited number of graduate courses provided the deans of their graduate schools make the request for them in writing.
Undergraduates. Undergraduate students may not enroll in graduate-level courses for either undergraduate or graduate credit except those participating in the Four Plus One Program. Selected seniors may petition in writing to take courses at the 500 or 600 level only if they meet the eligibility requirements of the Graduate School. Enrollment must be approved in advance of registration, and an approved application must be on file in the Graduate School where application forms and information about eligibility are available. If the application is approved, the senior will be expected to meet the same requirements for credit that apply to graduate students regardless of other conditions that may be specified.
International Students. International students are granted regular, provisional, special, nondegree, or guest matriculant admission to the Graduate School as appropriate in each case. Western Carolina University is authorized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant students.
In addition to the application form, application processing fee, test scores, letters of recommendation, and transcripts as specified for each program, international students must also submit a chronological listing of all formal education—naming certificates, diplomas, degrees, and other documentary forms of educational attainment. International applicants also must submit a minimum score of 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and provide a statement of financial responsibility. It is expected that international students will not begin graduate study until the admission process is completed and the student has met all admission conditions except prerequisite coursework requirements, if any.
Since several months may be required to receive and process applications from abroad, international students are urged to submit complete information as early as possible.
Application deadlines for international students are as follows: April 1 for Fall Term and September 1 for Spring Term.
This page is maintained by Nancy Carden in the
Office of the Provost.
Last updated: 7/6/2005.
Copyright 2005 by Western Carolina University .