Admissions

Admission to the School of Graduate Studies is granted by the Dean of Graduate Studies upon recommendation of the department in which the applicant wishes to do major work. Students in combined baccalaureate/master's programs must follow standard procedures for admission to the School of Graduate Studies. Admission is required before registration in any course for graduate credit.

The complete application for admission, including supporting materials, should be received by the School of Graduate Studies at least four weeks before the beginning of the term in which the applicant plans to register. Youngstown State University admits graduate students in the fall, spring, and summer semesters, except for students majoring in Physical Therapy, who must enter only during the summer semester, and Social Work, who may enter only during the fall semester.

Application Procedure-Domestic

There are three ways to apply for admission to the School of Graduate Studies:

1. Go to online application. Students using this method are required to pay the admission fee by credit card or electronic check.
2. PDF application form. The form may be completed on the computer screen, printed, signed, and mailed to the Bursar’s Office with the appropriate fee.
3. Paper application: Contact the School of Graduate Studies for an Application for Graduate Program Admission. This form must be submitted with the appropriate fee to the Bursar’s Office.

Contact the School of Graduate Studies for more information about these options.
Applicants must see that one transcript from each college or university attended, except YSU, is sent to the School of Graduate Studies. Official transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to the School of Graduate Studies. Personal or unofficial transcripts issued to the student or those delivered or sent by the applicant instead of the institution will not be accepted.

Applications for admission cannot be reviewed until official transcripts of all previous college or university work are received. The applicant must see that these reach the School of Graduate Studies at the earliest possible date. Omission of information required on the application form will necessitate requests for the additional information and therefore delay processing of the application, so the applicant should provide all requested information in the first submission of materials. As soon as possible after receipt of application materials, the Graduate Dean will notify the student of the action taken on the application and, if the student is admitted, will provide information on registration procedures.

Admission Requirements

Minimum requirements for admission to the School of Graduate Studies are:

• A bachelor's degree from a college or university certified by a national accrediting agency, approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
• An unrecalculated cumulative grade-point average in undergraduate work of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale (some programs require higher GPAs). If an undergraduate course has been repeated, all grades received will figure in the calculation of the grade-point average.
• Satisfactory preparation for the graduate program in which the student wishes to enroll as specified by the department of the major.
• A test of written/spoken English, which the University reserves the right to request, of any entering graduate student whose primary language is not English.
• Degree-seeking students having an undergraduate GPA below 2.7 must present a satisfactory score on the general test of the Graduate Record Exam, the Miller Analogies Test, or graduate level subject-specific exam as specified by the department of the major.

The applicant is reminded to check specific admission requirements of the program in which he/she wishes to enroll to determine whether there are any additional requirements. Some programs require three letters of recommendation. The form is available here.

Types of Admission

Regular

Regular admission will be granted to students who satisfy the admission requirements for the master's program in which they wish to enroll. Other categories are available as noted.

Provisional

Upon recommendation of Program Director and/or Chair and subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies, a student may be accepted with provisional admission if his/her undergraduate record shows slight deficiencies compared to the admission requirements of the program to which the student seeks entrance. Students who are admitted with provisional status may be required to make up deficiencies by taking the appropriate tests and/or courses without graduate credit. The academic record of provisional students will be reviewed when 9 semester hours of degree-credit coursework are completed. The Program Director and/or Chair will change the student’s status from provisional to regular if the deficiencies have been met and the student's record justifies such a change. The advisor will report the change to the Dean of Graduate Studies on the Action on Provisional Status form.

Non-Degree

Nondegree status provides an opportunity for individuals who hold a baccalaureate or higher degree to enroll in graduate classes for professional or personal development, personal enrichment, or to explore the possibility of entering a graduate degree program. Departments may require prior approval for nondegree student registration in departmental courses.

Status as a nondegree student is not an admission to a School of Graduate Studies Degree or Graduate Certificate Program. Nondegree applicants must meet all requirements for admission to the School of Graduate Studies and Research (minimum unrecalculated GPA of 2.7 at the undergraduate level, baccalaureate degree, and submission of all academic transcripts). Nondegree students must complete a nondegree application for graduate studies, which indicates their academic area of choice. Nondegree students are required to pay the regular application fee. If a nondegree student decides to seek admission to a graduate program, no further application fees will be assessed, but all required credentials for the program must be submitted.

Nondegree students are ineligible for any financial aid or assistantships through the School of Graduate Studies and Research. Nondegree students may seek advisement from the chairperson or program director in the academic area in which they have been permitted to take courses. A maximum of 9 semester hours taken as a nondegree student may be applied toward a degree program if accepted by the department in which he/she wishes to earn a degree, and if the department’s recommendation is approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. This transfer limit may not be appealed.

Transient

Transient admission may be granted to a degree-seeking student at any accredited graduate school and who submits a graduate transient student form, signed by the dean of the student’s home graduate school, showing that he/she is a graduate student in good standing. The form to be used in such cases may be secured from the YSU School of Graduate Studies Office. Under some circumstances, transient admission may be renewed for a second semester, but the graduate deans of both universities must approve the renewal.

If a transient student later wishes to become a regular graduate student, he/she must be admitted to a degree program by following the usual admission procedures.

International Students: please go to International - Admissions for admission procedures and forms.

Students who wish to take a workshop for graduate credit but who have not completed the regular School of Graduate Studies admission process will be permitted to register in the School of Graduate Studies as nondegree students. Graduate workshops are graded on an S/U (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) basis.

Youngstown State University workshop courses, upon approval of the graduate advisor, may later be applied to degree work if regular admission to the School of Graduate Studies is obtained and if those courses are part of the degree program. Workshop courses are those specifically designated as such in the Graduate Bulletin or by the Graduate Council.

Transfer Credits

Transfer hours will be considered for acceptance at the time of application/acceptance to the School of Graduate Studies. After admission to a program of study, a student who wishes to attend another university to complete coursework toward a Youngstown State University graduate degree must complete the Request for Transient Status form available from the School of Graduate Studies in order to transfer credits to a YSU degree. Every transfer course must either replace a required course of the program or, if not a direct replacement, integrate satisfactorily into the student’s program. While transfer of a quarter-based course may generate excess semester hours, such hours may not count toward degree requirements unless they replace a complete course in the program.

Master's Degree: Up to 9 semester hours (12 quarter hours) of graduate work completed at other accredited institutions may be applied toward a master's degree at YSU, provided the student earned a grade of A or B in such courses.

Doctoral Degree: Up to 18 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of post-master's degree graduate work completed at other accredited institutions may be applied toward a doctoral degree at YSU, provided the student earned a grade of A or B in such courses.

Credits for courses in which grades of S or CR were received will not be transferred. The number of transfer credits to be accepted in each case will be determined by the Dean of Graduate Studies upon evaluation and recommendation by the department of the student's major. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate a request for the approval of transfer credits. Transfer hours are not included in the calculation of the student's cumulative grade-point average.

In general, workshop format courses are not acceptable for transfer. Professional development workshops are not acceptable. However, if the workshop fulfills the following requirements, credit may be considered for transfer to YSU:

1. The workshop must be taught as part of a master's degree curriculum of the university at which the course was taken.
2. The workshop should consist of a minimum of 12 ½ contact hours per semester hour.
3. The workshop must include exposure to disciplinary research literature appropriate to the course.
4. The workshop must include the opportunity for outside work such as term or research papers or other major assignments appropriate to a graduate course.
5. Credits for courses in which grades of S or CR were received will not be transferred.

Test Information

In certain master's programs, test results must be submitted as part of the admission procedure. The Graduate Record Examination and Graduate Management Admission Test are available at Sylvan Learning Center locations. Arrangements for taking the Miller Analogies Test on campus may be made directly with the Testing Office in Room 3101, Beeghly College of Education.