Admission Requirements

A graduate of an accredited college or university may be considered for admission to graduate study. The decision to admit a student rests with the applicant’s major department and stands for one year following the first semester for which admission was offered. If more than one year elapses, the prospective student’s department reserves the right to reconsider the original offer. Students wishing to pursue an interdisciplinary degree may, in some cases, apply to the program directly.

Applications for admission may be obtained by writing to the department to which admission is sought or to the office of the dean of one of the colleges.

An applicant may enter the graduate program as a student in the following categories: regular, associate, non-degree seeking student. Except for qualified Lehigh undergraduates, only those who have been admitted officially by the graduate program office of an appropriate college or by a department in one of the categories above may register for graduate courses or take them for credit.

Regular graduate students.
Only regular graduate students are candidates for graduate degrees. Application for admission as a regular graduate student must be filed by July 15 for the following fall semester or by Dec. 1 for the spring semester. Regular applications for the first and second summer sessions are accepted until April 30 and May 30, respectively. Certain departments or programs have earlier deadlines. Applicants should consult their respective departments or their dean’s office. In order to be considered for admission as a regular graduate student, the applicant must satisfy at least one of the following conditions: have an undergraduate G.P.A. of at least 2.75 out of 4.00; have an average of at least 3.00 for the last two semesters of undergraduate study; have scores at or above the 75th percentile on the Graduate Record Examination or other recognized test (all foreign graduate students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language and achieve a minimum score of 550 or 213 on the new computer-scored test); have a graduate grade-point average of at least 3.00 for a minimum of twelve credit hours of graduate work completed at other institutions; or have successfully satisfied the probationary conditions as an associate graduate student discussed below. Satisfying one of these conditions is a necessary but not sufficient condition for admission as a regular graduate student.

Individual departments may evaluate their candidates for admission according to higher standards and additional criteria. Departments should be consulted for information regarding required examinations for admission. For example, candidates for the M.B.A. program are required to take the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).

Admission of a student to graduate standing is executed through the Office of Graduate Studies in each college or the respective dean’s office. Credentials for admission to counseling psychology and school psychology programs and to the doctoral programs in special education are acted upon only once a year. Completed applications and requests for financial aid must be submitted by January 15 for admission in the following fall semester. Applications received for these programs after this deadline will be dealt with on a space-available basis.

Associate graduate students.
Associate graduate student status may be offered to applicants who apply but fail to qualify for regular graduate student status. Only associate student applications will be considered during the late admissions period between the end of the regular admission period and the first day of classes. Applicants for associate status may submit unofficial rather than official transcripts; letters of recommendation are not required at that time. The Registrar will require an official final transcript, however, before grades are released. Certain departments or programs have earlier deadlines and more stringent requirements. Applicants should consult their respective departments.

Associate graduate students who are admitted during the late admission period and who clearly qualify for admission as regular graduate students may petition for regular status after classes begin if all credentials are in order. There is no late application fee. Individual departments may have more stringent requirements.

Other associate graduate students must meet the following condition before they may petition for regular status: completion of the first nine credit hours of courses numbered 300 or higher with at most one grade of C+ or below. Students receiving a grade lower than a C will be dropped from the program. Students should note that individual departments may impose more rigorous probationary standards.

When the probationary period of nine credit hours is completed successfully, associate graduate students must petition for regular student status in order to continue. This requires the submission of regular admission documents not already on file. Courses completed during a successful probationary period may count toward a graduate degree if they are part of an approved program.

Non-Degree-Seeking Students.
Students who do not wish to enter a degree program may seek admission with non-degree status. In this case, the prospective student completes an abbreviated application form (available from the appropriate college). The admissions criteria for non-degree graduate students are: 1) a bachelor’s degree from an approved institution with an overall grade point average of at least 3.0; (applicants with undergraduate GPAs below 3.0 may be admitted with the approval of the department in which they wish to take courses;) or 2) evidence that the applicant is presently a student in good standing in an appropriate graduate program at an approved institution; or 3) evidence that the applicant has received an appropriate graduate or other advanced degree from an approved institution. 4) International students are required to demonstrate English language skills equal to those required of
degree-seeking students. All international applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). A minimum score of 580 (or 237 on the new computer scored test) is required for admission. This TOEFL requirement may be waived if the international applicant has studied in an English-speaking university for at least one year.

Admission decisions for non-degree students are made by the dean of the appropriate college or other responsible official designated by him/her for this purpose. The signature of the designated official on the application and registration forms confers admission to the non-degree graduate student status. Informal transcripts will be accepted for initial admission, but formal transcripts must be on record before the student can receive any transcript or grade report from the university or enroll for additional courses.

Non-degree students may take no more than twelve hours of graduate study at Lehigh. Any transcript or other record from the university will clearly indicate the student status as non-degree. Students in a non-degree status are not eligible for financial aid.