1. Application Procedure. All students seeking to register for the first time in the Graduate College of the University of Iowa must secure formal admission from the director of Admissions. Applicants may obtain the proper forms from: Director of Admissions, 107 Calvin Hall, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242. Prospective students may also download the application or apply online from the admissions web site.

    In addition to these forms, official transcripts, test scores and other supporting material must be submitted by the designated deadline prior to the session in which admission is expected. Specific deadline dates will be established by the dean of the Graduate College and the director of Admissions and printed in the Catalog and elsewhere.

  2. Advanced Measurement Tests. Each graduate program will determine which, if any, advanced measurement test(s) will be required of the applicants to the program. Examples of such examinations include the General (Aptitude) Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the GRE Subject (Advanced) Tests, and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). For those departments or programs that choose to require an examination, the examination must be required for all students; there cannot be exempt categories. The sole exception to this policy would be for University of Iowa (UI) students under consideration for undergrad-to-grad (U2G) programs. If a program adopts an exemption to a standardized exam requirement for U2G applicants, the waiver must be applied to all UI U2G candidates. Additionally, a final admission decision will not be made by the Office of Graduate Admissions until the student's scores have been received. The judgment of acceptable levels of performance on these tests, and the weight of such scores in the overall decision-making process, is left to the department or program.

  3. English for International Students. Prior to consideration for admission, international student applicants whose native language is other than English must take and pass either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic, or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), unless they have received a degree from an accredited college or university in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada (except Quebec), Australia, or New Zealand. These examinations are given at various times of the year and in many centers throughout the world.  Beginning in spring 2020, the Graduate College approved limited acceptance of the Duolingo English Test (DET) during the global coronavirus pandemic.  Resulting from the duration of the pandemic, the Graduate College has extended limited approval for accepting the DET through fall 2022 and fall 2023 admissions cycles.  The DET will be reconsidered for limited acceptance until it receives permanent approval or is rejected as an option by Graduate Council.

    International students transferring from unfinished degree programs of other universities in the United States who have not taken either of these examinations, or who have received a score lower than the minimum established by the Graduate College dean, must take the TOEFL, or PTE Academic, or IELTS examination and receive a passing score prior to consideration for admission.

    Students who barely pass the established minimum on the TOEFL, or PTE Academic, as well as all IELTS submitters, will be required to sit for an English evaluation upon arrival in Iowa City. The Graduate College will require these students to take and pass recommended course work in English usage at The University of Iowa designed especially for international students.

  4. Early Admission. A student who is within 6 semester hours of having satisfied all the requirements for the bachelor's degree at The University of Iowa or any other accredited college may be given provisional admission.
  5. Candidacy. Admission to the Graduate College is not the equivalent of acceptance as a candidate for an advanced degree, which must be earned through work successfully completed at The University of Iowa. (See Section X, Master's Degrees and Section XII, Doctor's Degrees.)
  6. Declaration of Major and Degree. Every applicant for admission must indicate on the application form the department or program of major interest and the degree, certificate, or professional objective intended for pursuit. The only exceptions to this regulation are the limited number of applicants registered as non-degree ("special") students. (See definition of non-degree status in next section.) Changes in the major or degree status may be made in the course of a student's graduate study with the approval of the department to which the transfer is proposed. To initiate such action the student must file a change of major or degree status in the Office of Admissions.
  7. Admission Requirements and Status. Graduates of any college or university accredited by regional accrediting associations may be admitted to the Graduate College if their academic records meet the required standards. Upon admission, all students fall into one of the following three categories:

    1. Regular. For students who have met the minimum requirements for admission and who have been accepted by a department, or interdepartmental degree program, for work leading to a graduate degree or certificate, or for professional improvement. The minimum grade point average for admission as a regular student to all graduate programs is 3.00.

      Departments or programs may petition the Graduate College dean for admission of a student whose grade point average is less than 3.00, if there is sufficient evidence of the student's academic and/or professional achievement indicating their potential for success in a graduate program.

      Departments, or committees in charge of interdepartmental degree programs, may, and often do, set higher minimum admission requirements than those set forth above for the Graduate College as a whole. Information concerning departmental or program requirements may be obtained directly from the executive of the department concerned.

    2. Conditional. Students who are interested in working toward a graduate degree or certificate but who are required by a department to demonstrate their ability to do satisfactory graduate work before being admitted to regular status. To be admitted on conditional status the student must be recommended by a department, which will assume responsibility for advising the student. The student on conditional status must achieve regular status within two sessions of registration in the Graduate College by achieving a UI Cumulative GPA of at least 3.00, and acceptance by the major department, or be dismissed.
    3. Non-degree (Special). Students with a valid bachelor's degree and at least a 2.5 grade-point average are eligible to register for no more than two courses per semester. In addition, a non-degree student may not accumulate more than two courses within a given department/program under this classification. These students must be approved for admission by the Graduate College and Office of Admissions. Non-degree graduate students are not eligible for a graduate degree.
  8. Admission of Faculty Members to Graduate Study. Persons who hold faculty rank of assistant professor (including clinical assistant professor) or above at The University of Iowa may be admitted as non-degree students (see Section G above). A person holding faculty rank as specified above may petition the Graduate College dean for permission to enter a departmental program for work leading to an advanced degree, certificate, or professional improvement, except in the department of their appointment or a closely related department. Such petitions must have prior approval of the department of appointment, dean of the college of appointment, the department in which study is to be pursued, and the Graduate College.
  9. Readmission. If a student's enrollment is interrupted for any reason so that they are not enrolled for three consecutive academic sessions (including the spring, summer, and fall sessions but excluding the winter session) the student must apply for readmission. The readmission application form must be used. The Graduate College will not require new letters of recommendation, a new Personal Statement section, a written explanation of the reasons for the absence, or a plan for degree completion. However, departments and programs may choose to require any or all of the foregoing.