Domestic Applicants

Fill Out Initial Application

Before applying, please visit your intended program’s website for all application seasons, deadlines, and start term dates. You may also contact the Graduate Program Coordinator.

If your program’s application season is open, create an account through the application portal below. Carefully select the term you are applying to. Fill out all other required information.

The following items must be received by the School of Graduate Studies before an applicant’s graduate admission application will be considered complete: 

• A Bachelor’s Degree
  • A bachelor’s degree (or, for some doctoral programs, a master’s degree) that is or will be completed before the student matriculates in the degree program, from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to a graduate program. 
  • Three-year bachelor’s degrees from accredited or similarly recognized institutions are accepted with the approval of the academic department or degree program and the School of Graduate Studies Admissions Director. 
• A 3.0 or Higher Grade-Point Average
  • The School of Graduate Studies will calculate GPAs based on the applicant’s cumulative undergraduate GPA. 30 graduate credits will be taken from an earned graduate degree or degree in progress. NOTE: We do not use post-baccalaureate credits to calculate a GPA. 
• Application Fee (see Step 2 below)
• Supplemental Materials (see Step 4 below) 

Apply

Pay the Application Fee

Pay the $55 ($25 for graduate certificates) non-refundable application fee that must be paid electronically via debit/credit card at the time of the application submission (required of domestic and international applicants). 

• • Note: Not all graduate certificates are financial aid eligible. Prospective students may contact the USU Student Financial Support Office to inquire whether their intended graduate certificate is financial aid eligible.
  • Any other payment method will not be accepted.  
• Refunds are not given for incomplete applications or for non-admittance to a graduate program. 
  
  • Note: Paying the application fee does not guarantee admission to a graduate program.
• If an applicant is having difficulties making the online payment with their debit or credit card, they can contact USU’s IT Department. 

Application fees will be waived for McNair Scholars and active USU Honors students.

• Applicants who qualify for one of these application fee waivers should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator from their prospective department for further action.

Application Fee Waivers

• Some departments offer financial hardship fee waivers for those who may require assistance.
• Applicants should contact the department to which they are applying for more information.   

Submit the Initial Application

Once you have filled out the initial application and paid the application fee, you can then submit the initial application and move on to providing supplemental items.

Upload Supplemental Application Materials

After an applicant has paid the application fee and submitted the initial application, they can log back into the application portal and open their submitted application. 

• There will be a new tab for the applicant to upload all required supplemental items.
• Sometimes it can take a few minutes or longer for an application to update with the tab to upload supplemental items.
  • NOTE: The applicant may need to log out of their application portal, and then log back in, to upload the supplemental items required for their specific prospective degree.
  • The supplemental items section of the application can take 24 to 48 hours to appear after submitting the initial application.
• NOTE: If an applicant has questions about the supplemental items required for their application, and if their program requires entrance exams (and any minimum required scores), or any accepted score alternatives (such as a portfolio), they should contact the program they are applying to for more information.   

The following supplemental items are required before an application will be marked complete: 

Three Letters of Recommendation

• Each letter should address the applicant’s potential for success in the proposed graduate degree program.
• If the applicant has been enrolled in school during the last five years, at least two of the letters must come from individuals who are familiar with and can make an authoritative assessment of the applicant’s recent academic performance.
• In order for the applicant to submit a request for letters of recommendation to be sent, the applicant must provide their prospective recommenders’ names and email addresses.
• This step is completed once a prospective student has filled out the online application and paid the application fee.
• The School of Graduate Studies cannot fill out or edit a letter of recommendation request form.
• Applicants can edit the letter of recommendation requests at any time before it is submitted.
• The School of Graduate Studies must receive letters of recommendation from the recommender directly and cannot accept copies submitted by the applicant.

Transcripts

Official Transcripts

• For admission, the School of Graduate Studies requires an official transcript from each previously attended college and/or university (except Utah State University). 
  • If the applicant was awarded a degree from one institution and the transcript from that institution includes courses taken at a second college or university, and if the transcript includes the course title(s), credits, grade(s), and dates, then applicants do not have to submit a separate transcript from the second college or university.  
    • This includes official college transcripts for any concurrent enrollment credit earned if it is not already on the applicant’s undergraduate transcript.

TRANSCRIPTS ARE CONSIDERED OFFICIAL WHEN THEY ARE:

• Sent directly to the USU School of Graduate Studies by mail (see mailing address below) from the applicant’s previous institution(s).  
• Sent directly to the USU School of Graduate Studies by email from the applicant’s previous institution(s) to graduateadmissions@usu.edu

Unofficial Transcripts

• Other departments accept unofficial transcripts for the application review process that can be uploaded by the student to their application. 

TRANSCRIPTS ARE CONSIDERED UNOFFICIAL WHEN THEY ARE:

• • A student copy.
  • Sent from a non-school email (e.g., gmail, yahoo, etc.).  
  • The transcripts are not in English (have not gone through certified translation).  
• Applicants will need to contact the Graduate Program Coordinator for the program to which they are applying to inquire if they allow unofficial transcripts for the application review process. 

Submitting Official Transcripts

Methods to Submit Official Transcripts

Official transcripts from the applicant’s previous institution(s) can be sent to Utah State University School of Graduate Studies through mail or electronic clearing house or dropped off in person by the applicant or student in a sealed, unopened envelope from the previous institution(s) (see below).

Official Transcripts can be mailed to:

Utah State University
School of Graduate Studies 
0900 Old Main Hill 
Logan, UT 84322-0900

If by electronic clearinghouse, transcripts can be emailed to:

graduateadmissions@usu.edu.

Brought in person by the applicant or student:

The official transcripts in a sealed, unopened envelope from the previous institution(s) may also be dropped off by the applicant or student in person, to the School of Graduate Studies Office in the Old Main Building, Room 164.

For questions regarding official transcripts, please contact the Utah State University Graduate Admissions Office at graduateadmissions@usu.edu

 

 

Complete Your Application

Once all supplemental items have been added, the School of Graduate Studies will process your final application and send it to the department for review. This step does not require any action from the applicant.

Post Application Steps

Accept Your Offer

Once departmental decisions have been made, you will receive an email from the School of Graduate Studies with your admission decision. If admitted, be sure to officially accept the offer by the deadline provided.

NOTE: If you are denied admission to a program, and have questions, please reach out to the Graduate Program Coordinator. Admissions decisions are departmental. 

Post-Admission Steps

To help you better transition into graduate school at USU, we’ve compiled a post-admission steps guide. Please take a moment to review this information and complete all immediate actions.

Review Post-Admission Steps