A. Receiving the Application

All applicants to graduate programs and/or certificates must submit the online NC State University Graduate School Application Form, including a statement of purpose and the North Carolina Residency Form (if necessary for tuition purposes). Recommenders identified by the applicant during the online application process also submit references online. An unofficial transcript from each college or university previously attended should be uploaded. The Graduate School encourages applicants to pay all application fees by credit card.

Required Documents

Applications for degree-seeking graduate students are not complete until the Graduate School receives a non-refundable application fee and the following documents (for Certificate applications see Section 3.13).

• An unofficial transcript from all colleges and universities where they have or will obtain a degree; (Note: Applicants currently attending or who have previously attended NC State are not required to provide an NC State transcript.)
• Three recommendations from people who know the prospective student’s academic record and potential for graduate study;
• Online North Carolina Residency Form if claiming NC residence for tuition purposes submitted within one (1) week of application submission;
• Additional program requirements, such as official GRE or other standardized test scores, statements of purpose, portfolios or other work samples (documentation of these additional programmatic requirements can be linked to through the Fields of Graduate Instruction website); and
• Where applicable, official TOEFL or IELTS scores. All supporting documents should be uploaded to the application prior to submission, and cannot be updated after submission. Other than official transcripts, paper documents should not be mailed to the Graduate School.

Transcript Requirements

Legible, unofficial copies of transcripts should be uploaded to the application for review purposes. Upon recommendation of admission, the University requires that official transcripts that document all prior conferred/awarded degrees be on file in the student’s permanent record at NC State. The transcript(s) must include a statement of any degree(s) awarded. At the time of application, some students are enrolled in a degree program and can only provide an incomplete official transcript at the time an admission decision is reached. The official, complete transcript(s), including statements of all degrees awarded, must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than the last day of classes of the first semester they are enrolled. An initial hold will be placed on a student’s registration if they fail to supply the transcripts with possible termination should they not be provided.

Deadlines for Applications

The Graduate School must receive the application and all supporting documents no later than the deadlines specified by the Graduate School and/or the program; numerous programs have earlier deadlines than those established by the Graduate School. Applicants are responsible for meeting any earlier deadline established by a graduate program to which the prospective student is applying (see the Fields of Graduate Instruction website for links to program deadlines).

Conditions of Admission

Final acceptance at NC State is contingent upon completion and official documentation of any degree (bachelor’s or master’s) listed in an applicant’s application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to maintain a level of academic performance that meets university and program admission standards. Poor performance during the last semester(s) could jeopardize an applicant’s admission. Likewise, students currently enrolled in Post Baccalaureate Studies (PBS) or who request an admissions deferral and take PBS coursework must also maintain a level of academic performance that meets the university’s and program’s admission standards. Failure to comply with these conditions could, at the discretion of the program and/or Graduate School, be grounds for changing the admission status.

Length of Application Validity

An application is valid for 12 months from the date it was submitted by the applicant.

Number of Programs for Which Applicant Can Be Considered

An application is only valid for admission consideration by one graduate program. If an applicant wants to be considered for admission to additional programs, they must re-apply and pay an additional application fee for each program they apply to.

B. Waiving the Application Fee

Under exceptional circumstances, the Graduate School may waive the application fee.

C. Processing Applications

All Applications

Applicants must ensure that all of the required materials are submitted. When the Graduate School receives a completed application and the application fee, an admission record is created for the applicant and their application is made available to the program of interest. The DGP and the graduate program review the completed files of all applicants in accordance with the Graduate School’s guidelines for final admission or denial decisions. The DGPs then submit their recommendations to the Graduate School.

The Graduate School reviews the departmental recommendations and, in cases where the Graduate School concurs with an admission decision, requests official transcripts. Once the official transcripts are received and verified, the Graduate School posts the final admission decision. When the Graduate School denies a program’s recommendation for admission, the program has the option of supplying further justification to the Graduate School. However, the Graduate School has the final decision.

International Applications

Before international applicants’ admission status can be finalized, they will need to submit a completed Certificate of Financial Responsibility (CFR) and/or a Visa Clearance Form (VCF), depending upon their visa status, directly to the Graduate School. Once the CFR and/or VCF are approved, applicants must accept the offer of admission before a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20 or DS-2019) will be created (see Section x.x for detailed information on International Applications).

D. Reapplication

Students denied admission into a graduate program may be reconsidered for admission at a later time upon submission of a new application and supporting materials.