Graduate Admission Policies

Students admitted to full status must meet the basic minimum requirements of the university, plus the additional requirements of the individual program. In order to meet the basic minimum requirements for full admission to the university an applicant must have:

• Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, with a minimum GPA of 3.00 (on a 4-point scale) in either the cumulative units of the degree or the last 60 units of the degree, or
• Earned a master’s degree or doctorate from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.00 (on a 4-point scale).

In cases where the above minimum standards are not met, the last 60 units may include courses taken beyond the baccalaureate degree that are 300-level or higher. Courses used for admission purposes may not be applied toward the graduate degree.

Since some individual programs may have additional requirements and enrollment restrictions, meeting the above minimum requirements may not ensure admission to a specific program. Please refer to the program listing for specific requirements.

Students admitted to a degree seeking program must enroll for the admitted term or the offer of admission will be withdrawn and they will need to reapply for a future term.  

Admission with conditions may be granted to applicants whose academic achievement does not meet the standard required for regular admission or whose department requirements are incomplete. All students admitted with conditions must maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 within their first 9 graduate units. See individual program descriptions for specific requirements. Students admitted to a program with conditions must satisfy requirements and correct any deficiencies as determined by the program director. Requirements that must be completed to continue in the program, and the timetable for completing the requirements, are listed on a letter prepared by the program director and sent to the student.

Provisional Admission for International Students Earning a Bachelor Degree or Higher Outside of the United States

Towson University offers provisional admission in select programs for applicants who meet all of the Towson University and program specific requirements for full admission except the English Language proficiency requirement. Students who wish to be considered for provisional admission are to contact the University Admissions Office at grad AT_TOWSON. Students who are provisionally admitted must complete the following before enrolling in any graduate courses:  

• Enroll in the Towson University English Language Center and successfully complete ELC classes through Level VI with a grade of B or better or earn and confirm the required the English Language Proficiency scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, or Duolingo)

Admission for International Students Earning a Bachelor Degree or Higher within the United States

International students who are in the process of earning a baccalaureate degree or higher from an accredited U.S. college or university may be eligible to have the English Language proficiency requirement waived. Once they have completed the baccalaureate degree or higher, they are to submit evidence that their degree was conferred in order for their application to be considered complete.

Note: The following programs are excluded from Provisional Admission: Athletic Training, Audiology, Clinician-Administrator Transition, Educational Administrator I, Environmental Science, Forensic Science, Global Humanities, Health Science, Human Resource Development, Occupational Science, Occupational Therapy (MS, OTD, PPOTD), Physician Assistant, Psychology (Clinical, School, Experimental), Special Education, Speech Language Pathology, Transformational Educational Leadership

Students who hold a baccalaureate, master's or doctoral degree from a college or university in the United States that is not regionally accredited are to have their transcript reviewed and degree equivalency determined by a post-secondary institution regionally accredited to support such a review.

An applicant who is a professional with significant work experience in a field relevant to the program and whose undergraduate degree was obtained at least five years prior to their application to Towson University may petition the Director of University Admissions in writing for an exception to the policy regarding minimum GPA. The applicant is to submit:

1. Letter outlining their rationale for the request and performance indicators that reflect their potential for successfully engaging in graduate studies;
2. Documentation of at least five years of successful work experience in the relevant field; and
3. At least two letters of recommendation supporting the request from relevant supervisors or from faculty members who taught graduate-level courses to the applicant.

The petition will be reviewed by the program director and the program admissions committee, who will assess the relevancy of work experience and the applicant’s qualifications for the program. The program director and program admissions committee may require additional documentation. The program director will inform the Director of University Admissions in writing of their and the committee’s recommendation for conditional admission, and the parameters for conditional admission, if applicable. Applicants are to refer to the graduate program website for additional criteria that program may require for an exception to the policy regarding the minimum GPA.

Some programs may grant admission to seniors in their final semester of undergraduate studies, evaluating them as a “pre-degree” student. You must submit a transcript with grades through the first semester of your senior year for evaluation. Admission standing is subject to cancellation or change if admission credentials remain incomplete or do not meet the requirements for admission. Final transcripts showing degree conferral must be received by University Admissions. 

Only students enrolled in a Towson University accelerated bachelor’s to master's program are eligible to register for graduate level coursework prior to completion of their undergraduate degree. Learn more about TU Accelerated Programs.

• An encrypted electronic transcript may be sent directly via email to gradtranscript AT_TOWSON. (We currently accept electronic transcripts from institutions using Avow System, Inc., Scrip-Safe, Docufide, and USM. Any other source will require review of the vendor by Graduate Admissions staff before it can be accepted.).
• Official hard copy of transcript must be submitted in an envelope sealed by the sending university or college.
• International transcripts must be evaluated by either WES, ECE, IERF, or SpanTran.

• We require TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or PTE test results from any student who received a degree from a college or university outside the United States or who received a degree from a country on the approved list. Duolingo and PTE scores must be sent electronically from the testing agency. Students may send a copy of their score report for the TOEFL or IELTS. Towson University Graduate Admissions will verify the scores. Scores are valid for only two years after test date.
• See specific graduate programs for required GRE or GMAT scores. These test scores may ONLY be submitted electronically.
• See specific graduate programs for other required test scores.
• Towson University’s identification number for test score submission is 5404.