Minimum Academic Requirements for Graduate Admission

The Graduate College sets minimum requirements for full status graduate admission to the University of Illinois. Your proposed program of study may have additional or higher minimum requirements for admission into their academic programs. It is important to review their website for program admission requirement information.

The Graduate College minimum requirements for full status admission are below:

  • Applicants must have earned at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college in the United States or a comparable degree from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad.
  • An admission grade point average (GPA)* of 3.0 (A=4.0), or a comparable GPA for an international applicant, is a minimum requirement for admission.
  • Applicants enrolled in the final year of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college in the United States or a or comparable degree program from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad, and who meet the GPA requirements stated above, will be admitted conditionally pending receipt of final academic credentials showing the undergraduate degree as conferred.
  • International applicants must meet minimum requirements based on their country of origin.

*The admission GPA is calculated based on the last two years of undergraduate study. If your undergraduate study is longer than 4 years, additional semesters may be used to calculate the admission GPA.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENT EXCEPTIONS

A student who does not meet one or more of the admission requirements:

  • may qualify for limited status admission with support from the academic program and approval from the Graduate College.
  • may qualify for full status admission based on a master’s or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited college in the United States or a comparable graduate degree from a recognized institution of higher learning abroad with a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 (A=4.0), or comparable GPA for an international applicant.
  • may qualify for full status admission after completion of a minimum of 12 credit hours as a non-degree or graduate certificate student at the graduate level within the proposed academic major at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received a cumulative GPA that meets the department minimum for good standing.
  • may qualify for full status admission with support from the academic program and approval from the Graduate College if they have completed 10+ years of professional work experience in the field corresponding to the proposed academic major.