Graduate Degree-Seeking Student Admission

UNIVERSITY-WIDE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR CLEAR ADMISSION

In order for unconditional admission to a graduate program, an applicant must submit a graduate application along a nonrefundable application fee and meet the following criteria:

Undergraduate GPA. Awarded a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and earned at least a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) GPA in the last 60 semester hours or the equivalent in quarter hours on the applicants bachelor’s degree transcript; or
Earned Graduate Degree. Earned a previous master’s degree or doctoral degree from an accredited university.
Test Scores. Program specific, an official GRE/GMAT score may be required. Please check program requirements.
English Proficiency. International applicants whose native language is not English must also submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For more information, please see the International Graduate Student Admission section.
1. Program Criteria. Meet additional admission criteria set forth by the graduate program of interest such as, but not limited to, letters of recommendation, essays, interviews, entrance exams, etc. Please contact the department chair or program director and refer to the appropriate program section in the catalog for more information on additional documentation requirements for a particular graduate program.

ADMISSION CLASSIFICATIONS

The admission classifications below are based on a number of criteria such as, but not limited to, GPA calculation, degree standing from an accredited university, and official/unofficial status of transcripts.

Departments are allowed to add criteria for admission into a particular program such as, but not limited to, test scores, letters of recommendation, essays, etc. Please contact the department chair or program director and refer to the appropriate program section in the catalog for more information on additional documentation requirements for a particular graduate program.

An applicant may be admitted to a UTRGV graduate program with clear admission or conditional admission as described below:

Clear Admission – Students awarded a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and earned at least a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) GPA in the last 60 semester hours or the equivalent in quarter hours on the applicant’s bachelor’s degree transcript; or earned a previous master’s degree or doctoral degree from an accredited university.

Conditional Admission - Students not eligible for Clear Admission may be admitted conditionally. Once the conditions are satisfied, the admissions classification will be updated to “clear.”

Conditional admission may be granted based on:

Academic Record – Graduate programs may accept students on a conditional basis if: (a) the student has been awarded a bachelor’s degree from accredited institution; (b) earned between a 2.75 and 2.99 (on a 4.0 scale) GPA in the last 60 semester hours or the equivalent in quarter hours on the applicant’s bachelor’s degree transcript.

The following applies to applicants granted conditional admission based on academic record:

An applicant granted conditional admission based on academic record may not enroll for more than 12 graduate hours in total while on conditional admittance.
A student on conditional status who earns any graduate grade less than a B will not be allowed to continue in UTRGV graduate programs. The student may appeal this decision to the Dean of the Graduate College through the department chair or program director and the dean, who will each provide a recommendation on the appeal. The appeal must be in writing to the department chair or the program to which the student is applying and should provide an explanation of any extenuating circumstances to be considered. The Graduate College Dean’s decision shall be final.
At the end of the semester in which a conditional student’s total earned graduate hours are six or more and the student’s graduate GPA is 3.0 or better with no grade less than B, the student’s admission classification will be changed to “clear.”

Unofficial Documentation – Graduate programs may accept students on a conditional basis pending confirmation of a bachelor’s degree if the following apply: (a) the applicant has yet to be awarded a baccalaureate degree at the time of admission but anticipates earning the degree prior to enrolling a graduate program; (b) the applicant submitted unofficial documentation; and the (c) the student meets the minimum GPA requirements.
Graduate Program Requirements - Graduate programs may accept students on a conditional basis if additional requirements must be met before the student is eligible for clear admission (e.g., completion of designated foundation coursework). These requirements will be conveyed to the student at the time of admission. Once the graduate program requirements are met, the student will be reclassified into one of the other admission classifications, including no admission.

The following applies to applicants granted conditional admission:

1. Conditional admission is for one module, or one long semester, or one summer module, or two-consecutive summer semesters.

2. A student who enrolls in a graduate course(s) will have started his or her conditional semester regardless of whether the student drops or withdraws during the semester. The student must provide degree confirmation prior to enrolling in future semesters. However, students may continue to register for future semesters with the understanding that they will be dropped from classes and the refund of payment may not be granted if conditional admission requirements are not met.

3. At the end of one module or one long semester or one summer module or two consecutive summer semesters of conditional admission, the student will be reclassified to one of the other admission classifications, including no admission, based on the official documentation received.

4. Students accepted under conditional admission are responsible for contacting the Graduate College to verify receipt of documentation and to request reclassification of admission status.

DENIAL OF ADMISSION

An applicant not meeting the minimum graduate admission requirements for the university or the admission criteria for the graduate degree program will not be admitted. However, admission to a graduate program is not guaranteed if a student meets these criteria as some programs may have enrollment limitations.

An applicant not admitted to a graduate program may be eligible to enroll in undergraduate classes at the university after undergoing the proper admission process for undergraduate courses.

If an applicant is not admitted into one graduate degree program, the applicant may still be eligible for admission into another degree program. Please schedule an appointment with the Graduate College to discuss this option. Application to a different graduate program may require a new application for admission.

GRADUATE ADMISSION GRADE POINT AVERAGE CALCULATION

The Graduate Admission GPA is calculated as follows:

All academic work undertaken and grades or symbols assigned at each institution shall be reflected on the student’s official transcript(s). No grade may be expunged or excluded from the student’s record. An applicant who has earned a bachelor’s degree under the “Academic Fresh Start” statue, Texas Education Code, Section 51.931, will be evaluated only on a grade point average of the coursework completed for that bachelor’s degree and the other criteria stated herein. For more information on the Academic Fresh Start program, see the Undergraduate Catalog.
All grades for academic coursework assigned, including all grades in courses which have been repeated, will be used in calculating the graduate admission grade point average, which can include any previous work in a graduate or professional school other than remedial or non- credit courses.
The GPA computation is based on a four-point scale (e.g.: A=4 points per semester hour, B=3 points per semester hour, C=2 points per semester hour, D=1 point per semester hour, and F=0 points per semester hour).
A grade or symbol indicating failure (i.e., F) will count as hours undertaken, but no grade points will be earned.
Excluded from the grade point average will be any credit by examination (CR), Withdrew (W), Incomplete (I), and a Pass grade within a pass/fail system.
The GPA is computed by multiplying each grade point (see 3. under this section) by the semester or quarter credit hours earned per course and totaling the products. The semester or quarter hours of courses undertaken will then be totaled. The total of the products will be divided by the total semester or quarter hours. The result (calculated to the 100th place) is the official cumulative grade point average for admission to graduate programs.