Procedures and Requirements for Admission

An application and fee payment can be submitted using the Graduate School's online application. The deadline for submitting applications for admission, complete with all supporting credentials, for the summer/fall entrance cycle, varies by program (generally December 1 through February 1). Refer to the Programs page on the Graduate School website for specific deadlines. For graduate programs offering spring entrance, the deadline is October 1.

Any Graduate School regulation or procedure shall not preclude graduate programs from developing specific regulations or procedures which are more restrictive or selective.

Admission Requirements

Completion of the online application form.
Payment of the required Application Fee. Waivers of the fee are available only to those applicants who receive a waiver of the Graduate Record Examination or Graduate Management Admission Test fee through their undergraduate financial aid office. A statement from a college or university official attesting to receipt of or eligibility for the GRE or GMAT fee waiver can be sent via email to gradfee@grad.umass.edu when the application is submitted. Applicants for graduate study through the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement program are also eligible for an application fee waiver. The waiver form must be submitted via email to gradfee@grad.umass.edu.
A bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing.
A minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.00 grading scale.
An official transcript of all previous college work where nine or more credits were earned (undergraduate and graduate). An applicant must request the registrar of each college previously attended send a transcript directly to the Graduate Student Service Center. Electronic transcripts are accepted from U.S. institutions as long as the issuing institution has a mechanism to send electronic transcripts that are digitally signed, password protected, and properly certified by the issuing institution. Transcripts sent as email attachments are not considered official. A final transcript showing that the bachelor’s degree has been awarded must be received before the applicant can enroll in the Graduate School.
Two (or three, depending on the program) letters of recommendation from persons in the field of the applicant's academic major at the institution most recently attended. In some cases, particularly in management, letters of recommendation from other persons may be more appropriate than those from members of their most recent academic field of study.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. Check the Programs page on the Graduate School website to see if the program to which you are applying requires the GRE. Scores must be sent electronically from ETS to the Graduate School. For the scores to be valid, the test must have been taken within five years prior to the anticipated date of enrollment. Applicants for fall admission are encouraged to take the GRE by December. The results of later testing are frequently not available before decisions on admission must be made. The Educational Testing Service administers the test in the United States as well as abroad. Applicants for admission to all programs in the Isenberg School of Management are required to take the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), but may submit GRE scores as an alternative.
The Certification of Residency form is required of all applicants applying as Massachusetts residents, as well as those applying for the New England Regional Student Program. The form is automated into the signature process for the online application.
For international student requirements, see the section below titled International Applicants.
Applications for the Five College Cooperative Ph.D. Program are handled like applications to all other graduate programs at the University.
Applicants for dual master's degrees must select a graduate educational objective of Two Master's Degrees in the online application and indicate the specific programs. Each program makes its admission decision independently. Some applicants may be accepted into only one of the collaborating programs.
Finally, recommendation of admission by the graduate program applied for and formal acceptance by the Dean of the Graduate School.

International Applicants

Applicants who are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident, and whose first language is not English, must prove their ability to speak and understand English by taking one of the following English Language Proficiency tests: TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System), or PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English). The official test scores must be transmitted electronically from the test agency to the University of Massachusetts Amherst Graduate School. The test must have been taken within two years prior to the anticipated date of enrollment and must meet the minimum Graduate School standards, as outlined below:

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - A total score of 80 or above on the Internet-Based Test TOEFL.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - A combined score of 6.5 or above on IELTS Academic.

Pearson Test of English (PTE) - An overall score of 53 or above on the PTE Academic.

Students scoring between 71 and 79 on the TOEFL IBT (IELTS 6.0, Pearson 48-52) who otherwise meet the requirements set by the department may be admitted provisionally provided they agree to attend, at their own expense prior to entrance, an intensive English Language program.

The English language testing requirement is waived for applicants meeting any of the following conditions:

Citizenship of Australia, Botswana, Canada, Caribbean English speaking countries, Dominica, Gambia, Ghana, Great Britain, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Note that there is no waiver for applicants from India.
The student has earned a college or university degree in the United States or in one of the countries listed above.
A degree earned from the American University in Beirut, American University in Bulgaria, American College of Greece,Bogazici University in Turkey, RIT in Dubai, NYU Abu Dhabi, or from NYU Shanghai.
Current enrollment as a full-time student who will have completed two academic years of college/university work in the United States prior to the date of anticipated entrance at the University of Massachusetts.
An Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate has been obtained (prior to June 2005 only.)
An USMLE certificate in which all three sections have been completed.

Additional information for prospective students from other countries is available on the Graduate School website.