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Admission Categories

Regular Admission

Students may be admitted in regular status to a graduate degree-granting program at the University of Kentucky if they meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as specific program requirements. The minimum Graduate School requirements are as follows:

• A baccalaureate degree from a fully accredited institution of higher learning. An overall grade point average of 2.75 on undergraduate work and 3.00 on all graduate work is required by the Graduate School. Individual departments may require higher grade point averages.
• Submission of scores on the verbal, quantitative and analytical writing portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) unless their chosen program is listed below**. The Graduate School has no minimum GRE score requirement; individual programs may set specific score requirements and in some cases may require the advanced portion of the GRE.
• International applicants whose native language is not English must submit either a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score. The University of Kentucky requires a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 79 (internet-based). For IELTS, a minimum mean band score of 6.5 is required.
• Domestic applicants (U.S. citizens or resident aliens) must pay a $65 application fee; international applicants must pay a $75 fee.

Conditional Admission

Students wishing to pursue an advanced degree who are temporarily ineligible for regular graduate admission status may be recommended by the Director of Graduate Studies for conditional admission status in the following cases:

• Receipt of a final undergraduate transcript showing an awarded Bachelor's degree.
• Receipt of official GRE (or GMAT) scores.
  These requirements will be monitored by the Graduate School and must be met prior to the date set for priority registration during the first semester of enrollment. Students will not be allowed to priority register if these requirements are not met.

Programs will also have the option to recommend that students be admitted “conditionally” for other reasons including:

• Completion of deficiencies, such as taking specific required undergraduate courses.
• Program review upon completion of a specified number of hours of course work
  These requirements will be monitored by the program; the Graduate School should be notified when they have been met so that the student's status can be changed to regular admission. Approval to proceed with the doctoral qualifying examination or the master's final examination will not be granted to students remaining in conditional status.

Admission to the University Scholars Program

The University Scholars Program offers particularly gifted and highly motivated students the opportunity of integrating their undergraduate and graduate courses of study in a single continuous program culminating in both a baccalaureate and a master's or doctoral degree. The total number of hours for the combined program may be as many as 12 less than the total required for the bachelor's and the master's or doctoral degrees separately. The requirements for the bachelor's degree are unaffected.

Application to the program should be submitted at the end of the student's junior year. Applicants should have completed at least 90 credit hours of work toward the bachelor's degree, or be eligible for senior standing in the semester they are admitted to the program. The master's program should be in the field of the undergraduate major (there are some exceptions made), and the undergraduate grade point average must be at least a 3.50 in the applicant's major field and 3.20 overall. Applicants to a University Scholars program must submit both a Graduate School application and a University Scholars form with all requested signatures
University Scholars Program Application form

Baccalaureate/masters University Scholars programs are currently offered in:

Graduating Seniors as Part-Time Graduate Students

Seniors at the University of Kentucky lacking no more than 6 credit hours for graduation and having an undergraduate average of at least 2.75 on all work attempted may register in the Graduate School in conditional status with the consent of the undergraduate college dean, the appropriate Director of Graduate Studies, and the Dean of the Graduate School. The total load of such students may not exceed 12 credit hours. Graduate credit will be allowed for each credit hour of graduate work beyond the six or fewer credit hours needed to complete undergraduate requirements. Requirements for the undergraduate degree must be completed during the semester in which the student is allowed to register for part-time graduate work. Students applying for admission to the Graduate School under these conditions must fill out a petition form listing the course or courses to be taken to complete the undergraduate requirements
Graduating Seniors as Part-Time Graduate Students form

Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Students

Students who hold a baccalaureate degree from a fully accredited institution of higher learning and who wish to pursue graduate study without a degree objective may apply for admission as post-baccalaureate graduate students. Post-baccalaureate students may take graduate courses for graduate credit. Permission to enter any graduate class as a post-baccalaureate student will however be granted only if the student meets the prerequisites for that course and if space is available.

An application for admission to the Graduate School as a post-baccalaureate graduate student should be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the term in which the student plans to enroll. An original or a photocopy of a transcript showing an awarded bachelors degree must accompany the application. An overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.50 or better and 3.00 on all previous graduate work (both on a 4.00 point scale) are required by the Graduate School for admission. GRE scores are not required.

A post-baccalaureate student who later wishes to apply to enter a degree-granting graduate program must have a 3.00 or better grade point average on all course work, graduate or undergraduate, attempted as a post-baccalaureate. A maximum of 9 semester hours or 25 percent of the credits required for the degree concerned, whichever is greater, may later be transferred from post-baccalaureate status to a master's, specialist or doctoral degree program at the University of Kentucky. All such transfers of credit hours into a graduate program must be approved by that program's Director of Graduate Studies and by the Dean of the Graduate School. A grade of A or B must have been earned in the course or courses to be transferred.

Non-Degree Certification Students

The University of Kentucky offers admission to students pursuing course work applicable toward non-degree certification. These include Rank I Certification and Fifth Year Certification through the College of Education. This is a separate type of admission, which differs from post-baccalaureate status. Minimally, the Graduate School requires applicants for certification to meet the same admission requirements as for post-baccalaureate status, but the unit often imposes additional and more rigorous requirements for admission. It is best to consult with the Director of Graduate Studies in the specific area for which certification is sought prior to applying.

Certification students who later wish to transfer credits into a master's or specialist program at the University of Kentucky may do so. The requirements and limitations are the same as for any transfer of credits into such a program.

Visiting Students

Students who are enrolled in a graduate program at another institution and plan to attend the University of Kentucky as Visiting Students need not submit transcripts. Students must, however, request a Visiting Student form from the Graduate School office when filing an application. Visiting Student admission is for one semester only and credit earned in that status is not applicable to a University of Kentucky degree.

** GRE scores are NOT required for admission to Social Work (M.S.W. only), Rehabilitation Counseling and Dentistry (domestic students only) or for admission as a post-baccalaureate, non-degree-seeking, fifth year, rank I or other certification student. Some programs require GMAT rather than GRE scores including Accounting (M.S.) and Business Administration (M.B.A. or Ph.D.). GMAT or GRE is accepted by Economics (Ph.D.), Health Administration (M.H.A.), Public Administration (M.P.A. or Ph.D.) and Public Health (M.P.H. or Ph.D.; scores are not required for applicants with an M.D., D.M.D., D.D.S., Pharm.D., D.V.M., D.O., D.N.P., D.Sc., or Ph.D.).

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