Below you will find information pertaining to admissions standards for the School of Graduate Studies at Case Western Reserve University

Admission Status

Full Standing

To be admitted to full standing the applicant must meet all the admissions criteria without conditions or academic provisions:

• Applicants must have a good academic record, e.g., a B average or rank in the upper third of his or her graduating class at an institution whose status and programs are readily assessed.
• Applicants will be expected to meet all of the undergraduate prerequisites for the proposed field of graduate study.

In addition to evidence of admissibility from transcripts, grade records, letters of recommendation and TOEFL or IELTS test (English proficiency test for international students only), certain departments require that the applicant submit satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination, the Miller Analogies Test, or the Graduate Management Admission Test.

Ordinarily a bachelor's degree is required for unconditional admission to the graduate school. Under some circumstances, an admissions committee may recommend admission to the School of Graduate Studies on the basis of an equivalent experience. In this case, final approval for admission by the Dean of Graduate Studies is required.

Provisional Standing

Applicants who have academic deficiencies and do not qualify for admission with full standing are occasionally admitted provisionally.

A student may give evidence of ability in his or her chosen field that is sufficiently convincing to warrant provisional admission, but the quantity or quality of the student's preparation may be difficult to determine with sufficient certainty for admission in full standing.

Provisions will be specified by the department to which the student is admitted, and stated in the official letter of admission from the Dean of Graduate Studies. A provisional graduate student is expected to complete appropriate course work and to meet the performance standards of the School of Graduate Studies within the first academic year of study.

Although the provisional student's record will be reviewed each semester, the student's status will be reconsidered by the department no later than at the end of two semesters of study. At that time, if the student has satisfied the provisions associated with his or her admission in the judgment of the department and the Dean of Graduate Studies, the student will be given full standing; otherwise, he or she will be separated from further graduate study in that department.

Conditional Standing

Applicants who have missing documentation in their admissions file (such as an official academic transcript with degree posted or official copies of test scores) may be admitted conditionally. The conditions specified in the letter of acceptance must be satisfied prior to matriculation in the School of Graduate Studies.

Postponement of Matriculation

Applicants are guaranteed admission only for the term specified in the letter of admission. An applicant who is unable to enroll in the semester for which he or she was initially admitted may request to postpone matriculation up to two regular academic semesters. In such cases, the department to which the applicant has applied may accept or reject the applicant's request, and the terms of readmission may differ from the original offer. If a delay of more than two semesters is requested, the applicant's file must be reviewed and reevaluated by the department. If more than two years elapse since acceptance, the applicant must reapply in the same manner as a new applicant. Because applicant files are only kept for a maximum of two years, all documentation will have to be resubmitted.