Apply to Grad School

• Complete a four-year baccalaureate degree program with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or the equivalent (on the U.S. 4.0 scale) from the degree granting institution(s). Applicants who have earned 9 or more letter-graded graduate credits must have a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 or the equivalent; the graduate GPA supersedes the undergraduate GPA. Admission eligibility is based on receipt of a baccalaureate degree equivalent to a United States four-year bachelor's degree from a college or university recognized as an institution of higher education by the Ministry of Education in the relevant country or be regionally accredited within the U.S. prior to matriculating into a graduate program.
• Copies of transcripts 
• Meet the University's minimum English language proficiency requirement.

Applicants who have a cumulative undergraduate GPA between 2.5 and 2.74 or the equivalent from the degree-granting institution(s) are eligible for University Conditional status. After completing 9 letter-graded graduate credits at PSU with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, students with University Conditional status will automatically be given Regular status. 

Departmental requirements:

A department may have additional admission requirements based on previous academic achievement, scores on Graduate Record Examinations or other tests, letters of recommendation, a portfolio, or an autobiographical statement. Information regarding departmental requirements can only be obtained directly from the specific department. Admission is selective and meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The number of students admitted to a particular program is limited to the resources available. 

Special approval request: In cases when a student does not meet minimum University admission requirements, departments may choose to submit a Request for Special Approval to Graduate Admissions. This process may only be initiated by a department.

International students

• Copies of official degree certificate/diploma
• Certified translation of transcripts
• Financial documentation demonstrating adequate financial support for at least the first year of study

Deadlines

Application deadlines are set by the departments. Refer to your department for more information about important dates and deadlines.

If you are ready to start your graduate application, login or create a new account in the application portal. Use this same link to access an existing application and to check your admission status.

Check individual program requirements of your graduate program. Review the program’s deadlines, procedures, and requirements in addition to our minimum admissions requirements.

Submit Your Application and $65 Application Fee

If you are ready to start your graduate application, login or create a new account in the application portal. Use this same link to access an existing application and to check your admission status.

Graduate applicants may be eligible for a fee waiver of their $65 admission application fee (plus $2 processing fee). Graduate applicants must submit a request for a fee waiver with required documentation prior to the completion of the application and at least two weeks before the application deadline for processing. If approved, a waiver will be applied to the application and you will be emailed to complete your graduate application for submission.

Submit Required Application Materials

University Requirements

• Copies of transcripts: Admitted students are required to submit official transcripts from any institution where a bachelor’s degree was awarded, and any institution where graduate-level credits were completed 
• Proof of English language proficiency

Department Requirements

Many departments require essays or a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores, e.g., GRE (not required by all programs), resume, writing samples, and.or portfolio.

International Students

• Copies of official degree certificate/diploma
• Certified translation of transcripts
• Financial documentation demonstrating adequate financial support for at least the first year of study

You will be notified via email for each document you submit and your admission decision. You can also check the status of your application online.

Go to Portland State University's online application system and log in. Under "Processed Applications" select an application under "Admission Term" to check its status. A summary will display with details about your application and what may be missing, and perhaps, delaying an admission decision.

If you are not receiving email communications from Portland State University, be sure to check your @pdx.edu email account. Once you set up your student account all communications will be sent to that email address. If you are not receiving information from PSU in any email inboxes, please contact us at gradschool@pdx.edu.

Request a fee waiver

A non-refundable $65 application fee and $2 processing fee is required to successfully complete the Portland State University graduate application. 

Qualifying graduate applicants must submit a request for a fee waiver with required documentation while filling out their graduate application. Fee waiver requests should be submitted prior to the completion of the application and at least two weeks before the application deadline for processing. If approved, a waiver will be applied to the application and you will be emailed to complete your graduate application for submission.

Please reach out to your graduate department for other fee waiver options if your need does not fit within these parameters.

A limited number of application fee waivers are available on a first-come, first-served basis to applicants under the following categories:

Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) and student performance is evaluated based on the following grades: