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Admission Requirements

For our graduate programs, we welcome applications from students who hold a bachelor's degree (or higher) from a college or university accredited by a regional or general accrediting agency, and have at least a B average in undergraduate course work (or otherwise give evidence of promise that is judged satisfactory by the admitting program).

Each graduate program is responsible for setting application requirements and admission criteria beyond the minimum requirements set by the university. Programs set their application deadlines, and they set their own schedule for making admission decisions. Programs have the authority to require certain pre-admission examinations, to require the satisfactory completion of certain course work prior to admission, and to establish other admission requirements. Admissions decisions are made by the program, and those decisions are final. 

Your application and all required materials must be submitted by the program's deadline in order to be considered for review.

General Admission Requirements

Admissions Application

Most programs utilize the UC Graduate Admissions Application. In order to begin an application, you will create an account with UC's Application Portal. You'll select the proper application year, entry term, and program to get started on the application! 

Select programs use outside applications instead, including:

Please note that UC admits by entry term (semester), so ensure that you are applying to the proper entry term. Not all programs are available to start every entry term. Please reference your program's admissions website for more information. 

Application Fee

Application fees vary by program and application type. For more information see our Application Fees page. 

Unofficial Transcripts

Submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. At the time of application, UC requires one of two forms of transcript submission*: 

  1. An upload of your full unofficial transcript documentation showing cumulative GPA that also includes (if applicable) marks sheets, diploma, and translation showing completion of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree or what is considered to be the equivalent* to a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree, OR 
  2. Submission of a document-by-document or general transcript evaluation by a NACES member (commonly used members include IEE, Josef Silny & Associates, SpanTran, WES, etc.; international applicants only). **Please note: The MS in Respiratory Therapy, MS in Criminal Justice, and Ph.D. in Criminal Justice programs all require submission of a document-by-document transcript evaluation for international applicants. Unofficial transcript submission from international applicants will not be accepted by these programs. 

*Some programs at UC, mostly within the Lindner College of Business, accept certain three-year degrees as applicable to U.S. four-year degrees. NACES evaluations are not required for these applicants at the time of application. Please contact the Lindner College of Business at graduate@uc.edu with questions. 

Please note: Applicants to programs within the College of Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Audiology, Speech-Language Pathology, and Public Health MUST submit official transcripts through the appropriate CAS application system at the time of application. This includes UC transcripts for those applicants who previously attended UC.

Letters of Recommendation

The number of required letters varies by program. Please search for your program on the Graduate Program Finder to view full application requirements, including the number of letters of recommendation required and any specific guidelines for those letters. 

Proof of English Language Proficiency (for international applicants)

Proof of English proficiency is required of all applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and who were educated in a country where the official national language is not English. Applicants can demonstrate English proficiency via standardized test score or by meeting the requirements for one of our accepted waivers. Please view our full requirements, including minimum scores, on our English Language Proficiency Requirements page.

Official Standardized Test Scores (if required by program)

Test score requirements vary by program. Please search for your program on the Graduate Program Finder to view full application requirements, including if the program requires submission of a standardized test score for admission.  
 
Please note that UC only accepts official scores sent directly from the testing agency to UC, preferably via electronic sending methods. For GRE scores, please use school code 1833. Do NOT choose a department code. Choosing a department code will likely cause your scores to go to the wrong place and not be added to your application.
 
Both the in-person and at-home versions of the GRE are accepted. Self-reported scores will not complete your application.
 
For proper matching of your test score(s) to your application, please use the same email address for both your test registration and your admissions application. 

Optional Video Essay

The video essay is optional and is NOT a required part of any program's application process. In moving towards a more holistic admission practice, we added this video component to provide applicants the opportunity to demonstrate attributes that might not be revealed in the other application materials that have been submitted (e.g., GPA, GRE, recommendation letters, etc.). Prior to submitting your finished application, you may remove a recorded video from your application by pressing the "start over" link. 

CV/Resume, Personal Statement, etc. (vary by program)

Other requirements such as CV/Resume, Personal Statement, etc. vary by program. Search by program to view full admissions requirements. 

Questions about your graduate application?

Contact Graduate Admissions at grad.admissions@uc.edu or (513) 556-1100.