Graduate

A baccalaureate (bachelor’s) degree, requiring four years of full-time study or equivalent, from a college or university holding full regional or national accreditation, is required for admission to all graduate programs. Applicants with a bachelor's degree from an institution holding only state accreditation may be granted conditional admission if their other application credentials are strong. Applicants in the last semester of a four-year undergraduate program may be granted conditional admission until such time as the baccalaureate degree has been awarded.

The minimum acceptable undergraduate grade point average (GPA) varies from program to program. All graduate degree programs require a GPA of 2.75 or higher (on a 4.00 scale) in all undergraduate course work. Some graduate programs require an undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or higher in the last 60 credit hours. Other programs require a GPA of 3.00 in all undergraduate course work. All licensure programs require a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Exceptions are made when undergraduate course work is judged to have been especially rigorous, and when other application credentials are very strong.

GRE requirements vary between programs. Please refer to program-specific pages to see if the GRE is required for the program to which you are applying.

If the GRE is required, then the test must have been taken within five years prior to application (exceptions for current or prior IU students may be granted). For doctoral programs requiring the GRE, admitted applicants typically have a GRE verbal score of 150 or better, a quantitative score of 145 or better, and an analytical writing score of 4.0 or better. However, programs look at applicants’ materials holistically and consider all evidence of students’ strengths when making admission decisions.

You may learn more about the GRE and find testing locations throughout the world through the Educational Testing Service. Use the school code 1324 when submitting your scores to Indiana University.

If reporting scores directly after sitting for the exam, please ensure on your confirmation from ETS that Indiana University is listed as a Designated Score Recipient. If IU is listed as an Undergraduate Score Recipient, your scores will not be received.

The application fee is $70 for both domestic and international students. Application fee waivers are available in some situations.

Your personal statement is an important part of the review process for our faculty members as they consider your application. They want to know about your relevant background, work experience, career goals, and why you are interested in the program. In other words, discuss the qualifications that make you a strong candidate for the program and explain why the curriculum, faculty expertise, or other aspects of the program are of interest to you. The statement should be 500-800 words.

Some programs have specific personal statement criteria, which you will find here.

Please note: If ordering through the National Student Clearing House, do not select “IU Bloomington – Admissions”. You must select “Other” and then enter the School of Education e-mail address: gsoadms@indiana.edu.

Follow the instructions below to submit your transcripts.

Domestic Students:

Submit one transcript from each college or university at which you earned a degree.

You do not need to submit transcripts from any Indiana University campus (including IUPUI). We will be able to access your IU transcript directly.

You may apply with unofficial transcripts. Official transcripts will be required before you begin classes.

If applying with unofficial transcripts, you may upload them through the application system.

To send official transcripts:

Electronic transcripts must come directly from the University or appropriate transcript service to be considered “official.” When submitting official transcripts, domestic students should have the transcript sent directly to the Indiana University, School of Education, Graduate Studies Admission Office at gsoadms@indiana.edu.

Hard copies of transcripts may be mailed to us by either the institution or you; however, transcript hard copies must arrive in a sealed, official envelope to be considered “official.” If sending hard copies, domestic students should send to:

Indiana University
School of Education
Office of Graduate Studies
W.W. Wright Education Building Room 2120
201 North Rose Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47405-1006

International Students:

Submit one transcript from each college or university you attended where you earned a degree or earned credit applied towards a degree.

You may apply with unofficial transcripts, but you will need to submit official transcripts to the Office of International Services upon admission.

If applying with unofficial transcripts, you may upload them through the application system.

To send official transcripts:

Transcripts may be sent to the Office of International Services by either the institution or you; however, to be considered “official,” transcripts must arrive in a sealed, official envelope. Loose or opened transcripts will not be considered official.

Transcripts and supplemental application materials should be sent to:

Ferguson International Center
300 N. Eagleson Avenue
Room 100
Bloomington, IN 47405

For International students, official electronic transcripts may be sent in two cases. First, the Office of International Services will accept electronic documents sent from U.S. institutions through secure delivery services (e.g., Parchment). Second, if a non-U.S. institution states that they only issue electronic documents, then those documents may be submitted. In both cases, documents should be sent to newtoiu@iu.edu.

For additional information about the graduate admissions process for international students, please see the Office of International Services website. For more specifics about sending international documents, please see this webpage.

The number of letters of recommendation required varies between programs. This information can be found under the "admissions requirements" tab on the page for the program to which you are applying.

Letters of recommendation must document academic and scholarly performance, strong social and interpersonal skills, emotional maturity, and moral character. Letters of recommendation from professors or instructors who know the applicant’s academic and intellectual skills are preferred. Letters from employers and others who know the applicant’s work habits and character are also acceptable. 

Keep the following criteria in mind as you consider whom to ask for a recommendation.

• People who can comment from personal knowledge about your academic qualifications for graduate study are preferred. Ideally these recommenders are your former professors or advisors from your previous academic institutions.
• People who can comment about your professional qualifications are acceptable recommenders if you have been out of school for a number of years. Ideally these recommenders are your former or current supervisors.
• Family members, classmates, and friends are not acceptable recommenders.

Instructions for online submission: An electronic request to your recommenders will be automatically sent when you submit your online application. If your recommenders are unable to upload their letters after receiving this notification, they may email their letters directly to gsoadms@indiana.edu.

Instructions for mail submission: Your supervisor should write the letter on institution or company letterhead and include your name and the name of the program to which you are applying in the introduction. Each recommender must enclose the letter in a sealed envelope, sign across the seal, and mail the envelope directly to:

School of Education
Office of Graduate Studies
Wendell W. Wright Education Building, Suite 2100
201 N. Rose Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47405-1006

Should the recommender prefer to send the letter directly to our office, he or she may do so. Unsigned envelopes with reference letters cannot be accepted.

Please communicate the application deadline to your recommenders so that they will have opportunity to submit their letters well in advance.

International students whose first language is not English must submit a score from one of the following tests in order to apply to graduate programs. You must have taken the test within the last two years prior to your application. Applicants currently attending a U.S. institution or who have earned a degree from a U.S. institution within the past three years are not required to submit language exam scores. Students with strong English proficiency may ask their Department for a waiver for this requirement.

• ETS Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • Minimum score of 79
  • Use school code 1324 when submitting your scores to Indiana University
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
  • Minimum score of 6.5
  • Submit your scores through the British Council to Indiana University Bloomington
• Duolingo
  • Minimum score of 115
  • To send Duolingo Scores:
    • Log in to englishtest.duolingo.com with the email address you used to take the test.
    • Scroll down to your certified test results and click the "SEND RESULTS" button.
    • Select whether you are applying to a university, a secondary school, or another type of institution.
    • Start typing the name of an institution to search for it, and select your choices using the checkbox.
    • If your institution uses an Application ID, do not forget to add it!
    • Press "Send."

Any test scores below the minimum will require a waiver to be submitted and approved by the program before admissions can be approved.