Individuals with a baccalaureate degree from a college or university with full academic accreditation and who present satisfactory evidence of the ability to pursue graduate study can be considered for admission. A baccalaureate degree earned outside the United States must be equivalent to a four-year United States degree.

Applicants may be considered for regular degree admission if they meet one or more of the following conditions:

• The applicant has a grade-point average for the bachelor’s degree of at least 2.75 (A = 4.0), with a higher average in the major field.
  • Some graduate programs require a higher GPA.
  • Consult individual program admission requirements in the Graduate Catalog.
• The applicant scores at the 50th percentile or above on average across the areas of a standardized admission examination.
• The applicant has completed twelve or more graduate credit hours at Cleveland State University as a non-degree graduate student and has a grade-point average of 3.0 or above.
  • Please note that some programs require higher grade-point averages for admission (see program descriptions in the Graduate Catalog). 
• The applicant has earned a graduate degree from an accredited institution.

The institution from which the student received the bachelor’s degree determines a student’s undergraduate grade-point average.

For those with post-baccalaureate studies, both undergraduate and graduate grade-point averages are considered in determining eligibility for admission.

Admission requirements for doctoral programs are higher. Please see program descriptions in the Graduate Catalog. 

The Office of Graduate Admissions Processing finalizes acceptance of an applicant for admission after a recommendation for admission by the appropriate graduate committee. Upon admission, degree-seeking students should meet with an academic advisor to prepare a program of study.