General Information

Admission and Application Process

Every person who desires to enroll in or audit any graduate credit course must be first admitted to a degree or certificate program or approved by the Graduate School as non-degree for up to nine credits. All applicants must satisfy English proficiency requirements.

Domestic applications for admission to the Graduate School should be completed in the admissions portal at least six weeks before registration. International applications for admission to the graduate school should be completed in the admissions portal at least six months before registration.

An official transcript from every college or university attended must be received through the admissions portal before the application will be processed. This applies to the complete academic record, both undergraduate and graduate. Original transcripts should be sent to the admissions portal directly from domestic institutions attended. Evaluated transcripts should be sent to the admissions portal directly from a NACES-accredited organization from international institutions attended. The applicant is responsible for meeting the listed conditions by the deadlines for application completion.

All records, including academic records from other institutions, become part of the official file and cannot be returned for any reason.

An offer of admission may only be made to an applicant who meets all admission requirements. Resources are finite, so the number of students accepted will vary among programs and from term to term. An accepted applicant may begin graduate work in the fall, spring or summer semester, depending upon visa requirements and individual graduate program policies. The offer of admission is void, however, if the applicant does not register for and attend courses within one year from the semester for which admission was granted. An individual whose offer of admission has lapsed must submit a new application to be reconsidered.

The student is admitted only for the purpose of pursuing a graduate certificate, degree, or coursework stated on the application for admission. A new request for admission must be submitted when the original objective has been attained or when the student wishes to change objectives. Matriculation status terminates when the time limits for registration after admission or degree/certificate completion have been exceeded or other conditions for continued admitted status have not been met.

No student will be admitted without approval and acceptance by the academic program and Graduate School.

Admission Classifications

Applicants for graduate admission will be classified in one of the following categories. Any change in admission status must be made by the Graduate School.

Full Admission may be given to any applicant who desires to pursue a graduate degree and has a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with an overall grade point average of 2.50 or better, or 3.00 for the last two years (sixty-four semester credits or equivalent), or holds an advanced degree from an accredited college or university in or appropriate to the intended field; or holds a baccalaureate or master's degree from a foreign college or university that satisfies U.S. equivalency of degree and grades, plus satisfactory evidence of competence in English.

Special Workshop status is for a person permitted to take workshops for graduate credit without being admitted to Graduate School. Such permission is granted by the workshop director upon receipt of a signed statement of possession of a baccalaureate degree by the applicant, and terminates upon completion of this workshop. A student admitted to special workshop status must apply through regular channels for any other category.

Transient status may be given to a person who is a regularly enrolled graduate student in good standing in a degree program at another accredited university and has written permission to enroll at The University of Akron. Such permission is valid only for the courses and semester specified, with a maximum of ten semester credits allowable, and is subject to the approval of the instructor, department head, and Graduate School. A transient student is subject to the same rules and regulations as a regularly enrolled student of the University.

Undergraduate status is for undergraduate students at the University who may be granted permission to take one or more graduate-level courses if all the following conditions are met:

senior standing;
overall grade-point average of 2.5 or better through preceding term (if a student does not have a 3.00 or better in the major field, special justification will be required from the department);
written approval is given by the instructor of the course, the student’s adviser, and the Graduate School.

These courses may later be applied to a degree program if not used to satisfy baccalaureate degree requirements. The maximum number of graduate credits that may be taken by an undergraduate and applied later toward a graduate degree is 12.

Accelerated Degree Pathway status is for exceptionally well-prepared undergraduate students. With the permission of their academic program and the Graduate School, students may take up to nine hours of graduate coursework that are eligible to count towards the completion of both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 3.30 at the time of application to the accelerated degree pathway in their junior year. All double-counted coursework is completed in the senior year with the student remaining in good academic standing. During their senior year, students must apply to and gain full admission to the Graduate School by meeting all admission requirements. No more than six credits of ‘C’ grades may be used toward the graduate degree.

Cross-Registration

Under specific circumstances a graduate student may take one or more graduate courses at Cleveland State University, Kent State University, The University of Akron, Northeast Ohio Medical University, or Youngstown State University without registering as a transient student. The course for which a student wishes to register should contribute to the student’s program of study and be unavailable when needed to complete the student’s program at the home institution. The student must be in good standing (GPA>3.0) and within the time limits for degree completion. The graduate program unit at the student’s home institution will establish a graduate special topics or independent study course identification capable of being “tagged” by the home university with a title that will correspond to the course title at the host university and with the initials of that university; i.e. CSU, KSU, NEOMED or YSU. Registration for such a course is controlled by the home department and will be permitted only upon receipt of an approved Cross Registration form. Cross Registration forms can be obtained on the Graduate School website.

Entrance Qualifying Examinations

The use of examinations to determine admissibility to enter a graduate program or eligibility to continue in one is the prerogative of the departments offering graduate programs. The department has the right to select the examination and minimum acceptable level of performance. Information and procedure may be obtained from the chair of the appropriate department.

Graduate Assistantships

The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) and/or the Graduate School award teaching and research assistantships to qualified graduate students to render service to the University through undergraduate teaching and research, respectively. OAA/Graduate School funded assistantships are awarded for up to two years of master's study, up to five years of doctoral degree study, and up to five years of master's/doctoral degree study. No student should expect to receive a University funded teaching or research assistantship for more than five years. Individual University units may fully fund and award administrative graduate assistantships to perform other duties. For information and/or applications, the student should contact the head of the department. Tuition scholarships are also available on a limited basis in some departments

Fellowships sponsored by external entities may impact assistantship eligibility, the number of hours a student can work on an assistantship, and/or the level of financial assistance a student is eligible to receive. Information on fellowships can be obtained from the department head.

Financial assistance through graduate assistantships may impact the level of financial aid eligibility. Information about student loans and other forms of financial aid can be obtained from the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Additional information and policies pertaining to graduate assistantships is available in the Graduate Assistant Handbook which can be obtained on the Graduate School website.

Nonaccredited American School Graduates

A student holding a baccalaureate degree from a non-accredited American college or university, if otherwise qualified, is required to complete at least nine semester credits of post-baccalaureate work with a minimum grade point average of 3.00 before being considered for admission to the Graduate School. The accreditation status of the school at the time of the student's graduation shall apply. A student should consult with the academic program in the major field to develop a post-baccalaureate program.

Registration

The responsibility for being properly registered lies with the student, who should consult with the assigned adviser in preparing a program of courses and/or research. A schedule of courses, hours, class location, and registration procedures is obtainable online through the Office of the Registrar.

Sixty Plus Program

The University of Akron Sixty-Plus Program has been designed to allow persons over 60 years of age to attend University courses on a non-credit (audit) basis without having to pay tuition, general service fees, or other fees not charged to all students taking the same classes under conditions described below:

To qualify for the Sixty-Plus Program, the prospective student must be 60 years of age or older and have resided in the State of Ohio for at least one year.
Sixty-Plus students are permitted to enroll in a class on a space available basis. Sixty-Plus students will be allowed in classes only after degree-seeking students have registered.
Sixty-Plus students are listed as audit students. Audit students do not generate state subsidy, therefore, audit students should not be considered in making courses reach minimum size.
Students 60 years or older who choose to take classes for credit must pay full tuition and fees.
A Sixty-Plus student must either satisfy prerequisite class requirements or obtain the instructor’s permission.
Sixty-Plus students’ admittance into a course is subject to instructor’s approval.
A Sixty-Plus student may register for no more than three courses (11 or fewer credits) per semester.
Sixty-Plus students are responsible for payment of approved fees, which are assessed to all students taking the same course. Tuition, general service fees, and any other fee not assessed to all students taking the same class will be waived. Sixty-Plus students are responsible for any other expenses such as parking permits or books.
The Sixty-Plus program is intended to comply with section 3345.27 of the Revised Code.

Persons over the age of 60 may attend University of Akron courses and receive credit for courses taken under the conditions outlined above if the person’s family income is less than 200% of the federal poverty guideline, as revised annually by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in accordance with Section 673 of the Community Services Block Grant Act, 95 stat. 511 (1981) 42 U.S.C.A. 9902, as amended for a family size equal to the size of the family of the person whose income is being determined. However, a person receiving credit for attending courses under this division will be charged a tuition or matriculation fee in an amount no greater than the amount of any part-time student instructional grant awarded to that person by the state university or college in its discretion. The following shall also apply:

Eligible Sixty-Plus participants may enroll for no more than three courses (11 or fewer credits) unless request to enroll in a greater number is approved by the Senior Vice President and Provost and Chief Operating Officer.
Participants in this program may be prohibited from enrolling in certain courses for which special course or training prerequisites apply, in which physical demands upon students are inappropriate for imposition upon persons 60 years of age or older, or in which the number of participating regular students is insufficient to cover the University’s course-related expenses.
Sixty-Plus students are subject to the same disciplinary and/or governance rules affecting all students.
This policy is subject to and provided by Ohio law and The University of Akron Board of Trustees regulations, either of which may be amended from time-to-time.

Student Responsibility

A student assumes full responsibility for knowing the regulations and pertinent procedures of the Graduate School. Generally, the degree requirements in effect at the time a student is admitted to a program will apply through graduation. However, if existing programs are revised, the student has the option of pursuing the revised program if all requirements in the revised program are met. Information pertaining to individual programs can be obtained from the appropriate academic program.

Transfer Students

A graduate student matriculated in the Graduate School of another college or university who wishes to transfer to The University of Akron to continue graduate education must be in good standing at the other school.