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Admission requirements

The graduate admission policy of Oakland University is selective, and the process is competitive. Applicants for graduate admission must present evidence that they have had the necessary academic preparation to enable them to pursue the graduate program for which they are applying.

International applicants have specific admission requirements.

Graduate application requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

Graduate Application Requirements 

  • Online Application for Admission to Oakland University Graduate School.

  • Official Transcripts are required from all post-secondary educational institutions from which the applicant earned a degree (beginning with first baccalaureate) and all enrollment in graduate level course work beyond the bachelor’s degree.

    International University Transcripts (educational credentials) must be evaluated by a professional credential evaluation service. Oakland University will only accept transcript evaluations completed by a NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation service) member organization.

    Three-year Baccalaureate Degree
    Applicants with a three-year baccalaureate degree from an institution outside of the U.S. are welcome provided:  1) they have been awarded the degree at the time of application; 2) the degree would qualify them for admission to an academic graduate program in the country in which it was earned; and 3) their degree evaluation must include a course-by-course (or detailed) transcript evaluation rather than the general transcript evaluation.

    General Document-by-Document Evaluation
    A general document-by-document evaluation contains a description of your credentials, including name, year awarded, name of institution attended, and major field of study. It also provides the U.S. equivalent for each credential.  This is Not permitted for 3-year baccalaureate degrees.

    Course-by-Course Transcript Evaluation (preferred)
    Graduate programs requiring more detailed information will require an applicant to submit a course-by-course transcript evaluation.  A course by course transcript evaluation details all post-secondary subjects with the corresponding values expressed in terms of U.S. equivalent course grade, semester units and credit units for each subject

    Since official transcripts must be submitted to the evaluation service, official foreign transcripts will not be required by Oakland University

Recommendation for Graduate Admission Forms
*Refer to the program application requirements listed below for specific requirements for the recommendations. Note that some graduate certificates do not require any recommendations. 

Proof of English language proficiency

​International supplemental application and supporting documentation must be submitted before international applicants can be issued the Certification of Eligibility (I-20). This certificate is required to apply for a student visa from the U.S. embassy or consulate.

Program-specific admission requirements

In addition to meeting the General Admission Requirements, Graduate admission decisions are based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative program admission requirements that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Career goal statement

  • Personal goal statement

  • Letters of recommendation

  • Academic record

  • Relevant professional activities and achievements

  • Previous grades and GPA

  • Interviews

  • Audition

  • Essays

  • Portfolios

  • Supplemental applications

  • Standard admission test scores

Some graduate programs may require an applicant to submit satisfactory scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), including advanced (subject) exams.

Admission requirements specific to the graduate program for which students are applying may be found in the program/department section of this catalog.