The Graduate Admissions Committee
The Graduate Admissions Committee (GAC) is a standing subcommittee of the Graduate Council comprised of the Associate Dean of the Graduate School (as committee chair) and two serving members of the Graduate Council. The charge of the GAC is to review and assess the suitability of graduate applicants who have been recommended for admission to an academic program by the unit to which they have applied but who do not meet minimum Graduate School criteria, which include:
- Completion of the equivalent of a U.S. four-year Bachelor’s degree at either a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an institution recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education in the home country.
- A 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA in the undergraduate career, or can otherwise demonstrate academic readiness for graduate-level studies
- Sufficient proficiency in the English language (international applicants only)
The current Graduate Admissions Committee membership is:
- Helene A. Shugart, Associate Dean, Graduate School (Chair)
- Jim Agutter, Associate Professor, College of Architecture and Planning
- Paula Meek, Professor, College of Nursing
Recommended applicants who do not meet minimum criteria forwarded to the GAC for consideration only if (1) they are not eligible for admission via administrative action, administered by Graduate Admissions; and (2) the academic program’s annual allotment of exception slots, also administered by Graduate Admissions, has been exhausted.
Procedure and Timelines
Filing a GAC Petition
If an academic program recommends admission of a student whose file does not meet minimum Graduate School criteria, Graduate Admissions will review the file’s eligibility for administrative action or exception slot. If the file is eligible for either, the student will be admitted and the file will not proceed to GAC. If the file is not eligible for either, the academic program will be notified that if it wishes to pursue admission for the student, it must petition the GAC. The program will be directed to the Slate GAC portal to complete and submit the petition. The petition must be submitted by the academic program chair or director of graduate studies.
The materials that the GAC requires for review of a petition include the complete application packet, including:
- Application form
- Transcripts
- CV/resume
- Test scores (if any)
- Statement of purpose
- Letters of recommendation
This packet will be automatically forwarded to the GAC via Slate once the GAC petition is completed and submitted in Slate. The actual petition is comprised of responses to two prompts on the Slate GAC page, as follows:
- Please explain why you think this applicant is poised to succeed in this degree program despite not meeting Graduate Admissions criteria. (250 words)
- What additional resources or measures will your unit provide to facilitate this applicant’s success? (150 words)
Please see “Considerations,” below, for further information regarding what the GAC weighs in assessing GAC petitions.
GAC Deadlines
The GAC returns decisions within two regular-semester weeks. GAC petition deadlines reflect this turnaround and allow for subsequent processing of GAC decisions by Graduate Admissions to ensure that units and applicants are notified in advance of the start of the relevant term and/or in concert with funding offer deadlines, as relevant. The deadlines are:
- 1 April (for Summer admission)
- 1 April (for Fall admission tied to funding offers)
- 1 August (for Fall admission)
- 1 December (for Spring Admission)
Submissions past the deadline will be considered, but they may not be processed in time for admission (if that is the GAC’s decision) prior to the start of the term. This will be an added consideration of the GAC; that is, the GAC will assess whether and how starting the term late may pose yet a further disadvantage to a student. If an academic program submits a file for GAC consideration past the deadline, it must include additional justification for why admitting the applicant after the term has commenced is warranted and will not disadvantage the applicant. An additional prompt to this effect must be addressed on the Slate GAC petition page if the petition is submitted past deadline.
Note regarding international applicants: International students admitted to academic programs must secure I-20 visas to study in the United States. Please coordinate your GAC file submission in line with I-20 visa deadlines to avoid a situation where an international student might be admitted but unable to enroll due to an inability to secure an I-20 visa prior to the term commencing.
Considerations
The priority of the Graduate Admissions Committee (GAC) is to assess whether the applicant is positioned to be successful despite not meeting established Graduate School criteria. Thus, petitions to the GAC should highlight this as well, relative to, per the petition prompts noted above, (1) attesting to the qualifications of the applicant that offset or stand in for unmet criteria that poise the student for success; and (2) what resources and support the program can furnish to facilitate the student’s success. While each case is unique and the GAC reviews petitions holistically, GAC considerations of petitions for exceptions to policy include the following:
- The time since degree: applicants who are two to three years post degree (or more), have used this time gain relevant experience, and have shown accomplishment in these pursuits are often viewed more favorably than are recent graduates
- Any experience as it relates to intended plan of study can be important
- At least one letter (this may be included in the application materials) from a supervisor that speaks to the applicant's motivation and maturity
- At least one (preferably two) letter(s) from individuals who are knowledgeable about the applicant's academic potential (again, these may be included in the application materials)
- The quality of the undergraduate program from which the baccalaureate degree was earned as well as the applicant's academic standing in that program—especially in coursework related to the intended plan of study
- Information gained from personally interviewing the candidate
- Performance in non-matriculated graduate courses
- The applicant’s Statement of Purpose and/or statement addressing circumstances that may contextualize why minimum Graduate School criteria are not satisfied
- Standardized test scores, if available
Following review and deliberation by the GAC, the following outcomes are possible:
- Admit
- Conditional Admit
- Deny
A CONDITIONAL ADMIT means that the student is contingently admitted to the program for the first term and will be fully admitted the following term provided that the student completes the first semester of coursework with a 3.0 GPA. In addition, the unit must meet one of the following two conditions: (1) a minimum of three advisor or mentor meetings with the student across the first term to ensure that the student is progressing well; has guidance in selecting coursework for the next term; and has adequate access to resources and support; and/or (2) the student completes, with a grade of 3.0 or better, a course (identified by the program) that addresses one or more substantive gaps in the student’s preparedness for graduate study. Programs must report satisfactory completion of the condition(s) at the end of the first term to assure the student's full (unconditional) admission into the following one.
Please note that admission is not complete until the GAC decision and applicant file are processed by Graduate Admissions, and the program and student are duly notified.
If academic programs wish to discuss a petition that has been denied, they are welcome to contact the GAC Chair, Helene Shugart (contact information below) to arrange a meeting.
Graduate Admissions Committee Contact
Helene A. Shugart, PhD
Associate Dean, Graduate School
Professor of Communication