Admissions requirements

Graduate admission requirements

Graduate admission is selective and meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The number of students admitted to a particular program is limited to the resources and space available in each program. All applicants for a graduate degree or certificate program must meet minimum University admission requirements as well as departmental requirements. 

University admission requirements include:

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Minimum GPA. For Regular admission, applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher. Applicants who have already earned 9 or more letter-graded graduate credits must have a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher; this GPA supersedes the undergraduate GPA. For University Conditional admission, applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA between 2.50 and 2.74.
• Copies of transcripts from all colleges and/or universities attended (except PSU), including junior colleges and community colleges
• $65 application fee + $2 processing fee
• Recommendation for admission from the appropriate graduate program's department

University enrollment requirements include:

• Verification of official transcripts from all colleges and/or universities attended
• Proof of English language proficiency as demonstrated by:
  • Completion of a bachelor's degree, master's degree, or doctoral degree in the U.S., Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the U.K., or;
  • Completion of Portland State's Intensive English Language Program (IELP) with a 3.50 GPA in all courses and recommendation from the IELP, or;
  • Completion of one of the following exams:
    • International Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), minimum overall score of 80; minimum subscores of 18 in reading and writing
    • International English Testing Systems (IELTS) exam, minimum overall score of 6.5; minimum subscores of 6.5 in reading and writing
    • Pearson Test of English-Academic (PTE), minimum score of 60 overall
  • Tests more than two years old are accepted if the score exceeds the minimum requirement and the applicant has maintained continuous residency in the United States since the exam date

In cases when a student does not meet University admission requirements, departments may choose to submit a Graduate Admission - Special Approval Request to the Office of Graduate Studies. This process may only be initiated by a department.

International applicants must also submit:

• Copies of official degree certificates/diplomas
• Certified translation of transcripts and degree certificates/diplomas
• Financial documentation demonstrating adequate financial support for at least the first year of study

Depending on the individual graduate program, additional departmental requirements may include:

• Personal essay or statement of purpose
• Letters of recommendation
• Standardized test scores, e.g. GRE or GMAT
• Resume
• Writing samples
• Portfolio

Three-Year Bridge program

This program is an alternate method of meeting graduate admission requirements. It is designed for international students coming from non-Bologna-compliant three-year baccalaureate degree programs recognized by the Ministries of Education in their home countries. This program comprises approximately one year of academic study intended to bridge the differences between the applicant’s degree and a four-year U.S. baccalaureate degree. Students are invited to participate in this program only if they have been recommended for admission by their departments.