Admission to graduate study at Kentucky State University is open to all qualified applicants who meet the requirements stated in this catalog. All students must meet the University requirements for admission and be accepted by Graduate Studies before they can be considered for a specific graduate program. Each program may have higher admission requirements and/or additional requirements for admissions to the specific program. After all required documents are received, applications are reviewed by the Office of Graduate Studies. If University requirements for acceptance to Graduate Studies are met, each application will be reviewed by the program for admission into the program of study. No applicant can be admitted if not accepted for admission by the program of study.

Prospective applicants should review the University and program criteria before applying for admission. Some programs may require additional test scores or other certifications for admission, the specific program requirements are listed in the program sections of this catalog. Note that meeting the minimum admission criteria does not guarantee acceptance into a graduate degree program. Additional requirements listed in the respective degree programs in the Academic Programs section of this catalog as well as any program-specific traits may limit available enrollment positions. Applicants who are admitted will receive a letter signed by the Director of Graduate Studies informing them of their offer of admission.

To be eligible for admission to Graduate Studies, an applicant must:

1. Have earned a bachelor’s degree, or higher, from a regionally accredited college or university or a foreign institution with comparable accreditation.
2. Possess an undergraduate cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.75 or higher (on the 4.00 scale used in the US) from all colleges and universities attended to be considered for regular (unconditional) admission. Applicants who possess a cumulative undergraduate GPA of less than 2.75 and have a 3.00 or higher for the last 30 credit hours in their undergraduate program, may be considered for probationary admission. Students that have taken graduate level courses must have a 3.00 or higher in all courses taken for graduate credit to be admitted. The GPA may not be rounded up for admission.
3. Have satisfactorily completed certain minimum course work in designated areas specified by the discipline/program to which the student seeks admission. The specific courses are listed in the Academic Program area in this catalogue.
4. Send all application materials, through For all information about graduate studies, see the separate graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS, in time to be received by the following deadlines (some programs may have earlier application deadlines, see specific program section for more information):
   • June 1 (International Students) for the fall semester (the DNP program only admits students for fall admission)
   • July 1 (Domestic Students) for the fall semester (the DNP program only admits students for fall admission)
   • November 15 for the spring semester
   • April 15 for the summer semester
   • Applicant should complete their application in advance of the application deadline. These application deadlines apply to domestic and international students. International applicants require longer processing time, so their applications should be completed as early as possible, preferably at least three months prior to prospective enrollment period. Applicants who seek financial aid, scholarships, internships, and/or assistantships need to refer to the program information for the process and any deadlines related to the funding source. 
5. For all information about graduate studies other than DNP, see the separate Graduate Catalog. The DNP program uses NursingCAS as their application portal. All required documents must be submitted through graduate.studies@kysu.edu. The application material includes, but is not limited to:
   1. Personal Essay/Statement of Goals/Career Objectives, the statement should be a minimum of 800 words.
   2. Resume/CV
   3. Official transcripts of all college course work (international students must submit a WES Spantran)
   4. Three recommendations
   5. Application Fee (for domestic students: $50 for master’s program and DNP program, non-refundable, international students see j.2)
      
      Note:
      Applications will not be reviewed for admission until all required documents are received in graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS, and the application is submitted as completed, including payment of the application fee. All applicants are encouraged to have official transcripts ordered through the respective universities and submitted to graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS, Official documents not sent to the specified link or system may increase the time for your application to be considered complete. We encourage you to have documents submitted directly to graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS.
6. Transcript

Each applicant must provide official copies of transcripts of all previous college/university credits showing all grades received and any degrees or certificates that have been awarded. It is the responsibility of each applicant to request the Registrar(s) of the issuing institution(s) to send the official transcript(s) directly to graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS.. Kentucky State University graduates are not required to provide an official Kentucky State University Transcript as it can be reviewed in the University system by providing the appropriate information and notifying the office of Graduate Studies that they graduated from Kentucky State University.
The student who has not completed their undergraduate degree at the time of application for admission to a graduate program must submit the current official transcript at the time of application as well as an official transcript upon completion of the undergraduate degree. Kentucky State University student or graduate can find additional information about transcript request at http://kysu.edu/administration-governance/academic-affairs/registrar/transcript-request/.
International applicants and domestic applicants that attended schools outside of the US, must request an accredited international evaluation agency (e.g., WES) to send verified and certified transcript evaluation report directly to graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS. However, the University reserves the right to ask you to request the Registrar of the foreign institutions to send original copies of your transcript(s) directly to the Office of Graduate Studies.

• Three Recommendations
  
  All applicants must submit three professional letters of recommendations on letterhead and signed. The recommendations must be sent directly to graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCas.
• Additional Requirements
  Please refer to specific graduate program description for additional requirements for admission to specific programs.
• Special Application Requirements and Procedures for International Applicants
  
  An international applicant is any individual that will require a student visa to study in the US. In addition to the general guidelines for admission, international students must submit:
  1. The International applicant must indicate that they will need a student visa in the appropriate question in  graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS. Additional questions and requirements that are linked to this question.
  2. International student application fee is currently 50 USD and is not refundable. Payment is made through https://secure.transaxgateway.com/HostedPaymentForm/HostedPaymentPage2.aspx?hash=0184f3cbb9c9f13f44d092bb88f41811e99a before the application can be processed.
  3. Evaluation of Degrees and Courses from outside the US.
     
     For degree(s) obtained outside of the United States, request the Registrar of the foreign institutions you obtained your degree(s) from to send your transcript(s) to an Evaluation and Translation Agency (e.g., World Educational Services (WES).
     
     Request the agency to send official copies of the transcript evaluation report directly to graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS.
  4. We highly recommend WES-Spantran for this service but accept reports from other agencies that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Information about other accredited evaluation services is available at their web site (http://www.naces.org/).
     
     WES contact information is as follows:
     
     World Educational Services Inc.
     P.O. Box 745 Old Chelsea Station
     New York, NY 10113-0745
     Tel: 212-966-6311
     Fax: 212-966-6395
     Toll free: 800-937-3895
     E-mail: info@wes.org
  5. English Language Proficiency Test (TOEFL, IELTS, etc.) scores.
     1. Request the testing agency to send official test score(s) directly to graduate.studies@kysu.edu or NursingCAS.
     2. Satisfactory completion of an ESL program in the United States may fulfill the requirement of an equivalent English Language Proficiency Test. Applicants must provide proof of successful completion.
     3. Students completing their undergraduate studies in the United States or at foreign universities where English is the principal language of instruction are exempt from submitting TOEFL or IELTS scores and may be admitted to the program with a cumulative grade-point average no less than the minimum required for regular admission to the desired program.
     4. Minimum test scores and Contact:
        
        Information about TOEFL Test is available at http://www.ets.org/toefl
        
        Minimum scores are 70 for internet based, 525 for paper based, and 194 for computer-based test
        
        The institutional code to use to request your Test Scores to be sent to Kentucky State University is 1368. 
        
        Information about IELTS Test is available at http://www.ielts.org/
        
        Minimum score is 6.0.

Detailed information on acceptable funding source is available at Global Studies.