Minimum Admissions Requirements
Congratulations on taking the big step of exploring graduate school!
Below are the minimum admission requirements for our degree programs in the Graduate School at Howard. We encourage you to review these requirements before completing your application.
Completion of a Bachelor's Degree
Applicants for admission to the Graduate School have (or will earn before starting at Howard) a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or the equivalent from an international college or university. For applicants admitted to the Graduate School, official transcripts must demonstrate completion of (and conferment of) a bachelor's degree before starting classes at Howard. In addition, if an applicant's degree is from a college or university outside the United States, the institution must be recognized and approved by the ministry of education or commission responsible for higher education in the country where the degree is earned.
Completion of Online Application
Applicants for admission to the Graduate School must complete an online graduate application using the appropriate CAS online application system. The Graduate School utilizes GradCAS, CSDCAS, PSYCAS, and EngineeringCAS as the centralized online application systems for its relevant graduate programs. Please refer to the list of graduate degree programs to see which online application is appropriate based on your program of interest. To start an application, you'll first need to create an account. Then filter by "Institution" [Howard University] and select your intended program of study. Finally, you will need to submit a separate application for each program to which you apply.
Statement of Purpose/Academic Interest
An academic statement of purpose that describes your motivations and goals related to pursuing your proposed degree program is required for the online application. Check your program of interest for any specific requirements regarding the statement. You'll generally want to speak about your preparation for this field of study, research interests, research alignment with program faculty, and academic and professional objectives. In addition, you can speak to experiences that motivated your interest in this field of study and how this degree program will help you achieve your professional goals. This information helps the admissions committee evaluate your motivation and aptitude for graduate study.
Three (3) Letters of Recommendation
Applicants for admission to the Graduate School must request and submit three (3) letters of recommendation via the online application (Graduate Certificate programs require at least 2 letters of recommendation). Once you save the contact information for a reference in the online application, that individual will receive instructions via e-mail for submitting a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Recommendations can arrive before or after application submission, so you do not need to wait for all recommendations to be received before submitting your online application. These letters should be sought from faculty, academic advisors, or supervisors sufficiently familiar with your work to speak to your academic or professional strengths and your potential for graduate-level study.
Official U.S. Transcripts (Postsecondary)
Applicants must submit official transcripts from each institution of higher education attended, whether or not a degree or credit was earned, courses were taken as a non-degree student, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. For each CAS application, official transcripts should be sent electronically to the transcript processing center. How to send official transcripts: to GradCAS, to CSDCAS, to PSYCAS, and to EngineeringCAS. In addition to submitting their official transcripts, applicants can initially upload copies of their transcripts to the online application. However, these will be considered "unofficial," and admitted applicants will be required to submit all final official transcripts by a deadline given prior to registering for classes.
Official Foreign Transcripts (Postsecondary)
Applicants who attended universities outside of the U.S. must have their foreign transcripts evaluated by World Education Services (WES) or by a current NACES member with electronic delivery (IEE, ECE, WES-ICAP) and submit this course-by-course credential evaluation, showing all coursework, grades and proof of the degree earned, via the online application. If the documents are not in English, they must be accompanied by an official translated copy. All documents must bear the same name that appears on the admissions application. Applicants should also upload copies of this evaluation directly to the application to expedite review. How to send official foreign transcript evaluations to: GradCAS, CSDCAS, PSYCAS, and EngineeringCAS.
Current Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
Applicants for admission to the Graduate School must upload to the online application a current résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) listing their current and past employer(s) and professional experiences, extracurricular or volunteer activities, a list of published work, and any academic honors or awards. There is no page limit, though we recommend a one-to-two-page resume.
Additional Admissions Components
We encourage applicants to submit materials as early as possible before the applicable deadline. You are responsible for ensuring all supporting documents, including letters of recommendation and academic transcripts, are submitted on time.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Howard University admits qualified students of any age, sex, religion, race, sexual orientation, color, disability, and/or national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate based on age, sex, religion, race, sexual orientation, color, disability, and/or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs.