Graduate Admission

Application Requirements and Procedures

Note | All international students must apply through the Office of International Student Services.

Admission to IU South Bend graduate programs is degree-specific. All students interested in pursuing graduate education must fulfill the following initial requirements:

• Earn a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university
• Earn a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) as required by the individual graduate programs, listed in the program descriptions
• Complete all program prerequisites and appropriate undergraduate coursework
• Submit all required documentation for full consideration of admission

Students who intend to enroll in graduate coursework as part of a degree program at IU South Bend must have their admission approved in advance by the specific graduate program director. Students who register for graduate credit without such approval do so without assurance that course credit will be applied to meet requirements for advanced degrees.

Applications and program information can be obtained from the individual graduate program offices listed on page 211 of this publication. Students who possess a bachelor’s degree and wish to pursue academic coursework as a nondegree graduate student may obtain the nondegree graduate application from the Office of Admissions.

Degree Seeking Applicants

• Online application for admission, program-specific,
• Application fee, where applicable
• Evidence of an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Official transcripts
• Entrance examination scores, where applicable
• Letters of reference, where applicable
• Personal statement/statement of purpose, where applicable
• Demonstrate English proficiency by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for applicants whose native language is not English

Nondegree Seeking Applicants

• Nondegree status application
• Application fee, where applicable
• Evidence of an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

Admission Classifications

Formal Admission

Note | Formal admission is required for student loan approval and disbursement.

Formal admission indicates that the student has received full admission to a graduate program. This also verifies that all program prerequisites, entrance examinations, and application processes have been reviewed and completed.

Provisional/Conditional

Students have met basic requirements for entrance to a graduate program, but have additional requirements to meet. Each graduate program has specific and varied requirements for admission. All requirements for the specific program must be met prior to formal admission. Provisional/conditional students are allowed to take certain and specific courses at the discretion of the university, deans, and graduate program directors. Students may be limited to the number of credit hours accumulated prior to matriculation. Program director approval is necessary for courses taken and their applicability to specific graduate programs. Student loans are not available to students in a provisional/conditional status.

Guest/Nondegree

Students enrolled in other graduate programs within the Indiana University system or at another university may seek permission to register for coursework as a part of their specific graduate program. These students must obtain approval to take the desired coursework from the graduate program director and from their home university advisor.

Denied

Those applicants who do not meet minimum and/or specific requirements for graduate program acceptance and are not eligible for provisional status are denied admission. The graduate program that denied admission provides the applicant with reason(s) for denial and the reapplication process, where appropriate.

Nondegree

Students with a completed undergraduate degree may take undergraduate coursework and some graduate coursework without seeking a graduate degree. Nondegree students must also meet all course prerequisites prior to registering for any coursework. Nondegree students wishing to register for graduate coursework must obtain approval from the specific graduate program director. Registration for graduate coursework is at the discretion of the university, deans, and graduate program directors. Students seek the nondegree status for a variety of reasons.

The following list addresses the majority of nondegree classifications:

• Prerequisites | Graduate programs often have prerequisites and require coursework that students must complete prior to being formally admitted as a graduate student. These prerequisites vary greatly with each graduate program and, in many cases, are at the undergraduate level and cannot be counted towards the graduate degree. Graduate students should make an appointment to meet with a program advisor regarding prerequisites.

• Teaching/Licensing Requirements | Licensed teachers are required to meet educational goals through coursework at regular intervals to maintain and/or renew teacher licensing. The School of Education certification officer provides advising for these students.

• Professional and Personal Development | Many professions require continuing education for maintaining licensure and credentialling or to remain current within educational and professional disciplines. Individuals wishing to enroll in coursework must meet necessary prerequisites, obtain permission from the graduate program director prior to enrolling, and provide sufficient documentation of academic competence.

Graduate Study

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Financial aid programs at IU South Bend that support graduate education are the Stafford Loan (unsubsidized), the Federal Perkins Loan, and the Federal Work-Study Program. The Federal Work-Study Program is available to graduate students after all undergraduate students applying by the priority date have received their awards. Graduate students are encouraged to seek tuition funding sources through philanthropic organizations, the student’s place of employment (if available), and other service and foundation organizations. Visit the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships website for more information.

The GradGrants Center

(812) 855-5281 | gradgrnt@indiana.edu | www.indiana.edu/%7egradgrnt

The GradGrants Center (GGC) in Bloomington is a free service that provides Indiana University graduate students with one-on-one assistance with grant proposal writing (by appointment) and a centralized area to access funding information. The GradGrants Center is located in the Wells Library 1052E, Bloomington, Indiana.

GGC services are free to IU graduate students on all campuses.

Services include:

• Access to several online funding information databases as well as campus-specific funding resources
• Free grant workshops
• The Grad GrantLine newsletter
• Student academic appointment vacancies listings
• Guidance for finding additional funding

Call the GradGrants Center to schedule an appointment for personalized assistance.

Academic Regulations and Policies

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards in all their coursework and research. Individuals violating that code of conduct are subject to disciplinary action; such breaches could lead to expulsion of the student from Indiana University or to rescission of a degree already granted. The Indiana University Graduate School has prepared a document entitled Integrity in Graduate Study, which, among other topics, deals with plagiarism, fraud, and conflicts of interest.

Academic Standing

The university has established levels of competency, according to grade point average and semesters completed, which determine whether a graduate student is in good standing, on probation, or ineligible to continue studies.

• Good Standing | Those students who consistently maintain a minimum GPA on their cumulative and semester records as defined by the graduate program in which the student is formally admitted.
• Probation | Students are on probation for the duration of the next regular semester or summer session following one in which the minimum GPA was not obtained and/or maintained.
• Dismissal | Students may be dismissed from graduate programs if they do not maintain satisfactory academic standing as defined by the student’s program of study.

Addition of Courses

A graduate student who wishes to enroll in additional coursework after the first two weeks of a regular semester, or after the first week of a summer session, may do so if the instructor of the course, the graduate advisor, and the graduate program director recommend to the dean that this be done.

Note | Special fees are assessed for most late registrations.

Credit Transfer

Graduate Course Transfer and Academic Residency

Each graduate degree offered through IU South Bend outlines specific requirements and coursework for successful completion of a graduate degree. Some coursework obtained at other accredited institutions may transfer to a particular degree program. Any transfer of coursework must be reviewed and approved by the degree program. Each of the graduate programs has guidelines regarding the number of credit hours that can be taken at other universities and counted towards a graduate degree. The graduate program directors determine the number and content of courses and credit (taken outside of the established program of study) which may be counted towards a particular graduate degree. The graduate program director makes any and all determinations of coursework transferred and accepted based on their academic discipline and program requirements. Any coursework taken outside of the graduate program in which you are formally admitted must receive advisor approval.

Grade Point Average

A minimum grade point average (GPA) must be maintained to remain in good academic standing in the master’s degree program. There are differences among the master’s programs. At no time may an earned grade of D or F be counted towards a master’s degree. The individual master’s programs have minimum standards with some using a grade of B (3.0) as a minimum standard. Review the graduate program GPA requirements for remaining in good academic standing.

Independent/Correspondence Study

Credit earned in correspondence courses may not be counted towards any graduate degree. It is possible, however, that such work may be used by the student to make up entrance deficiencies. For more information, contact an academic advisor.

Semester Load

Graduate students shall be considered full time if they are registered for 8 credit hours (4 credit hours during each summer session) and their programs of study meet with the approval of the academic programs. Courses taken as an auditor may not be counted in the definition of full-time study; however, courses taken to remove undergraduate deficiencies for admission may be counted.
Graduate students may take no more than 16 hours of credit in any semester, nor more than a total of 16 credit hours in all the summer sessions in any one year without permission of their graduate advisor. Students who are employed are advised to take into account the demands that such activities make on their time and to reduce their course loads accordingly.

Time Limits for Graduate Study

The age of coursework and/or degrees earned may impact the number of transfer credit hours, courses, and number of hours needed to complete educational objectives. The age of credit hours and changes in coursework vary in each graduate program.

There are also time limits imposed for completion of graduate degrees. These limits vary; however, most programs require completion within five years from the start of graduate coursework.

Students are required to work closely with their program advisor to plan their coursework and the completion of their degree.

Withdrawal

Withdrawals prior to the last day to drop a course (see official calendar for each semester) are automatically marked W. According to university regulations, withdrawal after this date is permitted only with the approval of the dean of the student’s school for urgent reasons related to the student’s health or equivalent distress. In all such cases, the student must submit a request for late withdrawal to the advisor or to the graduate program director. This request must be supported by the instructor of the course, the graduate advisor, and the graduate program director, and then be forwarded to the dean with an accompanying statement outlining the reasons for the request. If the dean approves the request, the student’s mark in the course shall be W, if the work completed up to the point of withdrawal is passing; otherwise a grade of F shall be recorded. Failure to complete a course without an authorized withdrawal results in the grade of F.

Note | Termination of class attendance does not constitute official withdrawal and results in a grade of F. Students must officially withdraw from the course.