Admissions Requirements

Past Schooling

The applicant must have a bachelor's degree in arts or in science from a collegiate institution of recognized rank. Holders of the degree of Doctor of Medicine may be considered for admission as students in the Medical Science group. We recognize that not all institutions provide baccalaureate degrees in exactly the same format. GSAS does not have a limitation based on "time to degree" as established by teh undergraduate institution. Admissions officers thoroughly review each application to determine whether the elements are present that are deemed essential for successful completion of the program to which an applicant seeks admission.

You should have at least a B average for the last two years of your undergraduate curriculum, or the equivalent in terms of the credit standards of the college from which you come, as estimated by the dean of this graduate school. Many departments in the University, because of the large number of well-qualified applicants, require a general grade average of higher than a B.

Academic credits, undergraduate or graduate, earned more than 10 calendar years before the date of application for admission will ordinarily be considered no longer valid, and therefore will not form a basis for admission to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. At the discretion of the department in which you propose to work, such credits may be revalidated by examination.

GRE (Graduate Record Examination)

All applicants must take the General Test, and some departments require the Subject Test in the proposed field of specialization. Inquiries concerning this testing program and application to take the tests should be addressed to the Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service at http://www.gre.org, or call 1-800-GRE-CALL.

Ask ETS to send an official copy of your scores to the Graduate Admissions Office. The institution code for the University of Virginia is 5820. If you have a personal copy of the required test scores, sending a photocopy will speed evaluation of your application.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

The Graduate School requires a TOEFL score of at least 600 (paper-based test), 250 (computer-based test), and 90 (internet-based test) for foreign applicants whose first language is not English. Alternatively, an IELT score of 7.0 or better may be offered for admission.