Graduate Study Admission Requirements

Students who wish to enter graduate study must first be admitted to the university as either a graduate special student (those eligible to enroll in graduate courses but not formally admitted to a degree program) or as a degree-seeking student formally admitted to graduate standing in a degree-granting program. Each applicant is responsible for filing an application and required credentials with the Graduate School.

Graduate special students are not admitted to a graduate program. Application for admission for graduate special standing is made through the Office of Admissions and Records. Students who have completed a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution are eligible as a graduate special student. Graduate special students may enroll in graduate classes as long as they meet all course prerequisites.

General requirements: Each applicant must submit the following:

1. A completed Application for Admission, properly dated and signed;
2. A nonrefundable application fee;
3. One (1) official transcripts from each college or university attended. Official transcripts must be sent from each institution attended directly to the Graduate School. University of Nevada, Reno graduates are not required to submit transcripts of credits earned at the university. All academic records must be submitted in the English language. Applicants enrolled in other educational institutions at the time of application may submit incomplete transcripts and end-of-course grade reports, but official, final transcripts of the work in progress must be submitted before final admission status may be determined.
4. Test scores from standardized tests (GRE, GMAT, etc.) if required. Applicants should contact the appropriate department/program to find out if test scores are required. Normally, test scores must be no more than five (5) years old.
5. Application for Resident Fees for those who are eligible.
6. International student applicants must submit satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) or the International Language Testing System (IELTS). All international students must clear the Student Health Center requirements upon arrival to the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
7. Official documentation of immunization for two doses of measles, mumps, rubella, and a diphtheria/tetanus within the last ten years.

International student applicants must also submit adequate proof of financial responsibility or sponsorship by a reputable U.S. citizen or organization for all obligations students incur while attending the university.

International student applicants who intend to apply for graduate teaching assistantships must submit scores from the Test of Written English (TWE).

Test Score Requirements: Each student is responsible for completing the required examinations and for requesting that the official score reports be sent directly to the Graduate School. The university’s institutional code for test score reports is 4844. Students may obtain information regarding test dates, costs, and registration by contacting:

Testing Services
Thompson Building, Room 202
University of Nevada, Reno 89557

To contact the office by phone, call (775) 784-4648. Students may also write directly to the respective testing organizations:

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
C N 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
C N 6104
Princeton, NJ 08541-6104

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Test of Written English (TWE)
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
Regular Service C N 6153
Princeton, NJ 08541-6153

International Language Testing System (IELTS)
IELTS International
100 E. Corson St., Suite 200
Pasadena, CA 91103

Pearson Test of English (PTE)
Pearson Language Tests
80 Strand
London WC2R0RL
UK

Students who tested at an earlier date and did not designate the University of Nevada, Reno to receive their score report(s) must request that the proper ETS agency forward an official score report directly to the Office of International Students and Scholars. ETS requires a score report fee.

For further information regarding academic requirements for admission to graduate study, see the Graduate School  section of this catalog.