Graduate Admission

Applicants for admission to master’s level graduate courses must meet at least two minimum requirements: (1) possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and (2) demonstrate potential for graduate work, ordinarily by having maintained a “B” average during undergraduate study. Additional prerequisite standards for admission and evidence of suitability for advanced study may be set by particular departments or for specific degree concentrations within departments. Students seeking admission should review the particular section or sections of the graduate catalog referring to the degree program of their interests. Students seeking admission should contact the Office of University Admissions as soon as possible. If admission test requirements, such as the Graduate Record Examination, are omitted from the admission application, your application may not be eligible for review. Test results are valid for five years from the test date. An applicant who has not completed an undergraduate degree at the time of application can gain provisional admission. The student will not gain full admission until the Office of University Admissions has received an official transcript showing the undergraduate degree awarded. Students who do not complete the admission process cannot gain full admission status to a graduate program and are not eligible for financial aid. Without gaining full admission status, students will be subject to all policy and rule changes affecting their degrees beyond their initial date for commencing coursework. Since degree requirements frequently change over a three-to-five-year period, the lack of full admission status could prolong a student’s time and credit hours necessary for degree completion. Until a student fulfills all entry requirements to the department, a student is not fully admitted to graduate studies. Accumulated credit hours are evaluated by an academic adviser at the time of full admission to determine applicability to the degree program being pursued. After admission into an academic program at Marywood, the student will receive notification to pay a non-refundable confirmation deposit. This will secure enrollment for the student and allow the student to register for classes.

Applicants for admission to the Ph.D. program must hold a master’s degree and meet specific additional requirements for that program. Consult the section of this catalog related to the Ph.D. program for further details.

Applicants for admission to the Psy.D. program must present at least 18 credits of Psychology coursework at the undergraduate level. A small number of students can be admitted post-master’s. Refer to the section of this catalog related to the Psy.D. program for details.

Admission of International Students

Marywood University is authorized under federal law to enroll foreign national students. An academic record of all college and university work previously completed will be required to secure admission to any field of study. Graduate students are admitted with the understanding that their work is subject to review and re-evaluation upon arrival. In some cases, additional undergraduate work will be required before acceptance as a regular matriculating graduate student.

The student should complete the application for admission, including references and official transcripts, and submit them to the Office of University Admissions. The applicant must also arrange to have the scores of any required tests, including the TOEFL, IELTS, or the Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic), sent directly to Marywood by the testing agency. All English Language Proficiency examinations must have been taken within two years at the time of application. All application materials should reach the Office of University Admissions at least three months in advance of the beginning of the term of anticipated enrollment to allow time for correspondence and the evaluation of the application. Translated, true copies should accompany original documents which are in a language other than English.

The student must submit forms documenting means for payment of tuition, fees, and living expenses. These forms must be returned to Marywood. Upon receipt of the deposit at Marywood, a U.S. Immigration I-20 form will be forwarded to the applicant.

New international students should contact the Office of University Admissions upon admission and the Office for International Affairs (OIA) upon arrival in Scranton. All international students should feel free to consult the Office of University Admissions at any time concerning special problems.

Designated School Officials (PDSO/DSO) relating to U.S. Immigration affairs are located in the Office of the Registrar which is in the Liberal Arts Center.

International students should be aware of the following:

Admission to graduate standing does not imply that any financial assistance will be given. Admission means only that the student may take graduate courses. Accordingly, to be admitted, a student must be able to prove financial support availability. Scholarships are available to international students; however, they do not cover the full tuition costs.
Full-time enrollment is required.
To be informed about the student’s competence in reading and writing English, the University requires that the student demonstrate mastery of the English language by performing satisfactorily on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (administered by the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, New Jersey), the International English Language Testing System, or the Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic). Normally TOEFL scores above 79 on the internet-based test, a band of 6.0 on the IELTS, or a score of 53 on the PTE Academic will be accepted as evidence of mastery. International students must submit TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic scores taken within the last two years. For students wishing to pursue the M.S. in Biotechnology, a band of 6.5 on the IELTS, 81 on the TOEFL, or 54 on the PTE Academic is required.
Students are required to carry health insurance or purchase health insurance upon arrival to campus.

Application Process

Students seeking admission to a doctoral or master’s degree, certificate, or certification program must apply for admission through the Office of University Admissions. All applicants must submit the following information:

The application form properly completed, including the non-refundable application fee payment if the application is not submitted online.
Unopened official transcripts of all previous academic work, including any academic work completed at Marywood.
For most programs, two letters of reference from persons familiar with the student’s educational background and work. Doctoral applicants and some additional programs are required to submit three letters of recommendation.
There may be specific departmental requirements as listed in the department’s description of the course of study for which application is being submitted.

Students seeking state certification must also contact the University’s Certification Office at 570-961-4731 for specific additional requirements.

When all required materials have been received at the Office of University Admissions, they will be forwarded to the applicant’s department of specialization for review. Applicants should expect a review process which may take up to 15 days from final application submission or from the published deadline for receipt of applications, whichever is later. After the departmental review and assessment of the application is completed, the applicant will be informed in writing by the Office of University Admissions of the specific action taken concerning the request for admission. The various student statuses at the graduate level are defined later in this catalog.

Late applicants who cannot or do not submit complete credentials within their applications for departmental review may take classes only under the personal enrichment or the admission-in-process categories. Students who take classes under these categories are not eligible for financial aid or loans. Such students are limited in the numbers of credit hours for which they may enroll. Students who are denied admission by an academic area are not permitted to pursue personal enrichment within that area of study.

Marywood University operates on a rolling admissions basis. However, certain programs have specific deadlines for admission applications. A number of programs only review applications during certain times of the year. Please contact the Office of University Admissions or the academic department to which you are applying to find out if this applies to your field of study.

Graduate courses are offered in the fall, spring, and summer sessions. Applicants to any course of study other than the Ph.D., Psy.D., Physician Assistant, or Speech-Language Pathology programs may be admitted in any of these sessions, but must check with their appropriate chairpersons to be advised properly concerning when beginning courses will be available and the consequences of being admitted in a particular semester other than the fall semester.

Students seeking admission to the Biotechnology, Counseling, Ph.D., Psy.D., Physician Assistant, Social Work, or Speech-Language Pathology programs should consult the section of the catalog related to their program for details on the application process.

An admitted graduate student may defer his/her enrollment for up to two years from the original semester in which they were admitted. In addition, the student may defer a maximum of two times. A student who has submitted an enrollment deposit and wished to defer enrollment will be subject to a fee for each occurrence of deferral. If a student wishes to defer enrollment a third time or if the deferment falls outside of the two-year period, the student must apply to the graduate program again.

Admissions in Process/Enrichment Credit Limitations

Full admission to a course of study takes effect in the semester specified in the admission letter to the degree applicant from the Office of University Admissions. Admission to a program does not guarantee that financial aid will be available for that semester. Students may not take more than nine (9) credit hours (or as otherwise dictated by a department) prior to full admission. Individual programs of study may further limit a student to as few as six (6) credits prior to full admission. Credits taken under admission-in-process or enrichment status do not guarantee acceptance into a specific program, nor does it guarantee fulfillment of required coursework. Upon completion of an admissions application, completed coursework will be evaluated. Acceptance of applicable credits is completely at the discretion of the Department Chair or Administrator, and the Dean of the specified college. In addition, students taking courses under admission-in-process or enrichment status are considered non-matriculating and therefore are not eligible for financial aid. Students should be advised that courses taken under either status and applied to a degree program will be considered in the seven-year completion time limit.

Students pursuing coursework under these statuses will be required to file an application for non-matriculating students each term of study.

All application materials should be mailed to:

Marywood University

Office of University Admissions

Liberal Arts Center 120

2300 Adams Avenue

Scranton, PA 18509-1598

Questions regarding application status should be directed to the University Admissions: GoGrad@marywood.edu

Retention of Application Files

Applications for admission to a master’s degree, certificate, or certification program will be kept for two years from the original date of receipt. If the application has not been completed during this period, it will be destroyed without notice to the applicant. If the applicant subsequently decides to enter a graduate program at the University, he/she will be required to reassemble the entire application file.

Application files for applicants who have been offered admission to Marywood University will be kept for two years from the semester of acceptance. If a student does not register for class during this period, the application will be destroyed.

Application files for applicants who have not been offered admission to Marywood University will be kept for two years from the semester for which the student has applied.

Application files for applicants who formally withdraw their application prior to and after acceptance will be kept for two years from the semester for which the student has applied.

Applications for admission to the Ph.D., Psy.D., Physician Assistant, or Speech-Language Pathology programs are retained only for the admissions cycle of the academic year for which the student has applied.

All documents submitted in connection with an application become the property of the University.