Before Applying

If you will be awarded a Master’s degree by the time you would begin graduate study at the University of Maryland, or your 3 year Bachelor’s degree was earned in a country with 13 years of pre-university formal education, then you are eligible for graduate study. We will also consider those with a 3 year Bachelor’s and a Post Graduate Diploma from a nationally recognized institution to be eligible. If your sole qualification is a 3 year Bachelor’s from a country with 12 years of pre-university education, and your degree would not qualify you for admission to an academic graduate program in this country, then you are not eligible to apply to the Graduate School. If your 3 year Bachelor’s would qualify you for admission to academic graduate programs in the country in which it was earned, then you are welcome to submit an application which will be reviewed by the department to determine whether you are a strong enough candidate for an exception to be made. The 3 year Bachelor’s must already have been earned at the time of application. It needs to be in a field closely related to the field of study that you are applying to with strong grades in order to be considered for an exception.

I have a transcript from my institution that is encrypted. What should I do? Should I still upload it to the application?

No, do not upload an encrypted transcript to the application. It will upload as a blank document. The program will not be able to use it for its evaluation. Please print the document out, scan it, then upload a scanned version.

The University of Maryland is dedicated to maintaining a vibrant international graduate student community. The International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) is a valuable resource of information and assistance for prospective and current international students. International applicants are encouraged to explore the services they offer, and contact them with related questions. As an international applicant, there are a few additional requirements you must satisfy to be considered for admission. Please see the Graduate Admissions Process for International Applicants for more information.

I have attended or been a participant in a diversity preparatory program, and I think I am eligible for an application fee waiver. How can I apply for such a waiver?

The University of Maryland Graduate School waives application fees to eligible students in participating programs. If you have participated in any of these programs, simply follow the instructions at the bottom of the page and The Graduate School will prompt you with an email asking for verification of participation when and if needed. Always contact The Graduate School (gradschool@umd.edu) with questions about fee waiver eligibility or to obtain additional information about the programs listed below.

The Graduate School waives the application fee for applicants from the following organizations and/or preparatory programs:

• Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program
  • McNair Scholars should fill out the McNair Verification Form with their directors and email it to gradschool@umd.edu before submitting their application. Access the McNair Verification Form.
  • FreeApp is designed to increase access to graduate education for students who possess qualities and experiences that enhance the diversity of the intellectual, cultural, and social environments at Big Ten Academic Alliance universities. Eligible students with financial burden that qualify for FreeApp should fill out the form in the link above and email to FreeApp@umd.edu with the subject line: FAFSA FreeApp Eligibility and provide documentation of need from your FAFSA in your email.

  To obtain the application fee waiver:

  1. Applicants need to start their online application, but they must not submit the application until their application fee has been waived.
  2. The Graduate School is sent a request for the waiver (choose ‘Diversity Program Application Fee Waiver’).
  3. The applicant sends proof of participation/membership in that organization/program (typically a letter from the program/organization director, documentation, verification form, etc).
  4. The Graduate School will send verification of the waiver by email.
  5. This should be done well in advance of the program’s application deadline (application deadlines vary)
  6. The applicant can submit the application without paying the $75 fee once an email receipt has been sent stating that the application fee has been waived.

  Please note: Any student that has attended IRT, ABRCMS or SACNAS, should send an email to gradschool@umd.edu with subject: [conference name] attendee fee waiver. In the event that proof of participation may be needed, the Graduate School will inform the applicant.

  Follow-up questions regarding application fee waivers can be sent to Office of Graduate Diversity and Inclusion (OGDI) Program Director Christopher Pérez (cperez6@umd.edu).