Graduate Student Resources
Admission to Graduate Education Programs:
Requirements and Application Routing Information
The University of Maryland Graduate School is the official admittance office for all graduate students across the College Park Campus. Each College and Department may set admission criteria and procedures beyond that of the Graduate School, so be sure to check with your department for special instructions they may have. The information on this page is, therefore, designed to acquaint you with the requirements and procedures for admission consideration to the College of Education.
The Enrollment Services Office (ESO) is the main processing office for all graduate admissions documents. DO NOT send any documents to the College of Education or to your admit department unless specifically instructed to do so. All paper documents should now be sent to this address:
University of Maryland College Park
Enrollment Services Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
Rm 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742
Application Process:
The University requires that all applicants to the Graduate School apply online at the Graduate School Online application website. The on-line application is the first part of the application process.
Shortly after your on-line application is entered into the campus system, you will be contacted via email to complete the "Application Supplemental Form" (ASF) found at the Apra/Maryland Electronic Graduate System (MEGS) website. This is the automatic electronic system which will allow you to track the status of your application and the receipt of the support documents that you must submit. The email will give you log-on instructions and request that you enter information about your previous institutions and recommenders.
To submit required supplemental documents in support of your application you are strongly encouraged to submit documents electronically or on-line where appropriate. If hardcopy documents are required, you can print required forms found on the Graduate School website using the Adobe Acrobat Reader .
Supplemental Support Documents:
Letters of Recommendation: You must submit 3 letters of recommendation in support of your application. Letters should be from current or previous professors or others who can assess the quality of your academic performance and scholastic potential. Your full name should appear on the letters. You are encouraged to have your recommenders submit an on-line recommendation. Once your application has been entered into the campus system, and you are directed to complete the “Application Supplemental Form" (ASF), you will be asked to list the names and email addresses of each of your recommenders. The automatic program will contact your recommenders for you and give them instructions on how to submit their letters on-line. Both you and the recommender will be notified when the electronic letters have been received.
Transcripts: You must submit an official transcript for each and every institution you attended at which you earned 9 or more credits. If transfer credits are listed on another institution’s transcript, you must submit an individual official transcript from the institution at which the transfer credits were earned. You need not submit a transcript for credits earned at the College Park campus of the University of Maryland as this will be provided for you through the Graduate School system. Official transcripts should be sent to:
University of Maryland College Park
Enrollment Services Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
Rm 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742
Until official transcripts can be obtained, unofficial copies may be submitted to speed up the review process, however, official transcripts will still be required before final admission can be granted.
Statement of Goals/Experiences: Applicants must submit a statement of their goals and objectives in pursuing graduate study. You may submit that statement electronically in the ASF section titled “Personal Statement” by uploading that document from your own desktop. Detailed instructions are given in the ASF on how to submit this important document. The statement is very important and should not be completed routinely. The statement provides evidence by which the department can make a judgment as to whether the applicant has chosen the department which best suits the student’s objectives.
Test Scores: Test requirements vary by department depending on the specialty area and the degree being sought. Tests that may be required are the GRE or MAT. In addition the PRAXIS I is required for all applicants to “teacher preparation” areas. In addition, the PRAXIS II content area is required for the EDCI Maryland Masters Certification Program. Applicants must check with the department they are applying to for specific test requirements. Applicants required to submit test results must provide the official score report as part of the application. Standardized test score reports can be submitted by the testing authority if the institutional code for the University of Maryland, College Park (5814) is used when the exam is taken. Applicants may submit copies of official score reports by faxing them to 301-314-5887 to speed up the review process.
You can obtain information on the MAT and GRE exams here.
Deadlines: The application must be received by the appropriate published deadlines. Application deadlines vary according to the area of concentration within the departments, so be sure to check your intended department website for specific dates. Some programs have very early admission deadlines! Academic Departments
International applicants must adhere to the campus deadlines of the Office of International Education Services. International applicant deadlines are much earlier than those for domestic applicants due to the extra requirements and clearance steps. NOTE: Please check with your department for your program's deadline as these may fall MUCH earlier than the international deadlines.
Graduate Catalog: The graduate catalog may be viewed on the web at http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/catalog.
