Graduate Admission FAQs

Applicants to Auburn University’s Graduate School may check their status through the Online Application System  to ensure all materials, such as official transcripts, test scores (where applicable) and online recommendations, are received via the Slate application portal. Applicants should contact the department directly with questions concerning departmental requirements, recommendations and admission decision timeframes. 

• Please note:  Applicants may upload unofficial transcripts at the time of application for review. The status of the official transcript will continue to display “awaiting” until official transcripts are received from all institutions previously attended. Departments will accept unofficial transcripts for admission review and recommendation. However, once admitted, applicants who wish to enroll are required to send official transcripts from all previous institutions to clear transcript holds, which prevent course registration. 

• When an admissions decision is made by the program, applicants are notified via an auto-generated email (sent to the applicant-provided email address) requiring the applicant to log back in and view the decision. This email is sometimes filtered out as junk/spam, so check all email folders. For admitted applicants, an admission letter is available for viewing and downloading (in PDF), which contains necessary information such as a student ID number and email setup instructions. 

• Applicants recommended for admission can then accept or decline any offer of admission in the online portal. If an applicant accepts the offer of admission in the online portal, then a series of business processes begins, and newly admitted students will begin receiving instructions to their Auburn University email account (found in the admissions letter). Official transcripts will be required of all applicants who accept the offer of admission.

General requirements can be found under Admissions Requirements. Each program or department may require additional documents, such as test scores, letters of reference, a writing sample or a letter of intent/statement of purpose. Please see the program’s website or contact the Graduate Program Officer (GPO) for your program of interest.

Each program determines their own application and admission timelines. However, the AU Graduate School has established the following deadlines to allow adequate time to process an admitted student before the start of a semester:

• International applicants should submit all required materials at least 90 days before the first day of class of the semester in which the student wishes to begin graduate study. See our academic calendar for semester start dates.

• Domestic students should submit all materials at least 45 days before the first class day, as listed on the academic calendar.

• Most academic units make admission decisions several months in advance. Thus, applicants should check with the department to which they seek admission to determine when materials should be submitted. Check the contact information for your department of interest.

Application fee payment by credit card is due at the time of application submission. The Graduate School accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. Please note that applications and records will not be processed until the application fee has been received.

Application fees are $60 for domestic students and $70 for international students (US dollars). Applicants to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program will be assessed a $200 application fee, and are not eligible for an application fee waiver.

The following applicants are eligible for a fee waiver:

• Current Auburn University graduate students enrolled in graduate courses

• Full-time Auburn University employees

• Active Duty Military with a letter confirming duty

• Applicants to an approved dual program – the second application fee is waived

Applicants who meet one of the fee waiver eligibilty criteria above may select the applicable option when completing the payment information section of the application. 

To log in, use the email address and password used to create the account. The password can be reset using the “Forgot Your Password?” link on the returning users login page of the online application portal.

Official transcripts must be sent directly to the Auburn University Graduate School by the issuing institution. Auburn University transcripts will be requested for you. Failure to disclose all coursework and/or degrees will result in the admission offer being rescinded.  

Official electronic transcripts from domestic institutions may be sent to the Graduate School by selecting Auburn University Graduate Admissions from the transcript provider's menu of recipients or by providing the following recipient email address: graduatetranscripts@auburn.edu.

Official transcripts should be sent to the Graduate School using the following address:

The Graduate School
106 Hargis Hall
Auburn University, AL 36849-5122

Please contact the Graduate Program Officer for your program of interest.

It is the policy of the Graduate School not to release application materials to applicants who do not enroll as students of the university.

If you are unable to arrive for the start of the semester, students may be eligible to defer your admission to a later term — from one semester up to one year — with department approval. An email request should be made to the department to which you are admitted. Please contact the Graduate Program Officer (GPO) for your intended area of study. This email request should contain the reason for your deferral along with the term to which you wish to defer. The department must first approve the request and then forward to the Graduate School for processing.

International students may be required to update their financial documentation if deferring admission to a later term.

Auburn University’s institution code for ETS is 1005.

A list of codes by program can be found under Test Scores & Waivers.

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

  • Internet-based TOEFL (iBT), 79 or higher with minimum scores of 16 on Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing components
    
    

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam

  • 6.5 overall band score or higher

     

Some departments require higher scores; However, applicants must meet the minimum language proficiency test score requirements listed above. Read more details on the International Instructions for admissions.

• GRE or GMAT

  • Please contact the department for their minimum requirements. Departmental contact information can be found on the Areas of Study page. Some programs and departments are now offering Test Scores & Waivers.

International applicants who have completed a previous degree program from a regionally accredited institution in the USA may not be required to submit English proficiency test scores once the official transcript showing the degree was awarded has been received by the Auburn University Graduate School. If previous scores are available, it is recommended to have the testing service send an official score report to Auburn directly.

Exemptions to the English proficiency requirement are considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the official government language and medium of instruction, after submission of the official transcript.

Read more on the International Instructions for admission.