Admission

Admission decisions are based on the quality of the applicant's academic degrees and record, the personal statement of purpose, letters of recommendation from professors or others familiar with the applicant's academic work, performance in aptitude and achievement tests, relevant work experience, preparation in the proposed field of study, and on the appropriateness of the applicant's goals to the graduate program and of the applicant's research interests to those of its faculty. Some graduate programs have additional admission criteria that applicants must meet; visit the individual program catalog pages for program admission requirements. Satisfaction of minimal standards does not, however, guarantee admission.

International applicants or non-U.S. citizens who did not receive their bachelor's degree in the United States, should consult the information for international students at the end of this section regarding additional admission.

An application for admission made through the Office of Graduate Admission implies a student's intention to work toward an advanced degree. An applicant may apply to more than one graduate program; however, they must choose only one program upon confirmation of their intent to attend Pacific.

Types of Admission

Full Admission

A student that meets all the admission criteria of a program will be classified as a student in full standing. Students are advanced from this classification to candidacy for advanced degree upon formal notification from the department.

Conditional Admission

This classification includes students who have been admitted into a particular degree program but have not yet met all admission requirements. Reasons for conditional status may include:

  • Incomplete application materials
  • Bachelor’s degree not posted at time of admission

All conditions will be listed on an applicant’s decision letter. A student will have no more than one term to meet all conditions. If conditions are not met by the end of the first term enrolled, the student will be subject to disqualification. Once all conditions are met, the student will be classified as full standing.

Unclassified Student Admission

Students who have a bachelor's degree but do not plan to work for an advanced degree may take classes as an unclassified student. No more than 12 credits earned as an unclassified student may be applied toward an advanced degree. Unclassified students are required to meet the same academic standards as other graduate students. Unclassified students who later wish to work toward an advanced degree must make a formal application to the appropriate department or interdepartmental program and be formally admitted by the Office of Graduate Admission as a student with full admission status.

General Admission Requirements for All Applicants

To be considered for admission with full standing, applicants must have:

  • a bachelor's degree or the equivalent from a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the United States, or a foreign institution of acceptable standing,
  • adequate undergraduate preparation in the proposed major field or equivalent evidence of an appropriate background for undertaking as an advanced degree program, and
  • a cumulative GPA of 2.65 or better in all post-secondary coursework or in the last 60 units of baccalaureate and/or post-baccalaureate work.

Some programs may have higher GPA requirements; review specific program information in the catalog for additional GPA requirements.

Applicants must complete a University of the Pacific Graduate Admission application. All applications must be complete, which typically includes: the online application, essay, official transcripts from each college or university attended, letters of recommendation, and test scores appropriate to the program. For transcripts to be considered official, they must be in an envelope that has been sealed by the issuing institution. Recommendations must be written within the last year. For detailed information on required graduate entrance examinations and recommendations, see the program-specific pages.

Note:

  • Applications submitted or completed after the posted deadlines may be evaluated and students will be admitted on a space-available basis (depending upon the program).
  • Students are not permitted to register until they have submitted their confirmation of enrollment, and have satisfied all admission requirements.
  • Admission will be denied to applicants possessing bachelor's degrees with a significant amount of credit awarded for work experience that was not supervised by a faculty member of an accredited university nor evaluated in units which identify the academic content.

Application Fee

Each applicant must submit the appropriate application fee in U.S. dollars; the application fee is submitted as part of the online graduate application. Application fees vary by program.

Testing Requirements

Some programs may require a graduate entrance examination as part of the application requirements; refer to the relevant program pages for more information. All test scores must be official, less than five years old, and received by the Office of Graduate Admission prior to an admission decision.

Deferral of admission

Students who wish to enroll in a different semester from which they were admitted, must contact the Office of Graduate Admission to defer their application. Deferral of application is subject to program approval. Applications will only be deferred for up to one academic year. If a student does not begin coursework within one year of your original application for admission, they must submit a new graduate application for admission. Previous admission status has no bearing on the decision for admission in the future.

GPA Waiver Policy

Students who do not meet the GPA requirement for admission to a graduate program at University of the Pacific may petition for admission by submitting the GPA Forgiveness Form to the Graduate School. In order to qualify, applicants must meet the following:

  • Have a minimum of five (5) years of professional experience after completion of the baccalaureate degree
  • Have the support of the Program Director and the Dean of the school in which the degree program is housed
  • Submit a letter of recommendation addressing their potential for success as a graduate student from their current or most recent supervisor

Submission of this form does not guarantee approval. Final approval is granted by the Dean of the Graduate School.

International Applicants

In addition to the application materials required for domestic students, international applicants must supply the following information to be considered for admission to University of the Pacific graduate programs six weeks prior to the program admission deadline:

Transcript Evaluation: A course-by-course foreign transcript evaluation is required for all institutions attended outside of the United States. Transcripts must be reviewed by one of the following approved foreign credential evaluation services:

Certification of Finances: Government regulations require that international students provide evidence that they are able to meet the financial requirements of their education, living expenses, and miscellaneous costs. This requires the submission of the "Certification of Finances" form (found here) in the amount to cover all of the aforementioned costs for one year. 

English Proficiency Examination Results: Applicants whose native language is not English must submit official results (taken within the last two years) of one of the following in order to receive consideration for admission:

  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
  • Duolingo English Test (DET)

Information about TOEFL can be located online at http://www.ets.org/toefl; information about IELTS can be located at http://www.ielts.org; information about DET can be located at https://englishtest.duolingo.com/. University of the Pacific's TOEFL Code is 4065.

Minimum Score for Admission:

  • TOEFL iBT: 80
  • IELTS score: 6.5
  • DET: 105

Some programs require higher scores; please contact specific departments for further information.

Minimum Score for Teaching Assistants:

  • TOEFL iBT: 90
  • IELTS score: 7.0
  • DET: 115

Some programs require higher scores; please contact specific departments for further information.