College of Arts and Sciences—Graduate

Admission Requirements

In addition to the NLU Graduate Admission Requirements, the College of Arts and Sciences requires the following:

• Official transcripts from all institutions attended or a transcript showing completion of a master’s degree. Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution must be verified.
• A list of three references to include supervisors, employers, professors or others who have known the applicant in a professional or academic capacity, or are in the position to judge the applicant's ability for graduate study. Some programs may require written recommendations. Please see specific programs for details.

Specific graduate programs may have additional admissions requirements. See programs for details.

To be admitted with full admission status, applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution and show evidence in undergraduate work of the ability to pursue graduate study, demonstrated by a grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale during the applicant’s junior and senior years. Applicants with bachelor’s degrees from non-regionally accredited colleges recognized by the American Council on Education and with strong academic records may be admitted with four-course review status.

Status of Admitted Students

Full Admission

Students who meet all admission criteria without qualification are granted full admission status. Only fully admitted students are eligible for graduate degrees. If an admitted student’s grade point average falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on academic probation. The student will be notified in writing and given the maximum of four graded courses (not P/N) or nine semester hours, whichever comes first, taken at NLU to raise his or her grade point average to 3.0. These courses may not be workshops, independent studies, transfer credits or internships/practicum, except when taken by veterans receiving benefits.

Admitted with Four-Course Review Status

Students who do not meet admission criteria, but who show potential for successful graduate work, may be admitted with four-course review status based on the recommendation of the faculty of the particular program to which they are applying.

A student admitted with four-course review status must maintain a GPA of 3.0 in either the first four graded courses or nine semester hours written into the degree plan taken at NLU after admission, whichever comes first. These courses may not be extension courses, workshops, transfer credits, independent studies or internships/practicum, except when taken by veterans receiving benefits. If the student has a minimum 3.0 GPA at the end of the review period, he or she will gain good academic standing. If the student’s GPA falls below 3.0 at the end of the review period, he or she will be dropped from the graduate school.

Academic Policies

Transfer Between Graduate Programs

Please see Admissions for more information.

Transfer of Credit

In addition to the University criteria, the following apply to graduate transfer credit in CAS:

• Transfer credit may be prohibited or limited in certain academic programs
• The credit must have been completed at regionally accredited institutions that offer graduate degrees
• Credit may be for graduate work completed at another institution after admission to NLU
• For those graduate programs which accept transfer credit, a maximum of nine semester hours or 25% of the coursework required for the degree, whichever is greater, may be transferred
• Credit earned more than six calendar years before admission to NLU is not transferable
• Transfer of credit must be approved by the advisor and program director after verification of level and school accreditation by the Office of Admissions and Records

Required Course Waiver

Students may request a waiver for one or more required courses if previous academic work or experience indicates a high degree of competency in the content of the course. The waiver does not grant equivalent credit toward the degree; it permits the student to substitute an appropriate elective course for the waived course. The student and advisor must complete a Student Adjustment Form and submit it with appropriate documentation to the program director. If approved, the waiver is entered in the degree audit system.