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THE GRAD°µºÚ±¬ÁÏTE SCHOOL

Admissions classifications for prospective graduate students

All students are identified by the Graduate School as being in one of the following categories. Any change must be arranged through the Graduate School.

Full Admission may be given to any applicant who desires to pursue a graduate degree and has a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with an overall grade-point average of 2.75 or better or 3.00 for the last two years (64 semester credits or equivalent); or holds an advanced degree from an accredited college or university in or appropriate to the intended field; or holds a baccalaureate or master's degree from a foreign college or university with first-class standing or its equivalent, plus satisfactory evidence of competence in English. Full admission may also be granted to applicants to the College of Business Administration who meet the college's admission requirements.

Provisional Admission may be granted to a person who has not met all of the requirements for full admission. This admission status permits a student to take up to 15 semester credits of graduate coursework. Graduate courses taken under this admission status may be applied to a graduate degree program, but only when all requirements for full admission have been met.

Deferred Admission may be granted if the applicant's record does not meet provisional admission standards. After completion of a postbaccalaureate program of study with an appropriate GPA, as prescribed by the department (usually two to five courses), the student may be reconsidered for provisional admission to the Graduate School. A student under the deferred admission status can take no graduate-level coursework.

Non-Degree Admission may be granted to a person who wishes to take particular courses but who is not working toward a graduate degree. This admission status permits a student to take unlimited credits of graduate coursework. Graduate courses taken under this admission status may later be applied to a graduate degree program, but only when all requirements for full admission have been met.

Workshop Special status is for a person permitted to take workshops for graduate credit without being admitted to Graduate School. Such permission is granted by the workshop director upon receipt of a signed statement of possession of a baccalaureate degree by the applicant, and terminates upon completion of this workshop. A student admitted to workshop special status must apply through regular channels for any other category. A maximum of six workshop credits may be applied to degree work at a later date if the applicant is given full admission to the Graduate School.

Transient status may be given to a person who is a regularly enrolled graduate student in good standing in a degree program at another accredited university and has written permission to enroll at The University of Akron. Such permission is valid only for the courses and semester specified, with a maximum of 10 semester credits allowable, and is subject to the approval of the instructor, department chair and Graduate School. A transient student is subject to the same rules and regulations as a regularly enrolled student of the University.

Undergraduate status is for an undergraduate student at the University who may be granted permission to take one or more graduate-level courses if all the following conditions are met.

- senior standing;
- overall grade-point average of 2.75 or better through preceding term (if a student does not have a 3.00 or better in the major field, special justification will be required);
- written approval is given by the instructor of the course and the student's advisor.
These courses may later be applied to a degree program if not used to satisfy baccalaureate degree requirements. The maximum number of graduate credits that may be taken by an undergraduate and applied later toward a graduate degree is 12.

Postdoctoral status is divided into three categories:

- A Fellow is a person holding an earned doctorate who is engaged in advanced research. A fellow shall be considered a guest of the University and provided space and use of facilities within limits of practical need of the undergraduate and graduate programs. Tuition and fees shall be collected if allowed under sponsoring contract for any courses the fellow may choose to take;

- A Special is a person holding an earned doctorate who desires an additional graduate degree. A special may be admitted to any program upon submission of application forms, application fee (if new student) and an official transcript from the institution awarding the doctorate. This student will be treated as a regular student subject to registration fees and program degree requirements;

- A Guest is a person holding an earned doctorate who desires to attend courses and seminars relevant to individual work or interest without registering or receiving grades. A written application should be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School for each course to be taken, and approval of the instructor, department chair and college dean shall be obtained. A guest is welcome to any course or seminar provided space is available. Normally, space and facilities for research cannot be provided for a postdoctoral guest but special requests will be considered. Requests should be submitted, in writing, to the dean of the Graduate School who will review such requests with the appropriate college dean and department chair.