GENERAL
DO YOU OFFER PRE-SCREENING OF MILITARY APPLICANTS?
Military applicants are able to request a Letter of Competitiveness. Email graduateprogram@usuhs.edu and attach a scanned copy of your credentials. Completion of the online application is not required when requesting a Letter of Competitiveness. For a Program Director to properly evaluate your request, please send transcripts for all academic institutions attended and current GRE scores (Except for Clinical and Medical Psychology).
DOES THE USU GRADUATE EDUCATION OFFICE OFFER TOURS OR INFORMATION SESSIONS?
Only on special occasions are tours offered. USU is located on a military base and only authorized personnel are allowed access. Applicants can arrange to visit the campus on an individual basis. Contact your Program of interest. Selected applicants are invited to participate in the Open House for prospective graduate students held each year in late Winter.
DOES USU OFFER A WAIVER OF GRE SCORES?
Occasionally a Program will waive the requirement for GRE scores. A waiver may be granted if an individual already has a PhD, MD, or DO. If you would like to request a waiver, please indicate on your online application. Be sure to submit as much of your supplemental materials as possible (including transcripts) before requesting a waiver. Email graduateprogram@usuhs.edu to ensure your request is submitted to the director of the Program in which you are interested. The outcome of your waiver request will be emailed to you.
Please note that GRE waivers are NOT granted for applicants to the Medical and Clinical Psychology Programs.
WHERE CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT THE MINIMUM GRE SCORES FOR MY PROSPECTIVE PROGRAM? WHAT WAS THE AVERAGE GRE SCORE FROM LAST YEAR?
Many Programs do not have a minimum score; they are interested in the "whole student," and will compare your other strengths against any testing weakness, and vice versa. Consider contacting the Program or Departments directly to inquire about specific GRE score minimums. Each Program is re-evaluating scoring criteria based on the revised GRE scales. The Graduate Education Office will not accept scores from two years or older.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ACCEPTED TO MY PROGRAM LAST YEAR? HOW MANY FROM MY COUNTRY?
Admissions statistics for the various Programs within the SOM Graduate Programs vary from year to year. General information on the University as a whole can be obtained from the USU Fact Sheet. For more Program-specific admissions information, please contact the Graduate Education Office (GEO) by phone: (800) 772-1747 or email: graduateprogram@usuhs.edu.
IF I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, WHOM DO I NEED TO CONTACT?
For Program specific questions, please contact the Department of interest directly.
For questions concerning the application process, you may contact the graduateprogram@usuhs.edu
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
CAN I CHECK ON THE STATUS OF MY APPLICATION WHILE I'M WAITING FOR A DECISION?
Yes. Once you have applied online, you can check the status of your application by emailing graduateprogram@usuhs.edu. It is your responsibility as an applicant to ensure that all your application materials arrive in our office.
DO ALL OF MY APPLICATION MATERIALS NEED TO BE RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE?
Yes. Please be sure to submit all application materials by December 1st. Once your application is complete, an email will be sent to you. If you do not receive an email within 14-21 days after submitting your application, it is your responsibility to contact and confirm that all materials have arrived in our office.
Programs will not review incomplete application packets.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY APPLICATION MATERIALS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED?
Once all materials arrive, we will send you an email confirming that your application has been received and processed. If you do not receive an email, it is your responsibility to contact and confirm all materials have arrived in our office. Programs will not review incomplete application packets. If you have questions regarding the status of your application, please contact us. Our e-mail address is graduateprogram@usuhs.edu. We are in the office on Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WILL I BE NOTIFIED WHEN THE USU GRADUATE EDUCATION OFFICE RECEIVES MY MATERIALS?
You will receive an email stating your application is complete and has been processed. You can check the status of your supplemental materials by sending an email to graduateprogram@usuhs.edu. Please allow 14-21 days to process your application.
DO I NEED TRANSCRIPTS FROM EVERY SCHOOL I'VE ATTENDED?
YES! You do need to request official transcripts from every institution you have attended beyond secondary school, even if you did not receive a degree. Examples of such institutions include junior and community colleges, study abroad institutions, and online degree Programs.
HOW DO I KNOW IF THE DOCUMENTS I HAVE SUBMITTED ARE OFFICIAL?
Documents, such as letters of recommendation and transcripts, are official if they arrive at the USU Graduate Education Office in a sealed envelope with either the recommender or the registrar's signature across the seal of the envelope.
GRE scores are only considered official if they arrive directly from ETS. Score reports received from the applicant are not considered official.
If you have questions about the documents you have submitted you can send an email to graduateprogram@usuhs.edu.
HOW DO I REPORT MY GRE SCORES?
You must request that ETS (Educational Testing Services) send your GRE scores to USU Graduate Education Office. To request scores, use the USU Institution code, 5824. It is not necessary to specify any other code. We are not able to accept copies or unofficial score reports. You may contact ETS in regard to sending GRE scores. Testing service websites are www.gre.org and www.toefl.org respectively. From the time you request your scores to be sent to USU, it takes about a month for them to be received and then processed in the admissions office. Please plan ahead! All supporting documents should be received by December 1st!
HOW CAN I REQUEST AN INTERVIEW?
Please contact your individual Departments for information on interviews.
HOW DO I SUBMIT MY SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS?
All supplemental materials, including original letters of recommendation, resumes, statement of purpose and test scores, can be mailed into the USU Graduate Education Office at the address below or emailed to graduateprogram@usuhs.edu.
Official transcripts can be sent electronically from the University to graduateprogram@usuhs.edu or by mail to the Graduate Education Office address below. If you have multiple transcripts, it is preferable to send these items together.
USU
Graduate Education Office
4301 Jones Bridge Rd, A1045
Bethesda, MD 20814
MAY I APPLY TO MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM?
When you complete your online application, you will be able to apply to up to two Programs at a time. All supplementary materials submitted (statement of purpose, transcripts, test scores and letters of recommendation) will be automatically available to both Programs.
WHAT SHOULD I SAY IN MY STATEMENT OF PURPOSE?
In general, your statement of purpose should be approximately 500 words and should state your goals and objectives for graduate study overall and at USU specifically. The statement of purpose allows you to highlight areas of your background or interests that may not be clear in other sections of your application. Therefore, it is very important to write a clear and concise statement that expresses your interest in the Program, your goals for graduate study, and experiences that enhance your chances of success in the Program. You may address special features of the Program that made it the right fit for you, or you may address specific topics of interest to you and your experience related to these topics. You may wish to address aspects of your personal, academic, and work-related experiences that would make effective contributions to the Program or would showcase your knowledge and interest in your chosen area of study.
WHOM SHOULD I ASK TO WRITE MY RECOMMENDATION LETTERS?
Your recommendation letters should be written by an authority on your academic and/or professional experience. These individuals may be professors, advisors, supervisors, etc.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS ONCE THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED ONLINE TO THE USU GRADUATE EDUCATION OFFICE?
Once we have received your application, we match any documents that might have arrived before the application and include them in your file. As your materials are received (via email and mail), they are updated in our computer system. Once your application is complete in the USU Graduate Education Office, the application is sent to each Program/Department for review. Once the Department Program Admissions Committee has reviewed your file, they will send a recommendation to the Graduate Education Office. An official decision letter will be mailed to every applicant by the Associate Dean for Graduate Education.
WHEN WILL I KNOW THE DECISION ON MY APPLICATION?
Application review dates vary greatly by Department/Program. The majority of our decisions are sent out in the mid-March to late May time frame. For a more exact report time, though, you should contact your Program directly.
ADMITTED STUDENT QUESTIONS
HOW DO I APPLY FOR A DEFERRAL AND WHEN WILL I BE NOTIFIED OF A DECISION?
If you have been officially accepted into one the USU degree Programs and would like a deferral, please contact the Graduate Education Office (graduateprogram@usuhs.edu) and your Program/Department for a decision on your deferral request. Please note that not all Programs/Departments allow deferrals. We recommend you talk over your decision to defer admission with the Program/Department prior to making a final decision. If the Program/Department approves your deferral, you will receive confirmation from the USU Graduate Education Office.
HOW DO I CONFIRM MY INTENT TO ENROLL?
Your official letter of admission from the USU Graduate Education Office should include instructions about accepting the offer. Typically the process will involve emailing graduateprogram@usuhs.edu with your acceptance.
ONCE I CONFIRM MY INTENDED ENROLLMENT AT USU, WHAT DO I DO NEXT?
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TRANSFER STUDENT QUESTIONS
HOW DO I APPLY TO A USU GRADUATE PROGRAM AS A TRANSFER STUDENT?
Transfer students must follow the same application process as all other applicants. Our online application page includes detailed information on the application process.
HOW MANY OF MY CREDITS WILL TRANSFER?
For some degree Programs it is possible to transfer credits. However, the Program/Department and the USU Graduate Education Office will make the final determination as to which credits are acceptable for transfer credit. Please contact your Program Director for specific questions about transfer credits.
REACTIVATION QUESTIONS
I APPLIED A YEAR AGO AND WOULD LIKE TO DO SO AGAIN. HOW DO I REACTIVATE MY APPLICATION?
You will need to complete and submit a new online application. However, old files are kept for one year after you last applied, so it will be possible for us to add the transcripts you previously submitted to your new application file. Just remember to indicate within the online application that you have previously applied and email our office at graduateprogram@usuhs.edu if you would like any materials from your previous application to be added to your new application.
I APPLIED MORE THAN A YEAR AGO AND WOULD LIKE TO DO SO AGAIN. HOW DO I REAPPLY?
If it has been more than one year since you last applied, you will need to follow the guidelines for the normal application process.
NON-DEGREE SEEKING STUDENTS
HOW DO I TAKE A CLASS AT USU WITHOUT BEING ADMITTED TO, AND ENROLLED IN A DEGREE PROGRAM?
At this time you cannot take classes without being officially enrolled in a degree Program.