Graduate Admission

Application for Admission

The online application form and additional information for degree, certificate, and non-degree admission are found at admissions.iit.edu/graduate.

All documents submitted in support of an application must be original documents provided by the issuing university. Documents provided as part of the online application may not be duplicated, transferred, forwarded, or returned once they have been submitted. A non-refundable application fee is also required. Applications, fees, instructions, and additional information are found at admissions.iit.edu/graduate. Any current or former Illinois Tech student is not required to submit an application fee.

Students may defer their admission for up to one academic year from their originally admitted term. Students must contact the Office of Graduate Admission and request to defer their admission. Students wishing to register more than one year after the initial application must apply as a new student and resubmit all documents and fees.

Students applying to the Stuart School of Business, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Institute of Design, Department of Psychology, or College of Architecture should visit their respective websites for information on deadlines and additional requirements:

For additional information on Stuart School of Business graduate programs, visit stuart.iit.edu or call 312.906.6500.
For additional information on Chicago-Kent College of Law graduate programs, visit kentlaw.iit.edu or call 312.906.5020.
For additional information on Institute of Design graduate programs, visit id.iit.edu or call 312.595.4900.
For additional information on Psychology graduate programs, visit iit.edu/psychology or call 312.567.3020.
For additional information on College of Architecture graduate programs, visit arch.iit.edu or call 312.567.3260.

Degree-Seeking Versus Non-Degree Status

A degree-seeking student holds an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, has applied for admission to a degree-granting program (master or doctoral level), has been admitted by an academic unit in a specific degree program, and has received a formal letter of admission. Degree-seeking students are required to register every semester, except summer, unless they are granted an official leave of absence from the Office of Graduate Academic Affairs (see the Leaves and Withdrawals section of this catalog for more information).

A non-degree student holds an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, has applied for admission to a non-degree-granting program, and has been admitted by a specific academic unit. Non-degree students generally wish to improve their professional or personal skills without being required to fulfill degree requirements, are uncertain about their prospective field of study, or possess credentials that do not meet the minimum requirements for degree-granting programs. Non-degree students are not classified as degree-seeking students, and are not awarded a degree unless they reapply for degree-seeking status (see below for procedures on becoming a degree-seeking student).

Admission as a Degree-Seeking Student

To apply for degree-seeking admission, prospective students should submit an online application, including all required documents, required test scores, and the application fee, prior to the published deadlines. Applications received after the final deadline may be deferred for consideration to the next admitting term. U.S. citizens, permanent residents, eligible non-citizens and residents, and international students must submit the following:

Official transcripts for all post-secondary coursework
Professional statement
Required test scores
Letters of recommendation
Resume/CV
Application fee

International applicants must also submit the following (see Additional International Applicant Requirements for more information):

English proficiency test scores

The required minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA for degree-seeking admission is 3.0/4.0. Students with a 2.5/4.0 GPA may be admitted as non-degree students with a probationary status (see Admission as a Non-Degree Student.) Official documents issued by the relevant university, or copies of official documents issued by the relevant university, must be provided for any attempted or completed post-secondary coursework. These documents should include any failed, reattempted, or repeated courses.

Professional statements require applicants to respond to specific questions in length and detail about an applicant's academic or professional experience and plans after graduation and/or interest in research projects conducted by Illinois Tech faculty.

Ph.D. applicants are required to submit official exam scores as required by their program of interest. For programs accepting the GRE general exam, a minimum composite score of 292 (quantitative + verbal) and 2.5 (analytical writing) is required for professional master's and master of science applicants. Doctoral minimum GRE composite score requirements are 298 (quantitative + verbal) and 3.0 (analytical writing). Individual departments, colleges, and institutes may require higher scores. Students should see the specific admissions requirements listed for each academic unit in the relevant sections of this catalog. GRE scores may be no more than five years old and should be reported to Illinois Tech using code 1318.

Applicants to Chicago-Kent College of Law must submit LSAT scores as required. Stuart School of Business applicants must submit GMAT or GRE for Ph.D. as required. Prospective students can obtain more information about admission requirements for Chicago-Kent College of Law at kentlaw.iit.edu and for Stuart School of Business at stuart.iit.edu.

Letters of recommendation are required for doctoral applicants, and strongly encouraged for master of science and professional master's applicants. Applicants may submit up to three letters of recommendation from professional or academic sources who are able to assess applicants' skills and preparedness of graduate study. Recommendations from personal friends or family members are not accepted.

Meeting the minimum required test scores and GPA does not guarantee admission. Specific requirements and factors considered by academic units in admission decisions for specific degree programs are outlined in the relevant sections of this catalog. Admitted students may be required to take additional prerequisite courses which may not count towards the degree.

Admission as a Certificate Student

To apply for certificate program admission, prospective students should submit an online application, including all required documents and the application fee, prior to the published deadlines. Applications received after the final deadline may be deferred for consideration to the next admitting term. U.S. citizens, permanent residents, eligible non-citizens and residents, and international students must submit the following:

Official transcripts
Application fee

The required minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA for certificate admission is 2.5/4.0. Official documents issued by the relevant university must be provided for any attempted or completed post-secondary coursework. These documents should include any failed, reattempted, or repeated courses. For more information about certificate program eligibility, refer to the Certificate Conferral section of this catalog.

Certificate students who reapply to a degree-granting program may apply only approved certificate coursework with at least a "B" average to the degree. Students should also refer to the section on Transfer Credit.

Meeting the minimum required GPA does not guarantee admission. Specific requirements and factors considered by academic units in admission decisions for specific degree programs are outlined in the relevant sections of this catalog. Admitted students may be required to take additional prerequisite courses which may not count towards the degree. Certificate students are permitted to enroll in as many credit hours as are necessary to complete the certificate.

Admission as a Non-Degree Student

To apply for non-degree admission, prospective students should submit an online application, including all required documents and the application fee, prior to the published deadlines. Applications received after the final deadline may be deferred for consideration to the next admitting term. U.S. citizens, permanent residents, eligible non-citizens and residents must submit the following:

Official transcripts
Application fee

The required minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA for non-degree admission is 2.5/4.0. Official documents issued by the relevant university, must be provided for any attempted or completed post-secondary coursework. These documents should include any failed, reattempted, or repeated courses.

Non-degree students who reapply to a degree-granting program may apply up to nine credit hours for approved coursework with at least a "B" average to the degree. Students should also refer to the section on Transfer Credit.

Meeting the minimum required GPA does not guarantee admission. Specific requirements and factors considered by academic units in admission decisions for specific degree programs are outlined in the relevant sections of this catalog. Non-degree students are permitted to enroll in as many credit hours as they wish, but may only apply a maximum of nine credit hours for approved coursework with at least a "B" average to the degree.

International students may not apply for non-degree study, and cannot be granted an I-20 or an F-1 visa for non-degree study.

Additional International Applicant Requirements

International students applying for admission to degree-seeking or certificate programs must submit the following requirements, in addition to any requirements outlined in the relevant sections of this catalog:

English proficiency test scores
Financial affidavit of support
Passport identity page
SEVIS transfer form (only for students with active SEVIS IDs in the United States)

If the post-secondary institution(s) does not issue official transcripts in English, both the original and a professional English translation are required. We recommend an American Translators Association (ATA) translator (atanet.org). If the prior institution does not use the 4.0 scale grading system, the Office of Graduate Admission will evaluate your grades with respect to that system upon review of your transcripts. In the case that we are unable to evaluate and interpret credentials, applicants must have their documents professionally evaluated. Applicants must use an evaluation service that is a current member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Professional evaluations along with official, original documents should be uploaded with the application.

Students whose primary language is not English, or whose undergraduate curricula were not taught exclusively in English, must submit a valid TOEFL or IELTS score report to Illinois Tech using code 1318. These scores are considered valid for two years from the test date. If your scores are more than two years old at the time of your application submission, you must provide new scores. For minimum score requirements, please see English Proficiency Requirements.

The financial affidavit of support is required for admitted students to receive their I-20 or DS-2019—documents used to secure the appropriate visa for studying in the United States. In accordance with federal regulations, students must demonstrate financial resources needed for at least one academic year of tuition and estimated living expenses for the academic year of entry. Any scholarships or assistantships awarded by Illinois Tech, the Office of Graduate Admissions, or by admitting university faculty, as well as any private, employer, or governmental based scholarships and sponsorships may be deducted from the amount a student is required to provide in their financial affidavit of support. Students may provide this documentation at the time of application, or after any offer of admission is made.

The passport identity page is used to verify applicants' full names, birthdates, and national origin before providing immigration documents. This allows documents to be processed more quickly and more accurately.

The SEVIS transfer form is only used for international students currently in the United States on an active F-1 visa in good standing wishing to transfer their existing SEVIS ID to Illinois Tech from their current university or institution in the United States. This form must be completed if an international student wishes to retain their current SEVIS ID, and will require assistance from an international students adviser at their current university. This must be completed and returned before a new I-20 using that existing SEVIS ID can be generated.

Certification of Official Transcripts

Completion and conferral of a graduate degree requires degree-seeking admission to Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), and prior completion of the prerequisite degree requirement, as outlined in the current Graduate Catalog. Admitted graduate students are required to have earned the prerequisite degree(s) prior to enrollment, and to present certification of the earned degree(s) before completing any graduate degree at Illinois Tech. Students who have completed an undergraduate degree at Illinois Tech may be exempted from the degree certification policy at the discretion of the Office of Graduate Admission.

Degree certification will be completed at the time of admission, if the required documents have been provided by the student at that time. Students who have not provided this documentation at the time of admission must supply the required degree certifications prior to completion of the graduate degree at Illinois Tech. The student is responsible for requesting all required official documents and for any associated costs. The university reserves the right to deny degree conferral to any student who fails to provide the required certification of official documents.

Degree-seeking graduate students with an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. Institution of Higher Learning: verification of the baccalaureate degree will be satisfied by the submission of the official certified transcript for the earned degree, either provided by the student, or sent directly from the institution conferring the degree to the university’s Office of Graduate Admission. Students that have not provided this documentation at the time of admission must supply the required degree certifications prior to completion of the graduate degree at Illinois Tech.

Degree-seeking graduate students with an earned baccalaureate degree from a foreign institution of higher learning: verification of the baccalaureate degree will be satisfied by the submission and satisfactory review of the required original documents (or copies of original documents) and English translations, either sent directly from the institution(s) conferring the degree(s), provided by the student, or provided by an accepted international credential evaluation service to the university’s Office of Graduate Admission. Students who have not provided this documentation at the time of admission must supply the required degree certifications prior to completion of the graduate degree at Illinois Tech. Visit the Office of Graduate Admission website (admissions.iit.edu/graduate) for details on submitting the official documents to an accepted international credential evaluation service.

Non-degree graduate students: verification of the baccalaureate degree is not required to pursue non-degree graduate courses, but must be provided in accordance with the above criteria should a student convert to degree-seeking status. Students who have not provided this documentation at the time of degree-seeking admission must supply the required degree certifications prior to completion of the graduate degree at Illinois Tech.

Failure to provide the required certification of the earned degree(s) will prevent degree conferral. Should the review of official documents fail authentication, the student will be dismissed from graduate study at the university.

The only potential exception to the policy listed above specifically concerns students in the Coursera MBA program. Please see the Coursera website for more information.

For any questions regarding the submission and/or certification of official transcripts, please contact the Office of Graduate Admission (admissions.iit.edu/graduate).

English Competency

Illinois Tech graduate students must demonstrate proficiency in English communication and cross-culture to be successful graduate students and active members of the university community. To demonstrate proficiency, all international applicants must submit official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores dated within the last two years.

Applicants should have the official test results sent directly from the appropriate testing agency to the address below:

Office of Graduate Admission
Illinois Institute of Technology
10 W. 33rd Street, Room 203
Chicago, Illinois 60616

Please note: The Illinois Institute of Technology school code number for TOEFL is 1318.

By accepting admission to the university, the student is agreeing to take any additional English communication courses that Illinois Institute of Technology deems necessary. Academic departments always reserve the right to require an English language assessment from any applicant.

To be considered for admission without an English communication course requirement, the minimum total and section scores for each test are listed in the table below.

English Competency
Examination	Minimum Total Score	Minimum Section Score
Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT)	80	20
IELTS Academic	6.5	6.0

*Note: Applicants without the minimum TOEFL or IELTS scores can be admitted to Illinois Tech but will need to take additional English communication courses.

Graduate English Proficiency Policies and Procedures

Communication for Academic and Professional Success (CAPS) courses are mandatory for newly admitted graduate students with English proficiency test scores that do not meet the minimum requirements. Additional English language assessment(s) or courses may also be required as a result of the admission review.

Waivers: Students who qualify for waivers based on country of degree or other acceptable criteria have waivers applied automatically based on application requirements. Waivers are not requested by the adviser.
Registration: Admitted students with English course requirements will be informed in advance of their English course placements according to their test scores. Required students must register for one CAPS course per semester from the first term enrolled in person at Illinois Tech and each semester until all CAPS course requirements are completed. If desired, students can register for more than one CAPS course in a semester.
Immigration: CAPS courses apply toward immigration’s full-time enrollment requirements for graduate students of nine credit hours per regular academic semester.
Billing: Please note that each CAPS course is non-credit, equivalent to three credit hours, although they are billed at the discounted rate of one graduate credit hour.
Continuing registration: Continuing students experiencing extenuating circumstances and wishing to request to defer their English course requirements may submit a request in writing to the Office of Graduate Academic Affairs (form G701). Please note: Submitting a request does not guarantee a course deferral and when approved, deferrals are only for one semester.

Financial Support

All qualified applicants are considered for all available and appropriate scholarships and assistantships at the time of their application review. Students awarded scholarships or assistantships are typically notified at the time of their admission. While all qualified applicants are considered for funding, awards are competitive and most scholarships or assistantships are awarded to a small number of selected students with outstanding credentials.

The I-20 or DS-2019 cannot be issued until an acceptable affidavit of financial support is received, along with requisite supporting bank, loan, or scholarship documents detailing the available funds. Funds must be liquid and available for immediate use in the United States to cover at least one academic year of tuition and estimated living expenses. Documents must be dated within six months of the student’s beginning date. Simple statements from parents or relatives to pay all expenses are not acceptable. Applicants on F-1 student visas are not eligible for part-time employment during their first year of enrollment.

Completion of international applications after the published final deadlines may not allow time for a decision to be made and/or a visa to be issued for the semester requested. Applicants are warned not to make definite arrangements for attending the university until they have received a formal notice of admission. Students will be advised of their admission decision as soon as possible after the university's receipt of all credentials, usually within six weeks.

Readmission for a Second Graduate Degree

A student who earns a graduate degree at Illinois Institute of Technology is not automatically accepted as a student in a second degree program in either the same or a different academic unit.

Continuation for a second degree is contingent upon admission in the second program. Students must submit and complete a new online application, and provide all required materials, in order to be considered for second graduate degree.

Newly Admitted Students

Admitted students and international students who have already submitted a sufficient affidavit of financial support should submit an Intent to Enroll Form and pay the deposit online to indicate whether or not they plan to attend Illinois Tech. Housing information, initial registration instructions, a medical examination form, and immunization requirements are also available to admitted students. For international students, the admission packet will include the I-20 or DS-2019. To register in the semester for which they were admitted, students must return the completed medical form and immunization form, and contact their assigned academic adviser.

Arrangements for campus housing must be made directly with the below office:

Director of Housing
Illinois Institute of Technology
3303 S. State St.
Chicago, IL 60616
312.567.5075
housing@iit.edu
web.iit.edu/housing

Admission does not include commitments for room and board. A deposit is required with the application for housing. In general, the university cannot provide housing assistance for students who wish to live off-campus.

Newly admitted students should consult their academic units concerning program, degree requirements, and special departmental regulations, and should make every effort to arrive at the university in time for the initial registration advising date. If students cannot arrive before the first day of class each semester, the Office of Graduate Admission must be notified at grad.admission@iit.edu. Arriving late without prior notification may result in being dropped from the admitted program, or cancellation of a SEVIS ID.

Enrollment Confirmation and Deferral Requests

At the time of admission, the student should submit a non-refundable tuition and non-binding Intent to Enroll Form in the applicant portal to reserve a place in the program. Students committed to attending Illinois Tech should submit their tuition deposit through their student portal, which will be applied toward their first semester tuition statement.

All students who wish to defer their enrollment for up to one academic year must request the deferment by contacting the Office of Graduate Admission (grad.admission@iit.edu, 312.567.3020). International students may be required to submit a new bank statement.

Immunization Requirement

In accordance with Illinois law, all students born on or after January 1, 1957 and enrolling at Illinois Institute of Technology for the first time after July 1, 1989, must supply health provider-documented evidence of vaccination for meningitis, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, rubella, and mumps. Transfer students are considered as first-time enrolled students. Students enrolling for the first time during a summer session may be permitted to enroll in the subsequent fall semester before providing proof of immunity. Students who wish to enroll only in one online class per semester, and will not be on campus during the semester, may file a written request for an exemption. Exemption from one or more of the specific requirements may also be granted based on documented medical or religious reasons. A student who fails to provide acceptable evidence of immunity shall be prevented from registering for classes in the next semester. Individuals who are not properly immunized or who do not have proof of immunization may receive the required immunizations at the Student Health and Wellness Center for a nominal fee. The Certification of Immunization form is available at iit.edu/shwc/immunizations. Questions regarding this policy should be directed to:

Student Health and Wellness Center
Illinois Institute of Technology
Michael Paul Galvin Tower, Suite 3D9-1
10 W. 35th St.
Chicago, IL 60616
312.567.7550 or student.health@iit.edu