January 25, 2018

New Resource for Admissions Review

Admissions review for 2018 is in full swing for most of our graduate programs!

You may have questions about an applicant’s admissibility:

• Is the applicant’s degree equivalent to a four-year US baccalaureate?
• Is the institution accredited by the proper academic authorities?
• Is the grade point average equivalent to a 3.0 (B) average?

1. Regarding accreditation, we have updated the footnotes on Understanding the Application Process with a link to the World Higher Education Database (WHED). WHED is maintained by the International Association of Universities, which is a recognized authority on higher education worldwide. You can utilize this search engine to easily check an institution’s accreditation (just enter the name of the institution into the search box).
2. We’ve updated the US footnotes to include links to the various regional accrediting associations, although you can also continue to use AACRAO‘s site.
3. You are also welcome to submit an evaluation request to GEMS by checking the request box in the applicant’s application. (You can review the help file by visiting MGP > Help > Applications (Other) > How to Request a computed GPA and/or degree evaluation.) GEMS will evaluate degree equivalency, grade point average, and accreditation. If there’s a particular question or concern, you can use the department comments field to ask GEMS a question (e.g., “Does the BA degree satisfy Memo 8?” or “Does this school have the right accreditation?”).