Application Requirement Guidance

Office of Student Life: Admissions

This page is to guide applicants through each application requirement. Please check with the program you are applying to for specific application requirements.

Unless otherwise noted by the program or cohort location, all application documents should be sent to:

GSEHD Office of Admission
2136 G Street NW
Washington D.C. 20052
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Application Fee

Each application requires a $75 non-refundable application fee. This can be submitted online using a credit card or via check made payable to The George Washington University. Application fees are waived only in the following cases: GW alumni, current GW student, active McNair Scholar, or active military.

Official Transcripts

Transcripts are required from all colleges and universities attended, whether or not credit was earned, the program was completed, or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript. An undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning is required for admission to all graduate programs, and a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning is required for admission to all Ed.S. and Ed.D. programs.

Transcripts must be forwarded in their original sealed envelopes. If you are submitting international transcripts, please follow transcript instructions for international applicants.

If you have credits earned through a Study Abroad program, you are not required to submit a transcript of only those credits. We work under the assumption those credits were used in completion of a degree at 'home' institution and appropriately transcribed.

Please, also, include on your application for admission any previous names or aliases that might be part of your official record at another institution. This will help us match up your documents in completion of your application.

International Transcripts

Transcripts from institutions outside of the United States must be evaluated by an accredited independent evaluating agency – no exceptions. The evaluation should be a detailed document including all course titles, credit hours, grades, grade point average (GPA), United States degree equivalency, and date of degree conferral.

Only if we receive an official copy of this detailed course-by-course evaluation does the applicant not need to submit official copies of their international transcript. Some of the agencies we have worked with include:

Educational Credential Evaluators
http://www.ece.org/

Josef Silny & Associates
http://www.jsilny.com/

World Education Service
http://www.wes.org/

Resume

A current resume or curriculum vitae is required upon application for admission. Please be sure to update it with current professional experience before submission.

Standardized Tests

Either the GRE general test or the Miller Analogies Test is required when applying to all master’s, education specialist, and doctoral programs. This requirement is waived only for applicants who seek a second master’s, a second education specialist, or second doctoral degree conferred by a regionally accredited institution of higher learning. The first degree must be conferred.

Applicants applying to the Education Policy master's or doctoral programs are not waived of this exemption and must submit a GRE score only. MAT scores are not accepted for the Education Policy master’s or doctoral programs.

Test scores more than 5 years old will not be considered. To be sure your scores are sent to the correct school, you must give the testing service the appropriate school code.

The codes for GSEHD are:

For GRE scores: R5246
For MAT scores: 1047

The Human Resource Development program now accepts the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), in addition to the GRE and the MAT. Please note the appropriate program code below when sending GMAT scores to GSEHD:

Human Resource Development Program:
QK4-0D-98

Statement of Purpose

Certificate, Masters, and Ed.S. applicants: In an essay, state your purpose in undertaking graduate study at The George Washington University, describing your academic objectives, research interests, and career plans. Also discuss your related qualifications, including collegiate, professional, and community activities and any other substantial accomplishments not already mentioned in the application. Doctoral applicants are expected to write a more comprehensive essay of clearly indicating primary and supporting fields of study and describe research areas of interest.

Recommendation Letters

Two letters of recommendation are required for all master's, Ed.S. and doctoral programs. One letter should be from a faculty member and the other from a professional supervisor (with the exception of Education Policy and the Counseling doctoral programs, see below).

Certificate program applicants may only have to submit one recommendation; check with individual certificate programs.

The Education Policy master's and doctoral programs require at least two letters of recommendation be written by an academic instructor/advisor or someone who could speak of the academic abilities of the applicant.

The Counseling doctoral program requires three letters of recommendation.

Content Area Preparation Form

(M.Ed. Secondary Education applicants only)

All Secondary Education applicants must complete and submit Content Area Preparation Forms for each content area to which you apply. Please feel free to upload this completed document to your online application under a free area such as 'Writing Sample' or you may email them directly to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Writing Samples

(M.Ed. Elementary Education applicants only)
This should consist of an academic paper written in undergraduate school, a professional paper written after graduation from college, or a published academic or professional work with full citation.

Statement of Understanding

A signed Statement of Understanding will be required before the first term of coursework. This statement highlights specific policies and procedures in the school relevant to applicants and incoming students.

International Applicants

Language Requirements

In addition to taking the GRE or Miller Analogies Test, international students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the IELTS. Please use the institution code 5266 to have your TOEFL sent to the Graduate School of Education and Human Development. A code for IELTS scores is not required. Please note: TOEFL and/or IELTS is not required of students:

Whose native language is English or who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree, with a minimum two years course study, from an institution in a country where English is the native language (the U.S. and territories, Great Britain and territories, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada).

Test scores more than 2 years old will not be considered.

Visa Request and Financial Certificate Form

The George Washington University may not admit an international applicant or send a student visa document (I-20 or DS-2019) until the applicant has submitted financial certification showing sufficient funds to pay for educational expenses. The process to obtain a student visa from a U.S. consulate abroad usually takes at least three months.

For this reason, we strongly recommend that you submit your financial certificate when you send in the rest of your application materials. The financial certificate is included in the online application and the regularly printed application materials.