HOME

MENU

LINKS

Graduate Admissions Guide

For the benefit of graduate admissions committees, coordinators and office staff, here is a simple, handy summary of the University of Florida's graduate admissions requirements and policies, so the admissions process works smoothly for everyone.

Four Basic Requirements

UF's four basic graduate admission requirements are:
— a previous college degree.
— at least a 3.00 grade point average.
— satisfactory GRE, GMAT or FE scores.
— satisfactory English language testing and verbal GRE scores for non-US and Puerto Rican applicants.

Your program determines what is satisfactory in terms of GRE scores. GMAT scores must be at least 465. FE Exam scores must be a "passing" grade.

Your program may have additional requirements or higher minimums as well.

The specifics for each of these four basic requirements are spelled out below.

Degree

All applicants must have a previous bachelor's degree, master's degree or doctoral degree from an accredited college or university, or an equivalent as determined by the UF Office of Admission's evaluation of official transcripts.

If an applicant's degree is not a US equivalent, but you still want to admit him/her, graduate school approval is needed. You must petition the UF Graduate School with an accredited evaluation agency's assessment that says the degree is equivalent to a US bachelor's degree. A list of accredited agencies is available from the UF Graduate School.

Grade Point Average

Applicants who graduated from an accredited US college or university must have an upper division undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 or better. In the case of non-US applicants, the UF Office of Admission will determine degree equivalency.

GRE/GMAT/FE Scores

All applicants must have GRE (Graduate Record Examination) scores that meet the minimums set by your program.

Some programs are approved to substitute GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) scores for GRE scores. GMAT scores must be at least 465.

Other programs are approved to substitute FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) scores for GRE scores. FE scores must be a "passing" grade.

Applicants with previous master's degrees, doctoral degrees or professional degrees from an accredited US institution can be exempted from the GRE or GMAT requirement at the department's discretion.

Applicants with credentials from non-US institutions must submit admission test scores regardless of the level of the degree they hold.

Verbal GRE Scores and English Language Testing

Non-US and Puerto Rican applicants must have at least a 320 verbal GRE score and at least the required minimum score for one of these English language tests:
— International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
— Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB).
— Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

The required minimum score for each of these options is:
— IELTS: 6.
— MELAB: 77.
— TOEFL (computer version): 213.
— TOEFL (Internet version): 80.
— TOEFL (paper version): 550.

Click on this link for a comparison of different English Language test scoring ranges in PDF format (readable and printable with Adobe Acrobat Reader): English Test Score Concordance.

Applicants may be exempted from this requirement if:

(1) They have official proof of successfully completing the UF English Language Institute (ELI) prior to applying.

(2) They are citizens of a country where English is the official language. Click on this link to view a list of such countries: Countries Exempt From English Language Testing Requirements.

(3) They have proof of spending at least one year as a full-time student at a college or university in a country where English is the official language. (Please note: time spent in ESL [English as a Second Language] programs does not qualify for this exemption.) Click on this link to view a list of such countries: Countries Exempt From English Language Testing Requirements.

If an applicant does not meet the English Language Testing and/or verbal GRE score requirements, but you still want to admit him/her, he/she must meet the following admission conditions:

(1) He/she must take the UF Academic Written English Program's screening test. This one-hour test is offered at the start of fall and spring semesters. It costs $60. For the date, time and location of the next UF Academic Written English Program screening test, click on this link: UF Academic Written English Program.

(2) If the applicant does not pass this screening test, he/she must take and pass EAP 5845 Academic Written English during his/her first semester at UF to continue enrolling as a UF graduate student.

Please be sure to pass this information on to admitted applicants who do not meet the English language testing or verbal GRE score requirement and must meet these conditions during their first semester at UF.

TSE and SPEAK Test Scores

Though not an admission requirement, please remember: by Florida law, non-US students must meet the TSE (Test of Spoken English) or SPEAK (Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit) requirement before being offered a teaching assistantship:

(1) Those who score 55 or above can receive teaching assistantships.

(2)Those who score 45 to 50 must take and pass EAP 5836 Academic Spoken English during the first semester of their teaching assistantships if they are granted one.

(3) Those who below 45 cannot receive teaching assistantships.

If a student does not have TSE or SPEAK scores, he/she takes the SPEAK Test on the UF campus. For more information about this test, click on this link: UF SPEAK Test.