Graduate Admissions

Springfield College accepts applicants to graduate programs who possess personal and professional potential for effective educational and social leadership. Students are a diverse group and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom. The curriculum relies on this breadth of diversity and experience. Applicants should be prepared to participate fully and contribute to the educational environment. In harmony with the philosophy of Springfield College, consideration is given to the whole person including maturity, motivation, and purpose. At the same time, attention is given to conditions that may interfere with the applicant’s performance in their academic work; therefore, the following guidelines have been developed. (Departments and/or schools may have additional specific admission requirements.)

The following pages include information about these topics:

A bachelor’s degree is required in order to advance to graduate level study. As such, applicants to the graduate school must have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Admission to a graduate program may be granted on a contingent basis upon successful completion of a bachelor’s degree when a bachelor’s degree is in progress. The bachelor’s degree must be conferred prior to beginning graduate-level coursework. 

Admission to graduate study requires the submission of a completed application by the applicant. It is the applicant’s responsibility to have the registrars of all institutions previously attended forward official transcripts directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions. All coursework completed at the time of application will be considered in determining an applicant’s cumulative grade point average for admissions purposes.  Graduate applicants are required to complete the medical examination form following enrollment.

• Fill out the online application form. If a prospective applicant, for any reason, is unable to complete an electronic application they may submit a paper application.

• Submit official transcripts from all regionally accredited colleges attended, including a final transcript from the institution from which the bachelor’s degree was awarded. (Copies of transcripts sent directly from the applicant will be considered unofficial and will not meet this requirement. Applicants who have completed courses at Springfield College are not required to submit official transcripts).

• Submit an up-to-date copy of a personal résumé.

• Submit a typed, two to three page personal statement in response to questions specified on the application form. Both the content of the essay and the quality of the writing will be evaluated.

• Submit a reference from a person who can speak to the content of your personal statement and who can address the following qualities: academic readiness, interpersonal skills, ability to analyze and think critically, imagination and creativity, clarity and precision in oral expression, clarity and precision in written expression, effectiveness in chosen profession. References from family members or personal friends will not be accepted.

• Demonstrate commitment to human services as evidenced through significant experience in human service work.

• Schedule an interview with a faculty or staff member - as required by the program for which the applicant is applying.

All application materials must be accurate, complete to the best of your knowledge, and your own original work completed fully on your own accord. Submitting fraudulent or plagiarized materials is grounds for immediate denial. If fraudulence or plagiarism is discovered following an acceptance, the admissions decision may be reversed.

In addition to completing the above procedure, international applicants must provide the following:

• Proof of an education equivalent to a United States baccalaureate degree. To assist with the determination of educational equivalency, all foreign credentials must be evaluated by an international transcript evaluation service. The completed evaluation should be submitted with the application materials.

• Evidence of proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking the English language. The TOEFL test may be submitted to fulfill this requirement.

• An accepted international applicant must deposit $1,000, which will be credited toward tuition charges before the College will issue the U.S. government’s Immigration Form I-20.

• Once an acceptance has been issued and a deposit is made, a financial guarantee statement, which may be obtained from the campus, is required. A strictly enforced regulation of the United States Immigration Service makes it necessary for the School to receive a guarantee of the applicant’s financial support for the period of time they will be enrolled for study.

Deadlines for applications may vary depending upon the academic program. Listed below are the preferred deadlines for submission of applications:

• September Term: August 15

• January Term: December 15

• May Term: April 15

Please note: applicants for financial aid should understand that applying after the deadline may mean reduced financial aid awards for that academic year.

Once the prospective student has completed the application process by submitting all required documents, the file is reviewed. All application materials are reviewed to evaluate demonstrated commitment to serving the community, ability to succeed in the program, and ability to complete the program. Files are reviewed as they are completed; therefore, it is advantageous for candidates to complete the application process as soon as possible.

Applicants will receive one of the following decisions: full acceptance, conditional acceptance, contingent acceptance, waitlist, or denial. All decisions will be communicated via email. Denied applicants may reapply for admissions and may contact the Office of Graduate Admissions to discuss reapplication.

Full Acceptance

Prospective graduate students may be given full acceptance in the event that their bachelor’s degree has been officially conferred, their GPA is above a 2.5, and they meet all academic requirements of the program for which they applied.

Conditional Acceptance

Prospective graduate students may be given conditional acceptance in the event that:

• Their incoming grade point average is below 2.500

• Their program recommends additional support based on review of their application

• There are program-specific requirements that are not met

New students with an incoming grade point average below 2.500 are required to participate in the Academic Success Center’s Academic Progress Program through the first nine credits in their program whereas former students returning with an incoming grade point average below 2.500 are required to participate in the Academic Success Center’s Academic Progress Program through their first semester of re-enrollment. After the identified length of required support has passed, the student’s academic standing will be evaluated and next steps will be determined in accordance with the institution’s Academic Progress - Graduate policy. 

All students who are recommended for additional support based on review of their application are required to work with the Academic Success Center to receive academic coaching and/or any specified support services as recommended by the program. The Academic Success Center and/or the program will make the determination when academic coaching and/or any specified support services are no longer necessary. 

In addition, individual programs may also have specific requirements for conditional acceptance beyond the aforementioned items.

 In all cases, students who are conditionally accepted must confirm their willingness to meet all conditions outlined in this policy and their conditional acceptance letter before they begin their program. 

Contingent Acceptance

Full acceptance to a graduate program at Springfield College requires possession of a bachelor’s degree, completion of all prerequisite coursework prior to their matriculation, and a minimum of a 2.500 GPA.  Prospective graduate students may be given contingent acceptance in the event that they meet all other program requirements but:

• Are currently enrolled in the academic year during which they anticipate conferral of their bachelor’s degree

• Missing prerequisite courses as determined by the academic program

In order to meet these contingencies, the student must submit an official, final undergraduate transcript that reflects degree conferral and completion of all prerequisite courses by the Drop Deadline of the semester in which they wish to enroll. 

In cases where this documentation is not submitted, the student will be administratively dropped from classes by the College Registrar and required to seek deferral of their application. 

In cases where the student submits an official, final undergraduate transcript that reflects degree conferral, completion of all prerequisite coursework, and a minimum of a 2.500 GPA, the student will be updated from contingent acceptance to full acceptance.   

In cases where the student submits an official, final undergraduate transcript that reflects degree conferral, completion of all prerequisite coursework but they no longer have a minimum of a 2.500 GPA, the student will be updated from contingent acceptance to conditional acceptance. See Conditional Acceptance section for details regarding specific requirements. 

Waitlist

Applicants may receive a decision notifying them that the program for which they applied has added them to a waitlist. Applicants are ranked on the waitlist based on their application. As space becomes available, students on a waitlist may be offered admittance to the program up until two weeks prior to the term of entry. There is no guarantee that a waitlisted student will be admitted to the program. If space does not become available, the Office of Graduate Admissions will notify the applicant. Waitlisted students may reapply to the program for a future term of entry.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, applicants accepted into the term to which they have applied may need to defer enrollment. In order to defer, the student must submit their enrollment deposit and notify the Office of Graduate Admissions of their intent to defer in writing. A student may only defer enrollment once unless there are extreme extenuating circumstances (such as military deployment) and they make a formal appeal to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Otherwise, if a student has previously deferred enrollment and wishes to enroll, they will be required to reapply to the program of interest.

Applicants who have not been admitted to a graduate program but who wish to take graduate courses are required to submit a non-matriculated application (which may be downloaded here) and official transcripts demonstrating receipt of the bachelor’s degree to the Registrar’s Office. Non-Matriculated applicants may only take up to 12 credits and are ineligible for financial aid.

No more than 12 semester hours taken as a non-matriculated student prior to admission to graduate study may be applied toward a master’s degree.

The length of time needed to complete requirements for a graduate degree depends on several factors: the nature of the undergraduate preparation, the quality of achievement in graduate courses, the professional purposes of the applicant and the amount of fieldwork or part-time employment carried.

Coursework for the degree must be completed within a specific number of years from the time of initial registration for graduate courses. In exceptional cases, the time limit may be extended by the Office of Academic Affairs following a petition by the graduate student and with the recommendation of the Program Director, prior to the end of their candidacy. In such instances, the applicant’s original program is subject to reexamination, and additional requirements may be imposed.  

Please refer to the Time Limit section of the Graduate Study page for the specified time limit for each graduate degree. 

Please refer to the Time Limit section of the Graduate Study page.

The College reserves the right to make whatever changes in admission requirements, fees, charges, tuition, instructors, regulations, and academic programs at its sole discretion prior to the start of any class or term. The College also reserves the right to divide, cancel, or reschedule classes or programs if enrollment or other factors so require.