Required Admission Materials
To prevent delays in processing your application, with the exception of official test scores, all materials that are not submitted online with your application should be mailed to the appropriate address noted on the Program Admission Requirements page, preferably in one envelope. Applications will not be reviewed until they are complete.
All applications and supporting documents become the property of The George Washington University and cannot be returned. The George Washington University considers applicant information to be confidential.
The following describes the materials that compose a graduate application for admission.
Application Form
Official Academic Records
Statement of Purpose
Recommendations
Test Scores
Additional Supporting Materials
A completed application form
All applicants to all graduate programs not under the Law School or the Medical Center are expected to submit their application form through the online Graduate Application Center. The graduate application system provides all the forms for the application process and maintains your confidentiality through the assignment of a username. Easy instructions are provided in the Graduate Application Center to set up an account and password. After you have submitted your application, you may check its status at any time by logging in using your username and password.
If you are applying to more than one program, you will need to set up multiple accounts and submit an application and supporting documents for each program.
Official or certified copies of academic records
A transcript, Detailed Marks Certificate or comparable document showing all course work, grades and proof of earned degrees must be submitted for each institution attended. This is required for 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. Official records are defined as original documents issued by the institution (not photocopies) that bear the signature of the registrar and the seal of the issuing institution. Transcripts must be forwarded in their original, sealed envelopes.
If academic records are in a language other than English, an English translation must be provided; translations alone will not be accepted. Both documents must be certified by an official government agency or authorized official.
Applicants who previously applied to or attended The George Washington University must also provide transcripts for all non-GW institutions, even if these materials had been submitted as part of an earlier application. GW alumni do not need to submit official copies of their GW transcripts. If your former institution does not have an online transcript request process, you may find it useful to use the transcript request form.
PLEASE NOTE that all international transcripts submitted for application to programs in the College of Professional Studies or the Graduate School of Education and Human Development must be accompanied by an official evaluation from an accredited independent evaluation agency. Be sure to request a detailed evaluation that includes all course titles, credit hours, grades, recommended United States degree equivalency, grade point average (GPA) and date of degree conferral. A list of acceptable foreign credential evaluation services is available on the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) Web site.
Statement of Purpose
Your statement of purpose is an opportunity to tell us about your personal and professional interests and goals, as well as aspects of your background that would make you a good candidate for a GW graduate program. The statement should carefully follow the length and content requirements described in the Admission Requirements by Program page for the specific program to which you are applying.
Recommendations
The number and type of recommendations required, if any, will vary by program. We encourage you to use the recommendation process provided within the online Graduate Application Center and suggest that you contact prospective recommenders at least one month prior to the application deadline.
If a recommender is unable to complete the online recommendation, you can forward them a copy of the paper recommendation form. Paper recommendations should be returned to you in a signed, sealed envelope to be submitted unopened to the appropriate admissions office, preferably in the same packet as transcripts and any other supporting documents not submitted online.
Standardized test scores
Scores from standardized tests, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) are required or preferred by most graduate programs and must be sent directly to GW by the testing agency. If a standardized test is required by your program of interest, it will be listed on the Admission Requirements by Program page. The GRE institutional code for all GW programs is 5246 and codes for the GMAT and the Miller Analogies Test are provided within the program admission information page for each individual program.
Tests should be taken early enough to allow scores to reach the University before the deadline. GRE, GMAT and Miller Analogies Test scores that are more than five years old are not accepted for admissions review. Scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) may not be more than two years old.
Applicants who previously applied to or attended The George Washington University must provide official copies of score reports for any required tests, even if these reports have been submitted as part of an earlier application.
International applicants should carefully review the following page to determine test requirements for English language proficiency: English Language Requirements. The International Applicant section of this Web site lists the institutional codes for the English language tests.
Additional supporting materials
Resumes, proof of specialized certification, writing samples or other supporting documents may be required by your program of interest. The Admission Requirements by Program page for your field of interest will describe any additional materials that might be required.
Visa request forms for international applicants
If you are an international student who will be requesting a visa through GW, the necessary forms and additional documentation required are described under the International Applicant section of this Web site.
The GW Experience
Students
All in the Family
Greg and Heather Hachenburg talk about their undergraduate experience at GW, one of many sibling pairs to share in the Colonials legacy.
Creating Next Generation Leaders
GW program helps female students connect with leading women across a variety of fields and develop their roles as future women in leadership.
Where the City is a Classroom
Freshman volunteers experience life beyond Foggy Bottom...
Faculty
Fighting Neglected Diseases
GW professor works to eradicate diseases that affect the health, education and economic development of the world's poorest people.
Building the Super Computer
Pioneering lab puts GW at the forefront of high-speed computing and offers GW students unprecedented access to science and skills of the future.
Blast From the Past
Students map an ancient—and dramatic—eruption as part of a geological research program in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
Alumni
Giving Back to the District of Columbia
D.C. public health director calls GW education the foundation of his career.
GW Opens Doors
A chance encounter with a GW alumna helped give one GW undergraduate, an aspiring broadcast journalist from Texas, his big break.
The Legend Lives On
The $2 million bequest commitment caps a lifetime of philanthropy and service to GW, establishing the Elyse B. and Donald R. Lehman Endowed Professorship in Theoretical Physics.