Requirements

Admission to the Elliott School is highly selective, so please follow application requirements closely and submit your materials according to the deadline for your chosen semester. Select one specific Elliott School program for admission consideration, and verify that you have completed the background preparation for the program of your choice.
See also: Instructions: Elliott School of International Affairs

Application Materials

Below are all of the materials you will need to submit in order to be considered for an Elliott School graduate program.

• Elliott School application. Please complete this online.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation from professors. Applicants who have been out of school for several years may send recommendations from employers or supervisors, but at least one letter should be from a professor.
• One official transcript from each academic institution attended. Please include transcripts both from institutions at which you earned a degree and institutions at which you took non-degree courses. If you are a current GW student or an alumnus of the University, you may submit an unofficial transcript; however, you must request from the Registrar that a transcript be sent to our office.
• Resume or curriculum vitae. Please upload this in your online application.
• Statement of Purpose. Please upload this in your online application.
  In an essay of approximately 500 words, state your purpose in undertaking graduate study at the Elliott School. As part of your statement of purpose, describe your academic and research interests, career objectives, and how a degree from the Elliott School will enable you to achieve your goals. Please be specific.
• Alumni Referral Program. (optional)

Required Tests

All applicants to the Elliott School's M.A. programs are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). You are advised to take the GRE no later than December 1 (or August 1 if applying for spring admission) to ensure your scores are received by the application deadline. We cannot review your application until we receive your official scores from the testing agency. GRE scores are strongly encouraged but not required for applicants to the mid-career MIPP program and the MIS program.

Please note: We cannot accept LSAT or GMAT scores in place of the GRE.

International applicants: Please see the University's English Language Requirements for guidance on whether you need to take the TOEFL.

The minimum score for admission to the Elliott School is 250 on the TOEFL computer exam, 100 on the TOEFL internet exam, or an overall band score of 7.0 on the academic IELTS (with no individual band score below 6.0). The Test of Written English (TWE) on the TOEFL is strongly recommended.

Elliott School's ETS codes:
GRE institution code 5246, no department code is needed
TOEFL institution code 5241, department code 88