Evaluation Process 

Below are the steps for the Application Evaluation Process. Please refer to your Application Checklist for required materials and contact your department for their specific requirements.

*Transcripts are required from each university attended. 

** TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years after the test date. Applicants with expired scores will need to retest and provide updated scores. 

Note:

Applicants who do not meet one or more of the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School or Departmental requirements for regular admission may be admitted on probation, provided additional evidence of capacity to do satisfactory work is presented.

Bachelor’s Degree

Admission to the Graduate School requires all applicants to possess a conferred bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, or a comparable degree from a foreign academic institution, by the expected date of entry into the graduate program. A comparable degree from a foreign academic institution must be at least 4 years of U.S. equivalent college-level work, and bachelor's degrees in which the normal 4 years of coursework are completed in 3 years of U.S. equivalent college-level work.

GPA Requirements

A grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on all undergraduate work or upper junior-level and senior-level and a 3.0 or better on any graduate work already completed. Applicants from schools that do not follow 4.0 grading scales are required to have a B average. 

Standardized Test Scores (GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS)

Applicants may be required to submit standardized test scores, depending upon their program requirements. Applicants need to contact the program of interest to inquire about specific test scores needed (GRE or GMAT), score expectations.

Graduate Degree Program Requirements

Graduate degree programs have admission requirements, often more rigorous than those set by the Graduate School. Applicants can upload the required documents, such as; standardized exam results, letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a writing sample, or an application for a graduate assistantship in SLATE.

Before you begin your application, be sure to have all of the required documents, such as, your transcripts, exam scores, letters, and etc. You'll be asked to attach required materials and pay your nonrefundable application fee before you can submit the application.

Application Processing Fee

The Graduate School application processing fee for domestic applicants is $50 and $70 for international applicants. After completing your application, you will see instructions to pay the fee with a credit or debit card via a secure payment portal. An application processing fee is charged for each application submission. The application fee is non-refundable once the application is submitted. You may also be eligible for an application fee waiver detailed below.

Application Fee Waivers

LSU offers a limited number of fee waiver options on a first-come, first-serve basis to eligible domestic applicants.  International students do not qualify for application fee waivers. If approved, applicants can add the application waiver code to the Slate Application. Please complete the Graduate Application Fee Waiver Request Form and upload the supporting document materials. After creating your initial Slate application account, please submit your Graduate Application fee waiver. If approved, a fee waiver code will be sent to the email address used to create the Slate application. The fee waiver code must be added to the “Discount Code” application field at the end of the application. This will waive the application fee for submission.

The University deadlines are listed below; however, most academic programs have earlier deadlines than those established by the University or may admit only for a specific term. Prospective applicants must contact the academic program for those deadlines.

Tests necessary for admission are considered official only when they are sent directly to the Office of Admissions from the testing agency. Examinee copies are not considered official. However, applicants are able to self-report their test scores to the application portal.

Please use ETS Institution Code 6373 to have the agency send scores to LSU.

• Note: Although there is not a graduate school option, we can access your scores if the correct institution code is used.

If applying to MS in Athletic Training using ATCAS. Please use the following code: 4927 (LSU-MS Athletic Training-ATCAS-Grad)

Standardized Exam Scores

The Graduate School does not require the submission of official standardized admission test scores from nationally standardized graduate admission test, such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or an equivalent test. Because these tests are required by departments rather than by the Graduate School, contact the program of interest for more information.

English Language Proficiency

LSU requires every international student to submit official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Pearson's Test of English (PTE). Minimum score requirements for admission to the Graduate School are:

• TOEFL
  • Internet-Based Minimum Score: 79
  • Paper-Based Minimum Score: 550
  • Computer-Based Minimum Score: 213
• IELTS
  • Minimum Score: 6.5
• PTE
  • Minimum Score: 59

Important Details:

• TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years after the test date. Applicants with expired scores will need to retest and provide updated scores.
• The minimum score to satisfy the English proficiency requirement must be acquired in a single test.
• The Graduate School does not recognize Superscoring or MyBest Score as a valid cumulative score for admission purposes.
• Duolingo is not accepted.

English Language Proficiency Exemptions

U.S. Post-Secondary Degree

Applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS/PTE requirements if they have completed one of the following:

• A bachelor's degree earned from an accredited U.S. institution
• A college-level degree showing the completion of post-secondary education in a country listed below where English is the primary official language

Official transcripts are required showing completion of one of the above before a student can be exempted from the TOEFL/IELTS/PTE requirement. The Office of Graduate Student Services reserves the right to require a satisfactory TOEFL/IELTS/PTE score from any applicant.  

Country of Origin

International applicants from official English language-qualifying countries are not required to submit English language proficiency score. The country of origin list is subject to change. Contact Graduate Admissions with specific questions. 

Exemption Note: With few exceptions, international students (including those who were exempted from English proficiency requirements) are required to sit for an English Placement Exam.

Official and Unofficial Transcripts

Applicants must submit transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to the Slate Application Portal for review; however it will be considered unofficial but can be used to process your application for admission. Applicants who qualify for admissions will be admitted on a provisional basis until official transcripts are submitted. The official transcripts will be compared to any unofficial documents used for admission. If discrepancies are identified, your admission may be rescinded.

Provisionally admitted students must submit all required documents within 30 days after classes begin in the semester of entry. If official documents are not submitted 30 days after the first day of class, an admissions hold will be placed on the admitted student’s academic record preventing future registration.

Letters of Recommendation

Please check with your program of interest for department specific letter of recommendation requirements.

A link is emailed to each recommender with detailed instructions on how to submit the letter directly to the Graduate School. 

Curriculum Vitae/Resume

A CV or resume with an accurate chronological outline of all previous college-level education. Please Note: A CV/resume is required for all applicants who wish to be considered for an assistantship.

Degree Program Admission Requirements

Individual academic departments or colleges may impose more restrictive admission requirements. Program requirements may be based on other factors, such as research interests of the prospective student, letters of recommendation, personal statement, interviews/portfolios/auditions, or other factors specified by the program.

Contact the academic department for specific requirements and deadlines.