• Investigate: Investigate your intended graduate program to find out if they require a separate department application, letters of recommendation, graduate tests, or have specific department procedures. All supplemental department materials should be sent directly to your intended department.

• Deadlines: Look at our latest Fall or Spring deadlines to know when you have to submit your online application or documents that our office requires.

• Apply Online: Apply online to San Jose State University. This step must be done regardless of what extra steps you have to do to with your specific graduate program. Our online application is done through CSU Mentor and you will need to create a username and password to fill out an application.

• $55.00 Application Processing Fee: Credit card option is available when applying online, or you may send us a personal/money order drawn on US dollars from a US bank. Cash is not accepted. The fee is non-refundable, even if you withdraw the application or if the application is denied. The fee can not be used for any semester other than the one indicated on the submitted application. An online fee waiver is available for applicants who meet certain financial and resident criteria.

Submit Documents or Test Scores to SJSU

• U.S. Institution Transcripts: Submit one transcript from ALL higher education institutions attended (even if you did not get your degree) to the Graduate Admissions Office by mail or in person. All transcripts must be sealed and unopened in order to be accepted as official documents. Copies of transcripts or opened transcripts will not be accepted. Records submitted become the property of the university and can not be released to the student. Documents will be kept on file for one year and then destroyed if the student does not enroll at SJSU. Individuals currently enrolled in courses at time of their application for admission are required to submit the most current "Work In Progress" transcript from the institution. Students will still need to turn in final transcript once they graduate from previous institution. Submission of San Jose State transcripts is not required.

• International school work and degrees: If you have done post-secondary school work in an institution that is outside of U.S., visit our International Document Requirements page and find the country where the institution you attended is located. The list will detail the exact documents we require and how to submit them to our office by country. Student must follow instructions listed for the particular country, otherwise the documents will be considered unofficial.

• TOEFL is required for all students who graduated from a higher education institution outside of the U.S. where the primary language of instruction was not English. The university minimum entrance score is 550 (paper based), 213 (computer based) or 80 (internet based). All test scores must be less than 2 years old. Test scores must be sent directly from the ETS office (SJSU institution code is 4687). Our International Document Requirements page for your country will also indicate if TOEFL is required.
  

  TOEFL requirement may only be waived if the student has:

• Received a BS or MS degree from an accredited U.S. institution.
  
• Completed 72 semester units or 108 quarter units in a U.S. institution.
  
• Completed 3 years full-time school in a U.S. institution.
  
• University's medium instruction and examinations were conducted in English. Applicant must produce statement from the university's registrar's office on school letterhead. Minimum 3 years of matriculation is required.
  
  
• California Residency: All students intending to pay resident tuition must provide documentation of physical presence and intent to remain in California at least one full year prior to the Residence Determination Date for the applied term. Please visit our Residency page for more details.

Tracking Your Application

• Application Status: Soon after submitting your application online, you will receive a UserID and password e-mail. When you receive this information, you will be able to check the status of your application online using the My SJSU website.

• Completing Your Application: Your application will not be considered complete or evaluated until we have ALL your official transcripts and documents. You will be able to see what specific documents (except for documents required by your department) we require after we have processed/verified your application on your To Do list on the My SJSU website. You can send in documents to the following address:

Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations
San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0025

• Evaluating Your Application: After we have completed your application, it will be evaluated to see if it meets our minimum University requirements for admission. The minimum GPA for admission to the University is a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 in the last 60 semester or 90 quarter units (roughly two years). Professional development courses and courses taken in non-accredited institutions are not counted in this calculation. However, many of our graduate programs have higher GPA standards. Your intended department will be the one that makes the final admission decision if you meet our University minimum requirements. The entire application process takes 4-6 weeks after we have received all of your required documents.

Admission to SJSU

• Registration: If you are offered admission to the University you will receive an official letter of admission. You will be able to use the same My SJSU website to see when you receive your registration appointment date for course registration. Course registration and paying of student account bills are all done online. Contact your department to find out if they have any special orientation or to set up a meeting with your assigned program advisor at the start of the semester.

Good Luck!