Domestic Steps to Admission

For purposes of admission to SJSU, please apply to the following category based on your current citizenship or visa status:

Please note: If you are currently on an H4 or F2 visa and want to convert to an F1 student visa, please apply as a domestic applicant.  If admitted, you will need to work with the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) Office to apply for a change of status.

If you are NOT in the above categories, see International Steps to Admission.

Select each step below and discover the required actions to complete your university application.

• Step 1: Meet All Requirements

  • Review SJSU eligibility requirements for graduate admission. Investigate your intended degree program to verify if they require a separate department application, graduate tests, or other specific department requirements.

    Once you decide to apply, follow the Graduate Application Process flowchart [pdf]which illustrates the steps involved in the graduate admission process for domestic applicants.

    The Steps to Graduate Admission publication [pdf] includes step-by-step instructions for completing the graduate admission process.

• Step 2: Meet All Deadlines

  • Review our deadlines to know when you have to submit your Cal State Apply application and document requirements. 

    It is important to take special note of the document deadline in order to ensure timely submission of required documents. Deadlines are fixed and applications not complete by the deadline may not be considered for an admission decision. 

    See our Document Submission Requirements by Applicant Type [pdf] to help you prepare your documents in advance of your application.  

• Step 3: Apply Online

  • Submit an online application through Cal State Apply for desired term and program to San José State University. This step must be completed regardless of any extra steps required by your specific graduate program. You may only apply to one degree program per admission term. NOTE: Admission term can be selected on the Cal State Apply landing page. 

    For a step-by-step guide on how to complete the Cal State Apply application for SJSU, visit our Domestic Application Tutorial [pdf]. 

    IMPORTANT: If you are currently on a visa (H4, F2, L1, L2, H1B, J2, etc.), you will need to correctly designate yourself as a domestic applicant at the beginning of your Cal State Apply application during the “Complete Your Profile” section.

    If you are currently on a visa (H4, F2, L1, H1b, J2, etc.) select ‘No’ to the question: “Do you have or will you require a student visa (F-1 or J-1) to study at a California State University (CSU)?”.  

    Note: An application fee is due at the time you submit your Cal State Apply application. This fee is non-refundable, even if your application is withdrawn or denied and only used for the applied term. Fee waivers are not available at this time.

• Step 4: Submit Official Transcripts
  • U.S./Canadian Transcripts

    Official transcripts are required and must be sent to Graduate Admissions.

    If your university offers official electronic transcripts, we will also accept this method of delivery. If your university requires an email address to send an official, electronic transcript, the recipient address is: etranscript@sjsu.edu.

    Transcripts sent by mail should be sent to:

    Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations
    San Jose State University
    One Washington Square
    San Jose, CA 95192-0017

    All mailed transcripts must be sealed and unopened to be accepted as official documents. SJSU students do not have to submit SJSU transcripts with your application. 

    NOTE: Your department may also request transcripts to be sent directly to their office. Check with the department for the departmental address and preferred method of submission. 

    Re-applying to SJSU
    Official transcripts are held for one year only. You can check your "To Do List" at MySJSU to confirm any outstanding documents needed after you apply.

    International School Work and Degrees:
    GAPE requires that all applicants with international coursework provide a WES (World Education Services) evaluation for any coursework completed outside of the U.S., U.S. Territories & Canada. 

    Due to the current global health pandemic, we have also approved the use of Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. (ACEI) and Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) for an evaluation of international coursework for applicants at this time. As this is officially approved for use during this time, you do not have to contact our office to receive approval to use ACEI or ECE. 

    NOTE: All international degrees must be evaluated by one evaluation service. Send your bachelor's degree and degrees earned beyond to the same evaluation service.

    Mark sheets/transcripts/degree certificates must be sent directly to WES, ACEI, or ECE for evaluation. SJSU must receive the academic record and the evaluation directly from the evaluation service.

    NOTE: If you have a master’s or doctoral degree from the U.S. and a bachelor’s degree from another country, we still require a WES, ACEI, or ECE evaluation of the bachelor’s degree.

    Submit your documents to WES, ACEI, or ECE early in your application process.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure the evaluation service has all required documentation with enough time to electronically transmit your evaluation to SJSU by your document deadline.

    Evaluation Submission Notes:
    • View illustrated instructions on how to send documents through WES [pdf].
    • SJSU will accept the WES document-by-document or course-by-course evaluation (Basic or ICAP). 
    • SJSU will accept the ACEI basic (general) report or the comprehensive (course-by-course) report. 
    • SJSU will accept the ECE general report, general report with GPA, course-by-course report, or the Scholar Profile (course-by-course report only). In the case of a Scholar Profile report, please be aware that if you are admitted to SJSU, it will be on a provisional basis.
    • The course-by-course reports offered by these evaluation services are for applicants applying to multiple schools that require international credential evaluations. You can decide which service you prefer.
    • We will receive the completed evaluation directly from WES, ACEI, or ECE electronically. Documents sent by applicants to SJSU will not be accommodated.
    • 7th semester marksheets are required for applicants with a degree in progress.

    SJSU Assessment: 
    • Evaluators determine degree equivalency and extract an equivalent GPA from the university transcripts. SJSU does not use the GPA calculations provided by evaluation services.
    • Applications will be referred or denied in accordance with CSU eligibility standards currently in practice.

    7th Semester WES, ACEI, or ECE Evaluations: 
    • Applicants admitted with only 7 semesters of evaluated work will be required to submit final semester mark sheets/transcripts and their degree certificate to the evaluation service for an updated evaluation.
    • The final, updated evaluation must be sent to SJSU by the deadline posted in the applicant’s MySJSU account.
    • Failure to comply with these requirements will result in a “document hold” that will prevent future class registration. Document holds are removed when documents are received and verified as meeting all requirements.

     3-Year Bachelor Degrees:  
    • SJSU does not deem many 3-year bachelor’s degree as comparable to a 4-year U.S. bachelor’s degree.
    • For applicants with 3-year bachelor’s degrees to be eligible to pursue graduate studies at SJSU we suggest applying to SJSU as an upper division transfer student to complete a bachelor’s degree from SJSU.

    Bologna Degrees:
    • Bologna degrees are accepted by SJSU and will require a proper WES, ACEI, or ECE international evaluation. 

• Step 5: Submit Test Scores
  • English Language Proficiency

    An English Language Proficiency Exam (TOEFL, Academic IELTS, IELTS Indicator, Academic PTE, or Duolingo English Test) is designated for all graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants, regardless of citizenship, whose native language is not English and whose preparatory education was principally in a language other than English.
    
    ^{*Important Notice: Starting Spring 2023, SJSU Graduate Admissions will no longer accept Duolingo as a test for English to assess academic English suitable for graduate education.}

    There are two ways to meet the English Language Proficiency requirement:

    1. Submit the TOEFL, Academic IELTS, IELTS Indicator, Academic PTE, or Duolingo English Test showing the minimum score required for the university and your major. Minimum score requirements can be found on our Graduate Test Requirements page. 

    OR

    2. Submit official transcripts or an official credential evaluation (i.e. WES) that prove one of the criteria below:

    • Studied full-time at a U.S. college or university for at least three years (completed 72 semester/108 quarter academic units at a regionally accredited institution within the U.S.)
    • Completed three years of full-time study at a high school in the U.S.
    • Completed (or in progress of being completed) Bachelor's or Master's degree from a regionally accredited institution within the U.S. or from one of the following countries/territories outside of the U.S.

    Australia

    Bermuda

    Botswana

    Commonwealth Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago)

    Canada – excluding Quebec

    Cayman Islands

    Fiji

    Ghana

    Lesotho

    Liberia

    New Zealand

    Nigeria

    Philippines

    Sierra Leone

    Swaziland

    The Gambia

    Uganda

    United Kingdom (England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales)

    U.S. Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa)

    Zambia

    Additional English Language Proficiency Notes: 
    • Countries not listed above will not meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement.
    • U.S. based work experience will not meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement.

    Note: SJSU does not accept “English-medium of instruction” as a substitute for an English-language proficiency exam such as TOEFL, IELTS, or the Pearson’s Test of English. Letters from applicants or institutions will NOT be accepted.

     

    Required Department Test Scores: 
    Review our Test Requirements page to see if your program of interest requires the GRE or GMAT. 

     

    Where to Send Test Scores: 
    TOEFL and GRE (ETS Code) is 4687.

    Academic IELTS scores sent electronically exactly as listed below:

    Account Name: San Jose State University Graduate Admissions
    One Washington Square
    San Jose, CA 95192-001

    NOTE: TOEFL Test scores must be less than two years old and GRE Test scores must be less than five years and sent directly from the testing agency to San José State University.

• Step 6: Establish Residency

  • California Residency
    The laws of California provide that every student in the California State University system be classified as either a resident or non-resident for tuition purposes. To be eligible for resident tuition, you must have established California residency approximately one year prior to the start of the admission term.

    If Residency Documents are required for your application as listed on your MySJSU to-do list, upload a copy of the CA Residency Questionnaire [pdf] including supporting materials in the correct pdf format [pdf][pdf] to the SJSU Admissions Document Upload. Residency documents must be received by the posted document deadline.

• Step 7: Submit Copy of Current Visa (if applicable)

  • All domestic applicants that currently reside in the U.S. on a visa must upload a copy of your current visa in the correct pdf format [pdf] to the SJSU Admissions Document Upload. The visa copy must be received by the posted document deadline.

    Tip: Applicants must show documentation to Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluations of their current visa. This is the status at the time of the application and will assist in issuing the correct paperwork at the time of admission.