Graduate Admissions

Office of Graduate Admissions

Kendall Hall 101

Web: www.gallaudet.edu/graduate-admissions

(202) 651-5400 (voice)

(800) 995-0513 (voice/toll free)

(202) 524-8410 (videophone)

[Note: In most cases, all supporting documents must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office before the application will be reviewed by the department. Read the requirements carefully. Each page you submit should be labeled with your name and a "page X of X" numbering system; that includes any materials you may send to us electronically.]

Who Can Apply

Any person who holds a bachelor's degree and is interested in pursuing courses toward an advanced degree can apply to our Graduate School. Qualified Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Hearing students are all welcome. Almost 50% of the graduate student population at Gallaudet is Deaf.

When to Apply

Admission for Fall Semester

Applicants are encouraged to apply early. Applications and all supporting documents should be received by the Graduate Admissions Office by February 15 for Fall admits. Although many departments will accept applications later than this date, most begin to fill their incoming classes in late February. Completing your application by February 15 assures consideration of your materials for placement in the next incoming class. (Note: Applications to the Clinical Psychology program must be received by February 1st. Applications from international applicants should be completed by the end of December to allow time for completing all the requirements involved in issuing a student visa. Applications to the Department of Linguistics must be received by January 15th for best consideration and funding opportunities when available.) Specific application deadlines and other requirements are listed with the information about each program in this catalog.

Applications received after the February 15 deadline will be accepted and reviewed only on a space-available basis. Please consult the program you wish to apply for if you are applying late.

The Dean of the Graduate School will notify applicants when program recommendations are made regarding applications.

Gallaudet University has endorsed the Council of Graduate Schools agreement that potential students will not be asked to make a final decision to accept admission or financial support before April 15.

January and Summer Admissions

Although degree students are usually admitted in the fall semester due to the sequencing of courses, programs retain the option to accept January applicants. Students interested in January or summer admission should contact the Office of Graduate Admissions and the individual program for details.

How to Apply

Graduate admissions is a shared process at Gallaudet. The faculty in the program to which you apply evaluate your application and make a recommendation to the Graduate School regarding admission. The final decision is made by the Dean.

Should you be interested in one of our programs, please fill out our online application. Your information will be saved as you complete each page. Applicants for graduate special student status should also use this form and complete the section that pertains to Graduate Special Students.

Applying to More than One Graduate Program

Fill out an application form completely for each program to which you are applying.
The fee for the first application is $75, $40 for each additional application submitted at the same time.
Separate goal statements, letters of recommendation, and transcripts are required for each application and should focus on the program you are applying to.

Applying to a Second Graduate Degree Program after Matriculation

If you are interested in receiving two degrees, read the requirements for Dual Degrees under the heading "Requirements for Degrees" in the next section.
Fill out a complete application form for the new program to which you are applying.
The application fee for the second degree program is $75.
New goal statements, letters of recommendation, and transcripts may be required for the new application. (Check with the program advisor of the new program.)
A written plan of study, including course schedule and timeline, must be developed by you and your advisors in both programs and submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office with the recommendation for admission to the second degree program.

Sign Language and English Proficiency

Entry requirements for sign language proficiency differ by program. It is important to state, however, that Gallaudet University is a bilingual community in which American Sign Language and English exist side-by-side. Most classes are taught using sign language. In addition, most of the social interaction on the campus is conducted in sign language. Prospective graduate students are advised to prepare themselves as much as possible to participate in this environment.

For students whose home institution does not provide sufficient sign language training, Gallaudet offers a wide selection of sign language courses each summer as well as in the evenings during the regular school year. Contact aslprograms@gallaudet.edu for more information.

All prospective graduate students are expected to have completed at least a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.0 prior to enrolling in a graduate program, indicating a reasonable level of English proficiency. For international students, competence in the English language must be demonstrated on the Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) examination. Programs may impose more specific requirements with regard to English proficiency.

Note: Most of our programs do require the ASLPI as part of the application process. Please make sure you schedule to take the ASLPI (American Sign Language Proficiency Interview) well in advance of your application deadline.

For ASLPI scores and more information regarding the sign language proficiency, please visit the ASLPI website.

Reapplication

Application materials for persons not accepted for a program of study will be kept for two years from the initial date of application. Within those two years, a person may reapply by submitting to Graduate Admissions a new online application and updated materials for academic and professional information that has changed since the original application. The fee for reapplying is $75. The deadline for most programs is February 15th.

Accepting our Offer of Graduate School Admissions

Students who are offered admission to the Graduate School must accept the offer online, through their self-service portal and pay the $100 non-refundable admissions fee by the deadline stated in the letter of admission from the Dean.

Admission Fee Waiver Policy

Waiver of application fees will be automatically granted for applications that are submitted within the first 3 months of the admissions cycle (before Dec 31), attendees of Graduate Admissions sponsored events, Gallaudet alumni, full-time Gallaudet employees, or current Gallaudet students.

Applicants who provide proof of financial need can also qualify for an application fee waiver.

Examples of proof of financial need may include:

Your annual family income falls within the income eligibility guidelines set by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service
You or your family receive public assistance
You live in federally subsidized public housing, a foster home, or are homeless

Graduate Acceptance of Admissions Offer for Programs with Waitlists

Each graduate program at Gallaudet has a limited number of seats. If a graduate program at Gallaudet has a waitlist, applicants who have been offered admission to that graduate program have until April 15 or two weeks after the date of their offer of admission, whichever is later, to accept, decline, or defer their offer of admission. If the Graduate Admissions Office does not receive a response within this time frame, the space reserved for the admitted applicant may be given to someone else on the waitlist.

Application Integrity Policy

When applying to a Gallaudet University graduate program, applicants certify that the information they submit during the admission process is their own work, factually true, and honestly presented. Graduate Admissions reserves the right to revoke an offer of admission should an applicant’s information prove to be materially incomplete or false after review by graduate admissions and other stakeholders. Each offer of admission requires that the admitted applicant satisfactorily complete any schoolwork in progress at the time of the offer and meet Graduate School standards for professional behavior and communication. Offers of admission expect that, if admitted, applicants will: 1) maintain or improve the level of academic performance achieved at the point of application for admission; and 2) graduate from their current academic program. If an applicant does not meet these expectations, or other circumstances arise such as unprofessional behavior, then Graduate Admissions reserves the right to revoke an offer of admission at any time prior to attendance.