Admission Information
Graduate Academic Requirements
Looking for graduate application deadlines?
Each applicant to a graduate degree program at the University of South Florida is required to meet the following minimum requirements. Applicants should check with their program of interest to see if there are any additional application requirements (e.g. test scores, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose and resume).
An applicant must have one of the following:
- A bachelor’s degree satisfying at least one of the following criteria:
- “B” average (3.00 on a 4.00 scale) or better in all work attempted while registered as an undergraduate student working toward a bachelor’s degree
- “B” average (3.00 on a 4.00 scale) or better in all work attempted while registered as a graduate student working for a graduate degree
- A bachelor’s degree with a “B” average or better and a previous graduate degree with a “B” average or better. In cases where an applicant has a bachelor’s and a graduate degree at the time of admission, the credentials and GPA of the graduate degree will be the determining factor for admission.
- The equivalent bachelor’s and/or graduate degrees from a foreign institution. Bachelor’s degrees from institutions in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) are considered equivalent based on the Bologna Accord. For applicants with a 3-year bachelor’s degree with less than 120 hours that was received at a non-Bologna Accord institution, we require a transcript evaluation from a NACES member to confirm equivalency.
Applicants from countries where English is not the official language, and who have not earned at least a bachelor’s degree in the U.S., must also demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Refer to the list of English-speaking countries to determine if you must meet this requirement.
English Speaking Countries
- Antigua
- Australia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Barbuda
- Belize
- Bermuda
- Botswana
- Canada, except Quebec (French)
- Cayman Islands
- Commonwealth Caribbean
- Dominica
- England (UK)
- Fiji
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Ireland (UK)
- Irish Republic
- Jamaica, Republic of
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Malawi
- New Zealand
- Nigeria
- Northern Ireland (UK)
- Papua New Guinea
- Rwanda (if secondary school completed after 2009)
- Scotland (UK)
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- South Africa (if Afrikaans is not listed as native language)
- St. Kitts & Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent & the Grenadines
- Swaziland
- Tanzania
- Trinidad
- Tobago
- Uganda (UK)
- United Kingdom
- United States, except Puerto Rico
- Virgin Islands
- Wales (UK)
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Minimum test scores required to demonstrate proficiency are:
- IELTS - 6.5
- PTE-A - 53
- TOEFL (iBT - 79; PBT - 550)
- GRE Verbal - 153
- Duolingo - 110
Learn more on the USF Journey Through Admission.