How to Apply

Degree-seeking applicants are required to upload a statement of purpose. General instructions (though some programs may have other guidelines): Please describe your post-graduation career plans. How will your education, experience, and development to date help support those plans? How will this graduate program help you to attain your goals? Preferred length is around 500 words.

Essays must be uploaded within the online application in order to submit.  

Clinical Health Psychology Applicants

Applicants to the Clinical Health Psychology program must provide an additional statement briefly describing events or experiences you consider to be evidence that you will be an effective health care professional. This could include work or school experience, life experiences, personal philosophy, or other information. 

Ed.D. Applicants

Applicants to the Education (Ed.D.) program will be asked to upload a letter of intent in place of a statement of purpose and respond to an additional writing sample prompt related to a current education issue. Cited references should be in APA format. 

Ph.D. Applicants 

The academic statement of purpose should indicate the intended field or fields of research. A personal statement is also required that describes the background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges that motivate the decision to pursue a Ph.D. degree at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

D.Eng. Applicants 

The Statement of purpose should include a research topic and research plan. It is strongly suggested to identify a faculty advisor at the time of application. A faculty advisor must be identified after admission and before enrollment.

Two-page limit for master's applicants; Four-page limit for doctoral or specialist applicants. Please include education information; work experience; research, teaching, or internship experience; professional affiliations, volunteer activities; community engagement; and relevant honors or awards.

Your resume must be uploaded within the online application in order to submit.  

Supporting recommendations are required for degree-seeking applicants. The number of recommendations required by college is listed below. If you do not know where your program of interest is housed, please review our graduate programs offered by college. 

• College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (CASL): 3 for Psychology, 2 for all others 
• College of Business (COB): 1 
• College of Education, Health, and Human Services (CEHHS): 2
• College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS): 2 for master’s level; 3 for doctoral level

There are exceptions to the required number posted above for current UM-Dearborn undergraduate students eligible for a 4+1 option: 

• Students eligible for the 4+1 option in the MS in Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) program are only required to submit 1 recommendation from CCJ faculty. 
• Students eligible for the 4+1 option in the MS in Accounting program are not required to submit a letter of recommendation. 
• Students eligible for the 4+1 option in the MSE in Bioengineering program are only required to submit 1 recommendation from the UM-Dearborn ME/BENG faculty.
• Students eligible for the 4+1 option in the MA in Educational Technology program are only required to submit 1 recommendation from an Educational Technology faculty member or instructor. 
• Students eligible for the 4+1 option in the MS in Applied Behavior Analysis program are only required to submit 1 recommendation from a UM-Dearborn faculty member or instructor. 
• Students eligible for the 4+1 option in the MS in Applied and Computational Mathematics program are required to submit 2 recommendations from mathematics or statistics faculty. 

Appropriate recommenders are generally current or former professional supervisors or academic instructors. Additional questions about whether or not a potential recommender can be used should be directed to the academic program. 

Requesting Recommendations

In the online application, you are required to enter your recommender(s) name and email address. An automated notification will be sent by the application system. We highly recommend reaching out to your recommender prior to completing this section of the application. Additionally, you will select whether or not you waive the right to review the recommendations if you are admitted and enroll in courses.

After submitting your application, you can monitor the status of received recommendations. 

CAS Recommendation Assistance

If you submitted your application in GradCAS, BusinessCAS, or EngineeringCAS, CAS manages the recommendations section, setting required questions, sending email requests to your recommenders, and providing submitted information back to UM-Dearborn to feed into our system. If you require assistance making changes to your recommendation requests, please contact your relevant CAS Applicant Help Center. 

• EngineeringCAS Applicant Help Center
• Business CAS Applicant Help Center
• GradCAS Applicant Help Center

If you are a current or prior student of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, your transcript(s) on record will be transferred to your graduate admission application during processing post-submission. 

Applicants to Graduate Certificate, Master's, EdS, EdD, and DEng Programs

All post-secondary transcripts, including diploma and in-progress programs, from non-U.S. institutions must be submitted directly to Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) for a Course-by-Course Evaluation Report. The evaluation report requires a fee paid direct to ECE. Please review the ECE official documentation requirements carefully as they vary by country. 

International transcript evaluations have multi-faceted purposes. The evaluation organization is responsible for confirming the degree earned has the necessary accreditation, determining U.S. equivalency in terms of years of education/degree earned, and recalculating individual grades and the cumulative GPA to the 4.0 scale. The results of the completed evaluation are used to determine eligibility for admission. International applicants must complete the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree. You may submit an application before receiving your degree, or while your degree is still in progress, so long as the degree will be completed prior to starting your program at UM-Dearborn. Some three-year bachelor's degrees may not be equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. The completed evaluation report will provide a recommendation for U.S. degree equivalency and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Three-year degrees may require additional credentials, such as a 1-year postgraduate diploma or a graduate degree, in order to be eligible for consideration. 

If your evaluation report did not include your complete degree or degree certificate/diploma at the time of admission, you must submit the final, official transcript and degree certificate/diploma directly to the Office of Graduate Studies prior to your first term of enrollment. Submission options will be communicated to you at the start of your first term in the program. You do not need to submit these documents back to ECE for an updated report for our purposes. 

You must designate University of Michigan-Dearborn - Graduate Studies as the recipient of the official report to deliver it to us electronically. The results within the completed report are used to determine both eligibility to apply for and admissibility into the program.

Exceptions 

An exception may be granted for non-U.S. institutions with U.S. regional accreditation recognized by CHEA (Council for Higher Education Education Accreditation) that issue transcripts in English and grade on the 4.0 scale. Please reach out to the Office of Graduate Studies with a copy of your transcripts for eligibility confirmation. 

If you already had another course-by-course evaluation report completed by a NACES-approved evaluation service prior to starting the application process with UM-Dearborn, you can send a copy of your completed report and original transcripts to the Office of Graduate Studies via email to request consideration for an exception. Each organization evaluates based on internal guidelines, meaning the same transcript can produce reports that differ in (1) what degree equivalencies they consider equivalent to a U.S. degree and (2) their GPA conversions. Your documents will be reviewed internally and a final determination will be sent via email. We reserve the right to require an ECE Course-by-Course Evaluation if an exemption request is denied.

Applicants to PhD Programs

Ph.D. applicants are required to submit one set of transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended. If the final year of study is in progress at time of application, grades earned up to that point must be submitted. If offered admission, complete and final transcripts must be received by the end of the first term of enrollment. Proof of degree awarded must be included, through a posted statement on the transcript or a separate degree certificate/diploma. All documentation received becomes the property of the University of Michigan-Dearborn and will not be returned.

Additional documentation may be required based on specific country or region, including semester-wise marksheets for all attempts (India) or a diploma supplement (Bologna process).

In cases where the original document is in a language other than English, a version in the native language AND an official English language translation must be provided. English translations must be literal, word for word translations in the same format as the original academic record. If your academic institution does not supply an official translation, we will accept an official translation prepared by a professional licensed translation service.

If you already have an ECE Course-by-Course Evaluation completed, please send the electronic report to University of Michigan-Dearborn - Graduate Studies via ECE Dispatch. 

International applicants must complete the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree. Some three-year bachelor's degrees may not be equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. Three-year Bachelor’s degrees are evaluated case-by-case to determine eligibility for admission to the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Three-year degrees may require additional credentials, such as a 1-year postgraduate diploma or a graduate degree, in order to be eligible for consideration. 

Unofficial copies of transcripts/evaluation reports can be used to make an admission decision. Please be sure to read through the required documentation noted above to ensure you submit all necessary materials. If offered admission with unofficial transcripts/evaluation reports, the official documents must be submitted by the end of your first term of enrollment. 

• In the Online Application, there is an option to upload an unofficial transcript/evaluation for each institution attended. Uploads should include the applicant's name, institution name, and all courses/grades. Once the application has been submitted, we can review the uploaded documents for processing to complete your checklist item(s). 
• Completed ECE reports should designate University of Michigan-Dearborn - Graduate Studies as the recipient of the official report to deliver it to us electronically via ECE Dispatch. 
• Electronic transcripts can be submitted to umd-graduatestudies@umich.edu. Electronic delivery is only accepted as official when sent directly from the institution, by a Registrar or similar official of the university either by an accepted third-party service (ex. Parchment, National Clearinghouse, etc.) or from an institutional domain. Transcripts sent by the applicant via email will be considered unofficial. 
• Transcripts can also be sent by mail in an institution-sealed envelope. Unsealed, unattested, or notarized copies are considered unofficial.  
            Office of Graduate Studies
            University of Michigan-Dearborn
            4901 Evergreen Road, 1055 AB
            Dearborn, MI 48128-1491

To find out if your program requires a GRE or GMAT exam, please review the admission requirements page. Official scores are required for consideration. In cases where a standardized test is not a program requirement, submission of test scores is optional. If received, they will be linked to your application file and weighed at the discretion of the review committee during decision review. For questions regarding score expectations, please contact the appropriate unit directly. 

GRE Scores

Our ETS Institution Code for GRE registration is 1861. Individual department codes are not necessary for the GRE.  As long as the institution code is used, your scores will be electronically delivered to us.  

GMAT Scores

Our GMAC Institution Code for GMAT registration varies by program. 

• Accounting (MSA): 1V5-HP-06​
• Business Administration (MBA): 1V5-HP-19
• Business Administration (MBA) - Online: 1V5-HP-50
• Business Analytics (MS): 1V5-HP-93
• Finance (MS): 1V5-HP-12​
• Information Systems (MS): 1V5-HP-38​​
• Marketing (MS): 1V5-HP-80
• Supply Chain Management (MS): 1V5-HP-71
• Dual Degree: Accounting (MSA)/Finance (MSF): 1V5-HP-22
• Dual Degree: Business Administration/Industrial & Systems Engineering (MSE): 1V5-HP-45
• Dual Degree: Business Administration (MBA)/Finance (MSF): 1V5-HP-58
• ​Dual Degree: Business Administration (MBA)/Health Services Administration (MHSA): 1V5-HP-56
• Dual Degree: Business Administration (MBA)/Information Systems (MS): 1V5-HP-40
• Dual Degree: Business Administration (MBA)/Supply Chain Management (MS): 1V5-HP-87

Any applicant whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency in one of the following ways: 

• Submit official scores from an approved English language proficiency exam 
• Meet the criteria for an exemption from taking an English language proficiency exam

English Language Proficiency Exams

Accepted English language proficiency exams are the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants only need to take one of these test options. Achieving the minimum score does not guarantee admission, only consideration.  You may take any of the exams more than once, but only your most recent score will be considered. Scores must be no more than 2 years old. 

Please see below for minimum required scores for each proficiency test:

• IELTS 
  • IELTS (Academic)/IELTS Indicator: Overall score of 6.5
  • IELTS scores are received electronically. An institution code is not required. Use the following information to locate our institution: University of Michigan, Dearborn - Graduate Studies.
• TOEFL 
  • IBT Internet-Based Test: Overall score of 84
  • PBT Paper-Based Test: Overall score of 560
  • ITP for China: Overall score of 560 
  • Our ETS Institution Code for TOEFL registration is 1861. Individual department codes are not necessary for the TOEFL. As long as the institution code is used, your scores will be electronically delivered to us. 
  • At this time we are not accepting the TOEFL MyBestScore to meet our English language proficiency requirement and will continue to require the posted overall minimum score for an individual test. 
• Duolingo English Test
  • Duolingo: Overall score of 105
  • Scores should be sent electronically to University of Michigan, Dearborn - Graduate
  • Doctoral programs in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (Ph.D. and D.Eng.) and the Psychology (MS) program are not accepting the Duolingo English Test to meet the English language proficiency requirement. 

English Language Proficiency Exemption Policy 

Applicants are exempt from providing an English language proficiency score if they meet one of the following criteria. Exemptions are not allowed if insufficient English language proficiency scores are reported. 

• Applicants who have earned or will earn an accredited bachelor's or master's degree from a country where the official language is English (United States of America, Australia, or United Kingdom)
• Applicants who have earned or will earn an accredited bachelor's or master's degree from an institution where the language of instruction is exclusively English. Verification from the school is required. Some institutions post a designation directly on the transcript or related academic record (ex. diploma supplement). In cases where there is not a designation on the transcript, a supplemental letter from the institution may be required. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies for further details regarding verification for your case. 

If a change in start term is needed, a deferral request must be sent to the Office of Graduate Studies via the Graduate Admissions Deferral Request Form. It is recommended that the request be received by the advisory deadline for the new requested term of entry.

Applications are valid for one academic year from your initial term of application (ex. Fall 2022 is valid through Fall 2023). Deferral requests for students offered admission to hard deadline programs are always reviewed on a case by case basis by the program.

All documents previously submitted will be transferred to the new term along with your admission if you are eligible for a deferral. If you choose to attend another university in the meantime, transcripts must be submitted from that enrollment. Effective Fall 2023: admitted students required to pay an enrollment deposit must pay the deposit prior to requesting a deferral. 

Processing of deferral requests is completed in order of receipt, with immediate upcoming deadlines prioritized. 

International Students

Deferring your admission does not automatically defer your I-20. You must work with the OIA to receive an I-20 with an updated program start-date to coincide with the semester of your arrival on campus. If you have been previously issued an initial I-20, you must submit an I-20 Deferral eForm via M-International. If you have not yet received an initial I-20, then you must submit the Initial I-20 Request eForm via M-International.