Application Procedures Each applicant must assemble all the application components and submit them to the Admissions Office. If you are applying online, you may submit your application and pay your application fee electronically. Your letters of recommendation, transcript(s), and any supplemental forms must be submitted through the mail. All mail should be sent to: Online Admissions, American University 1415 W. 22 nd Street Oak Brook, IL 60523 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A COMPLETE APPLICATION CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING: Completed Application Form Application Fee The cost to apply is US $55 for each application submitted for MA TEFL and Certificate applicants only. College Transcripts Please submit one official* transcript from each college, university, professional school, or other postsecondary institution you have attended. All institutions must be reported. Transcripts must be in sealed envelopes from the school/college you attended. Students who have completed a Master's degree will still need to submit official transcripts of their Bachelor's degree. Undergraduate transcripts must show conferral of Bachelor s degree. Some institutions will not release official transcripts to students. In that case, the transcripts should be sent directly from the issuing institution to: Online Admissions, American University, 1415 W. 22 nd Street, Oak Brook, IL 60523. * The term official means an original document or copy of your original document which is certified, stamped, and sealed in an envelope by an officer of your school. All documents must be received by American University in the sealed, unopened envelope. Faxed copies and photocopies that are not certified will not be accepted. The university requires transcripts be written in the native language of the school. If this language is not English, the documents must be accompanied by a certified English translation. 1
Standardized Test Scores Official standardized GRE test scores are required for the MA TEFL and certificate programs. Our ETS institutional code number is 8439 Include a photocopy of your test scores, if available, when sending your other materials. GRE test scores may not be more than 5 years old. Letters of Recommendation Two letters of recommendation are required for these programs. Recommendation letters can be submitted along with your other materials by mail. Please use the Recommendation Form on our website at www.online.american.edu/admissions. Recommenders may email their letters to admissions@online.american.edu (must include full name of applicant). Statement of Purpose (for College of Arts and Sciences) Your Statement of Purpose is a very important part of your application. It should be a well-written and carefully crafted paper of approximately 1,000 words in length. You should describe in detail your personal and career goals; relevant employment experience; reason for wanting to study at American University's College of Arts and Sciences; and ability and commitment to undertake graduate education at this time. Be sure to include your name on every page of your Statement of Purpose. If you are applying using the online application form, you may submit your Statement of Purpose electronically in the space provided on the online application form. Admissions Essay (for School of Communications) Your essay is a critical part of your application. It should be well-written and carefully crafted, approximately 1,000 words. Describe your motivation for seeking graduate study at American University s School of Communication, focusing on the program to which you are seeking admission. Please be specific as to which of your experiences will contribute to your success. What do you hope to gain, and what do you bring to the program? How do you envision using your degree? Résumé Please include a current résumé if you have professional work experience. If you are a veteran of the U.S. military, include your years of service. CERTIFICATE APPLICANTS If you are applying to a graduate certificate program (rather than to a Master s or Doctoral degree program), you should follow the same instructions for this application with the following notations: No GRE test score is necessary. Your Statement of Purpose on the application should include a brief (250 words or less) explanation of why you are interested in the program. 2
MINIMUM STANDARDS OF ADMISSION Minimum standards of admission include: Possession of a Bachelor s degree (or its equivalent) earned at an accredited college or university. Maintenance of at least a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average in the undergraduate program, calculated on the last 60 credit hours of coursework completed and available at the time of consideration of application for admission. The Graduate Admissions office will calculate the GPA for the last 60 hours (or its equivalent) of your undergraduate coursework. Maintenance of at least a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in all relevant graduate work for which a grade has been awarded. TOEFL test score of at least 600 (paper), or 100 (Internet-based test); IELTS test score of 7; or PTE test score of 68 for international students whose native language is not English, and who do not possess an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited U.S. institution. An applicant for graduate study may be admitted without reference to the undergraduate average provided that he or she has maintained either a 3.3 cumulative grade point average in a Master s degree program completed at an accredited institution; or has maintained a 3.5 cumulative grade point average in the last 12 credit hours which are part of a Master s or Doctoral degree program still in progress at such an institution at the time of the evaluation of the application; or in graduate work taken in nondegree status at American University and applicable to the degree program for which he or she is applying. International Applicant Information TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE Test Scores for Non-native English Speakers All international students are required to submit official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, or from the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE). Exemptions are granted for students whose native language is English, or who have obtained a 4-year undergraduate degree or a graduate degree from an accredited institution in the United States or other English-speaking country.* The minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 600 on a paper-based exam, or 100 on the Internet-based exam. The minimum acceptable IELTS score is 7. The minimum acceptable PTE score is 68. Our TOEFL institutional code number is 8439; there is no department code. * TOEFL exam, IELTS exam, and PTE exam scores can be waived if student has obtained a 4-year undergraduate or 2+ year graduate degree from an accredited institution in another English-speaking country, such as Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand. Students with international transcripts must have them evaluated course-by-course by one of the following organizations: 1. World Education Services (WES): http://www.wes.org/ 2. Educational Credential Evaluators Inc (ECE): https://www.ece.org 3. ACRAO International Education Services (IES): http://ies.aacrao.org/evaluations/ 3
TO THE APPLICANT: Two letters of recommendation are required and can be submitted by mail. Letters may be submitted 3 ways: 1. Your recommender(s) return the Recommendation Form to you in a sealed envelope with his/her signature across the seal. You should then mail the recommendation letter(s), along with your transcript and any other paper materials, to the Online Admissions, American University, 1415 W. 22 nd Street, Oak Brook, IL 60523, United States of America. 2. Your recommender(s) mails their letter directly to the address listed above following the same procedure of signing across the seal of the envelope. 3. Your recommender(s) emails their letter as an attachment on letterhead from their verifiable academic or business email address to admissions@online.american.edu. Name: Degree and Program you are applying for: Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, you have the right to review official university student records. You may waive that right, specifically for this recommendation, by signing here. Your waiver will in no way affect your admission to the university. (Signature) (Date) TO THE RECOMMENDER: Please write a recommendation letter on your letterhead and attach it to this form. Please include the student s name on the letter. In your letter of reference, please assess the applicant s potential as a graduate student. You should consider previous accomplishments, intellectual independence, capacity for analytical thinking, ability to work with others, ability to organize and express ideas clearly, and drive and motivation. Please explain in what capacity you have known the applicant and for what time period. This form should be returned with your letter of reference following one of the methods outlined above. Academic Performance Motivation for proposed program of study Intellectual capacity (including reasoning and analytical ability, imagination, learning potential Research and writing ability Outstanding Excellent Good Fair Poor Unable to Judge (Signature) (Print Name) (Date) (Name of Institution/Organization) (Email Address) 4
PERSONAL INFORMATION 1. Name (Dr. / Mr. / Ms.) (first) (middle initial) (last or family name) 2. Preferred First Name/Nickname 3. Former last names (e.g. maiden) 4. Gender Male Female 5. American University ID (former students) 6. Permanent mailing address (apartment number and street address) (city) (state) (postal code) (country) Home Number Cell Number (include country code if an international phone number) (include country code if an international phone number) 7. Current mailing address if different from above (apartment number and street address) (valid until) (city) (state) (postal code) (country) 8. E-mail address 9. Date of birth / / (dd) (mm) (year) 10. Is English your first language? Yes No 11. Number of years of full-time professional work experience 12. Are you a U.S. citizen? Yes No If yes, proceed to question 14. If no, proceed to question 15. R a ce/ethnicity: to be a nswered by U.S. citizens only. American University uses race/ethnicity data to 1) remain in compliance with accreditation and federal aid requirements, 2) provide a mechanism to assess our academic and professional services. 13. Are you Hispanic/Latino? Yes No Regardless of your answer to the prior question, please indicate how you identify yourself: American Indian Native Hawaiian Alaska Native Other Pacific Islander (non-native Hawaiian) Asian White Black or African American 5
Questions 15 through 17 are to be answered by non-u.s. citizens only. 14. Country of citizenship 15. City and Country of birth 16. Do you hold a U.S. Permanent Resident/Immigrant visa ( green card )? YES NO If no, what type of immigration status do you plan to hold while at AU? 3 Military Service (if applicable). 17. Are you an active duty member or veteran of the U.S. military? YES NO Branch of Service Highest Rank Achieved Entry Date Separation Date Test Scores (if currently completed). GRE (MA TEFL and Certificate applicants only) Test date Verbal score Verbal % Quantitative score Quantitative % Analytical writing score Analytical writing % TOEFL or IELTS (international students only) Which Test Taken Test Date Listening date Writing score Reading score Speaking score Disciplinary History. 18. Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any post-secondary (or the international equivalent) institution you have attended, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in a disciplinary action? These actions could include, but are not limited to: probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution. YES NO 19. Have you ever been adjudicated guilty or convicted of a misdemeanor, felony, or other crime? YES NO Note that you are not required to answer yes to this question, or provide an explanation, if the criminal adjudication or conviction has been expunged, sealed, annulled, pardoned, destroyed, erased, impounded, or otherwise ordered by a court to be kept confidential. If yes to either of the above, please include a statement including the approximate date of each incident, explain the circumstances, and reflect on what you learned from the experience. 6
ENROLLMENT INFORMATION 20. Intended academic program 21. Degree you plan to pursue: Master of Arts (MA) Graduate Certificate Program Master of Science (MS) (MAT) 22. Year and term you are applying for Fall (September ) Spring (January) Summer (May) 23. Are you planning to transfer any graduate credits taken at another school? Yes No 24. Have you applied for admission to American University before? Yes No If yes, for what semester 25. Have you ever enrolled at American University? Yes No If yes, check the appropriate box(es) Undergraduate Graduate Nondegree Certificate For what semester PREVIOUS UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDY Please list chronologically every college, university, professional school, or other postsecondary institution at which you have studied. Attach additional sheets if necessary. All institutions must be reported. Undergraduate: Name of College & Location Date Begun Date Ended Degree Awarded & Major Date Awarded 26. Undergraduate GPA : undergraduate GPA Graduate: Name of College & Location Date Begun Date Ended Degree Awarded & Major Date Awarded 27. Graduate GPA : graduate GPA number of credits Additional Educational History (please include any additional information about your educational background here) 7
SIGNATURE I hereby apply for admission to American University. I agree to abide by its regulations. I certify that the foregoing information is true and complete to the best of my knowledge and fully realize that omission or falsification or information will be considered sufficient reason for rejection of this application or for dismissal. (signature of applicant) (date) Please submit application form, along with official transcripts*, recommendation letters*, statement of purpose*, test scores,* and any additional required supplementary documents to: Online Admissions, American University 1415 W. 22 nd Street Oak Brook, IL 60523 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA admissions@online.american.edu APPLICATION FEE The application fee for using this paper-based Application for Admission is US $55 for degree and certificate programs.applications must be received with a fee in order to be processed. Funds must be drafted in U.S. currency. Fee waivers are granted to certain groups, please inquire with your Admissions Representative to verify if you qualify. OFFICE USE ONLY Applicant ID: _ 8