Graduate Admissions Requirements
In addition to all other program‑specific requirements, minimal requirements for admission include:
Graduate Application—A complete online graduate application. Graduate programs may have their own deadline for applications. See program‑specific information for those deadlines. For programs with rolling admission, applications will be considered as they are submitted and a program may be filled prior to the semester or term it begins.
Graduate Application Fee—Nonrefundable application fee of $50.
Minimum Undergraduate GPA—Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale.
References—Three references as specified by the intended program of study.
Application Essay—An essay of personal statement describing educational objectives and professional interests.
Official Sealed Transcript of All Undergraduate and Graduate Course Work— An official final transcript showing bachelor’s degree conferred along with official transcripts from all regionally accredited institutions of higher education attended. NOTE: Due to admissions deadlines, graduate students are sometimes admitted before conferral of a bachelor’s degree. Students who are awaiting their undergraduate degree will be permitted to register for their first semester (or term for programs starting in the summer) of classes. However, the degree‑conferral date must be prior to the beginning of the graduate program. Continuation in any graduate program requires an official transcript which verifies conferral of a bachelor’s degree. Students enrolled in classes who have not submitted the required proof of degree will have a hold placed on their record. This hold, which will prevent final registration, will not be released until the proper documentation has been submitted. An exception occurs when a student is enrolled in an accelerated bachelor to master program where the student is taking both master‑ and bachelor‑degree courses during the fourth year.
Coursework Completion—Completion of all deficient coursework required for admission into the graduate program, including but not limited to, prerequisite and degree‑specific requirements.
Additional Program-Specific Requirements—Other materials specified by the program, including specific exam scores from graduate admission exams (such as GRE or GMAT), departmental forms, portfolios, interviews, on‑site and/or phone interview, etc.
English Language Proficiency—An applicant whose first language is not English and/or does not have a degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction is required to demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting a score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) taken within the last two years. The minimum score required to display English language proficiency for admission to a graduate program is TOEFL: 89 iBT or 573 PBT or an IELTS score of 6.5. Currently enrolled Bridgewater College students are exempt from this requirement.
Additional Requirements for International Students—In addition to the aforementioned items, international students should go to the International Student Admission section for further requirements.
Graduate Admissions Classifications
Unconditional—the applicant has met all college and program requirements for admission to a graduate program.
Conditional—the applicant’s admission materials are missing one or more areas required by the college or program e.g. reference letter, official test scores. A student will be admitted without condition upon providing all deficient information. Students electing to enter the bachelor to master accelerated program and meeting all admission criteria except for the completion of the bachelor degree will be admitted to the master program under conditional classification while completing the bachelor program.
Provisional—the applicant is admitted to the graduate program under some described provisional status. These applicants have not met all of the specific program requirements for the graduate program to which they are applying. The student must perform to a level that warrants removal of provisional admission status within the timeframe defined by the program.
Denial—the applicant is not admitted to the college for graduate studies.
International Student Admissions: Graduates from Bridgewater College or Other Regionally Accredited U.S. Institutions
International students should submit the following documents in addition to the required graduate admission application and items outlined in the Graduate Admission Requirement.
- Certified bank statement verifying financial support for one academic year
- An applicant whose first language is not English and/or does not have a degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction is required to demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting a score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) taken within the last two years. English language proficiency results with the following minimum scores: TOEFL of 573 (PBT), 89 (internet‑based) or IELTS 6.5. No category— reading, listening, speaking or writing—can be below 22 in the iBT.
- Photocopy of front page (photo page) of passport
An I‑20 will be issued after verification of financial support for one academic year is provided and applicant is unconditionally admitted into the program.
International Student Admissions: Graduates from Non-U.S. Institutions
International applicants from non‑U.S. institutions should submit the following documents in addition to the required graduate admission application and items outlined in the Graduate Admission Requirements:
- All applicants should submit a transcript during the application process. Important Note: Transcripts from non-U.S. institutions must also be submitted for an academic credential evaluation to obtain equivalency information regarding courses, credits, grades, and degrees earned. The review must be requested by the applicant and must be conducted by a NACES member organization. Each NACES member organization may have different requirements regarding document submission. A general or document-by-document report is sufficient and must include GPA. An official copy of the completed evaluation should be sent from the NACES member organization directly to Bridgewater College. For convenience we've listed a few companies who evaluate international credentials. A complete list of NACES qualified reviewers may be found at www.naces.org.
- Certified bank statement verifying financial support for one academic year
- An applicant whose first language is not English and/or does not have a degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction is required to demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting a score from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) taken within the last two years. English language proficiency results with the following minimum scores: TOEFL of 573 (PBT), 89 (internet‑based) or IELTS 6.5. No category— reading, listening, speaking or writing—can be below 22 in the iBT.
- Photocopy of front page (photo page) of passport
An I‑20 will be issued after verification of financial support for one academic year is provided and applicant is unconditionally admitted into the program.
Transfer Graduate Student Admissions
Bridgewater College will accept up to six semester hours of equivalent graduate work transferred from institutions credentialed by accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. International institution credits will be evaluated by the World Education Services evaluations process and the College’s registrar.
Credit is allowed only for those courses within the previous five (5) years, in which a grade of C or better has been earned. Only credits are accepted in transfer; grades are not transferred and do not affect the student’s cumulative grade point average. Credit from institutions on a system other than the semester hour system is converted to semester hours. Students receive no more, and may receive fewer, than the number of credits earned at the host institutions. The student is responsible for supplying official descriptions of courses and any other supporting information such as course syllabi as requested to determine course transferability.
Transcripts will be evaluated by the registrar on a course‑by‑course basis. Only work comparable to that offered at Bridgewater College in level, nature and discipline will be accepted for degree credit. Official transcripts must be submitted.
Policies governing transfer credit may vary by graduate program and in some cases be far more delimiting than general institutional requirements. All program‑specific information is detailed in subsequent sections.
Graduate Student Deposit
Students who have been accepted for admission must confirm their intention to enroll by making a $300 reservation deposit. The reservation deposit is applied to the entering semester charges for the upcoming year.
Summer Term—The deposit is refundable if requested in writing before February 1. Students admitted after February 1 must make a deposit within 10 days of admission.
Fall Semester—The deposit is refundable if requested in writing before May 1. Students admitted after May 1 must make a deposit within 10 days of admission.
Spring Semester—The deposit is refundable if requested in writing before September 1. Students admitted after September 1 must make a deposit within 10 days of admission.
Enrolling students must present a written health report on a form supplied by the College. The form must be returned to the College before official registration can begin.
A reservation deposit is required for returning graduate students in March and serves to hold the student’s place for the upcoming academic year. The deposit is nonrefundable.