Admission Procedures

Guidelines

• The Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services will not begin to review your application until it is complete. If your program has an application deadline, all application requirements must be received by the Graduate Admissions & Support Services before that deadline. Submission of the application alone is not sufficient to meet the deadline requirement.


• It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all application materials have been submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services. The Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services will enter all supporting application materials into its computer system within one week of their receipt. If the on-line application does not indicate that a document has been received, please check again in a couple of days before contacting the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services.


• Once the application is complete, the average amount of time it may take to review the application is 4-6 weeks depending on the time of year. In many cases the admission decision may be made very quickly however, if an admission interview is required, the amount of time before an admission decision can be made may exceed the 4-6 week estimate. Programs with application deadlines will not begin to review their applications until after the deadline has passed.


• Admission decisions are not released to applicants via the web or over the phone. All admission decisions are communicated to the applicant via mail. You will be able to see that an admission decision has been made by reviewing the on-line application. Once you see that an admission decision has been made, please wait at least 7 days to receive the letter via US or Air Mail before contacting the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services.


• All admission decisions are made by the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services. Official offers of admission are communicated to the applicant via the admission decision letter.

Please submit application materials and direct any questions you have about admission or our programs to:

The Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services, Montclair State University
College Hall 203,1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043

Phone: (973) 655-5147 or (800) 955-GRAD (4723)
Fax: (973) 655-7869
Email: Graduate.School@Montclair.edu

General Instructions

International applicants without U.S. social security numbers will be assigned an identification number.  A copy of the green card will also be required along with the TOEFL test score and an evaluated transcript from a recognized evaluation company.  Please refer to our Links to Services page for TOEFL and evaluation companies contact information.

Applicants interested in just taking a course or two apply to one of our Non-Degree statuses.

(2)  Applicants to all programs except the Non-Degree statuses must submit Part B, the Statement of Objectives / Portrait of a Teacher Essay.

(3)  Send these documents and the non-refundable $60 application fee made payable to Montclair State University (do not send cash) to the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services at the above address.

(4)  Applicants to most programs are required to submit letters of recommendation (Part C) from appropriate individuals and transcripts from any college or university you attended.  (Please refer to the Application Requirements Section for detailed information about the documents required by each program.) Complete your part at the top of the recommendation forms, then give them to the people who will be submitting them on your behalf.  Contact your school(s) to arrange to have official transcripts sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services. (Montclair State University graduates are not required to send their MSU transcripts; the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services requests them directly.)

(5)  Applicants must also submit any necessary credentials such as any standardized test scores or teacher's certificate if applicable.  Please check our Application Requirements page for more details.

(6) Applicants will be notified if and when a personal interview is required.

Graduate Program Coordinators

Graduate Program Coordinators are available to discuss their area's programs. Please contact the department for the Program Coordinator's name. A department phone list is available as part of these application materials.

Admission Decisions

All students interested in studying at Montclair State University are encouraged to apply.  Admission decisions are based on an overall review of the required credentials (official transcripts, test scores, recommendations, statement of objectives; and for some programs, portfolio reviews or auditions; see Application Requirements by Program Chart for the requirements specific to your program.)  Formal written notice from the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services constitutes an offer of admission. Correspondence with a department or an individual faculty member does not constitute admission.

Confidentiality of the Application Process

Federal law requires that the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services maintain the confidentiality of both the information submitted by applicants and the status of their applications.  This information can only be shared with the applicant or someone the applicant has designated in writing as their proxy.  Any applicant whose personal circumstances require that someone else contact the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services in conjunction with their application must send us a signed letter formally designating that person as their proxy.  The Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services cannot discuss an application with anyone but the applicant without this document.

Last-Term Seniors

Students who have not yet completed their undergraduate degree may apply during their last term of undergraduate work. An official copy of their transcript should be sent to The Graduate Admissions & Support Services at the time the application is submitted. A final, official transcript indicating the awarding of the baccalaureate degree must be submitted before registration for subsequent terms will be permitted. Students will not be allowed to take courses if undergraduate degree is not complete.

Portfolio Reviews and Auditions

Do not enclose artwork samples, photographs, or audition tapes along with your application materials.  Students interested in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree must submit a portfolio of two-dimensional work and/or slides, video, film or CD ROM to the Department of Fine Arts by February 1st. Applicants to the Master of Arts (MA) in Music or Fine Arts will be notified by the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services of their eligibility to audition or submit their portfolio for review.

Students with Special Needs

Services are available for students with special needs.  Students should contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office at (973) 655-5431.

Transfer Applications

Although we welcome applications from students interested in "transferring" from a graduate program they are currently attending to one at Montclair State University, we do not have a special application for this. Although they may have completed graduate coursework elsewhere, we have no special admission policies or requirements.  They go through the standard application process, using the same forms, providing the same documentation and meeting the same admission requirements as any other graduate applicant.  If admitted and their previous graduate coursework is evaluated as relevant by a Graduate Program Coordinator, they may transfer a maximum of 6 credits to their MSU program.