Graduate School Application Process

How to Apply

Making the decision to apply for a graduate degree program is complex. We want to make the application process as simple as possible by providing all the resources you need when you need them.

Applications open August 1.

student wearing goggles, holding an object
Section Contents

Introduction to the Application Process

Applicants must hold either a US bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a regionally accredited institution. If the degree was granted by an institution outside of the US, the institution must be accredited by the governing educational body of the country (such as the ministry of education).

We recommend that candidates who completed a degree at an international institution obtain a certified course-by-course evaluation of their degree(s) by a third-party service. This evaluation will confirm if your degree is equivalent to a US 4-year bachelor's degree. Documents should be in both English and the native language. If the institution does not provide English translations, students are responsible for obtaining a certified word-for-word English translation.

Review the application requirements carefully before starting the application. For more information please contact your program of interest directly.

Vanderbilt Graduate School Degrees

For degrees that are offered by the Graduate School– Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.F.A. in Creative Writing, and M.L.A.S. – you must apply directly to the Graduate School. Applicants with bachelor’s or comparable non-U.S. degrees may use the same application.

Vanderbilt Professional School Graduate Degrees

For discipline-specific programs offered at a school or college that grant their degrees independently (i.e. M.Ed. from the Peabody College of Education and Human Development), begin by searching for the program on the main university program finder and navigating to the admissions page of the professional school where your intended degree is housed.