Application Requirements

The following are the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. When applying, you must meet these requirements for admission to the Graduate School. Your application will not be forwarded to the program if you do not meet these requirements.

• Applicants must have obtained a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency, recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEEA). A non-U.S. degree must be equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from the United States and must be granted by a recognized or accredited foreign institution. 
• United States degree holders must have earned a minimum of 2.7 out of a possible 4.0 GPA or a minimum of 3.0 during the senior year of undergraduate study. If you have completed previous graduate coursework, you must have earned a minimum of 3.0 out of a possible 4.0 GPA.
• Applicants with non-U.S. degrees must have earned a minimum of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or other equivalent to a ‘B’ average. If you have completed previous graduate coursework, you must have earned a minimum of 3.3 out of a possible 4.0 GPA or other equivalent to a ‘B+’ average.
• Applicants may be required to submit standardized test scores, depending upon their program requirements.
• Applicants may be required to submit English language certification test scores.

Many programs also require departmental applications and may have additional requirements that are specific to the program. Please contact the department directly for any additional program requirements. Documents required by the program must be uploaded into the application in the designated areas. Documents required by the department and submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions by mail or email will not be forwarded to the department.

For additional information, refer to the Application Procedures and Admission Policies section of the Graduate Catalog.

Standardized Testing

The program to which you are applying may require test scores, such as the GRE or the GMAT. Please check with your desired program to see if they require any standardized test scores. Registration information for the GRE is available at Educational Testing Service (ETS). Registration for the GMAT is available at mba.com.

After taking your exam, have your scores sent to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. For the GRE, you will be asked for an institution code (1843 for UT). For the GMAT, simply select UT Haslam College of Business as a recipient.

English Language Certification

An applicant requesting admission to the Graduate School may be required to submit results of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Minimum score requirements for admission to the Graduate School are:

• a total score of 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT),
• a 6.5 overall band score on the IELTS.

The scores will be considered valid if submitted with the application within two (2) years of the test date. An applicant may be exempted from the English Certification requirement if:

• English is an official language in the applicant’s country of citizenship, according to standards published by the Graduate School.
  Applicant is exempted when indicating citizenship is in a country in which English is an official language.
  Or
• English is the primary language of instruction at the institution in which the applicant received an undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree.
  Applicant submits evidence of qualifying for exemption by uploading a transcript in the online application with conferred equivalent to U.S. bachelor’s master’s doctorate, or professional degree from an accredited college or university where English is the language of instruction in higher education. Evidence that the language of instruction is English must appear on the transcript or the applicant will be asked to provide additional documentation.  

Some graduate programs may have more rigorous Engilsh certification requirements. Applicants are responsible for meeting the requirements of the graduate programs when the standards exceed those of the Graduate School.

After taking your exam, have your scores sent to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. If you have taken the TOEFL, please use the institution code of 1843. For the IELTS, you will need to provide the mailing address for the Office of Graduate Admissions: 201 Student Services Bldg.,Knoxville, TN 37996-0221.

Find out how to register for the TOEFL or the IELTS.

Departmental Application Requirements

• The GRE test is recommended, but not required. This score must be less than 3 years old for the date of admission you are requesting. (University Code: 1843) If you do not submit a GRE score, it will not hurt your application. Please feel free to submit your score if you believe it might strengthen your application.
• Chemistry subject test is optional but recommended
• TOEFL or iBT is required for International students (we accept IELTS, but it is not preferred). This score must be less than 2 years old for the date of admission you are requesting. (University Code: 1843)
• 3 Letters of Recommendations
• Official Transcript(s) from All Universities Attended
• Resume or Curriculum Vita
• Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose
• Must meet the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. These are the base requirements for admission into the UT graduate program. Though generally, requirements for applicants to the Department of Chemistry are more competitive.