Steps to Apply

A. Identify your program of interest

Oakland University offers more than 130 master’s, doctoral and certificate programs. If you have questions about specific program details, contact the department or program coordinator at the top of each program listing. General application and admission process questions can be made to the Graduate School by filling out the contact form. 

B. Review admission criteria and program deadlines

First learn about general graduate admission requirements. Then check out admission requirements and application deadlines for your specific program of interest. Remember that an “application deadline” means that the application for admission and all supporting documents and information must be received by the deadline date.

All applicants must submit the following: 

• Online application
• Official transcripts providing evidence of a baccalaureate degree awarded from a regionally accredited U.S. institution OR a degree equivalent to a U.S. baccalaureate degree from a college or university of government-recognized standing
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions and for any graduate-level coursework beyond a bachelor's degree
• Two professional recommendations for Graduate Admission
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume

Some programs may have additional requirements including: 

• Official standard admission test scores (GRE, GMAT, etc.)
• Program supplemental application 
• Goal Statement/Experience Statement/Essay 
• Additional professional recommendation for Graduate Admissions
• Proof of certification, license, etc. 
• Proof of program pre-requisite courses required for admission into a specific degree program 

International applicants requiring an I-20 for a visa must submit additional documents including: 

• Affidavit of support 
• Certified bank statement
• Statement of finances 
• F-1 transfer form (students transferring from another U.S. institution)  
• Transcript evaluation 
• Proof of English language proficiency. Visit the international page for additional information.

C. Review our financial assistance page

D. Attend a graduate open house

A. Submit an application

1. 1. Click the apply now button.
   2. Select one of the following options from the screen.
   3. New Applicants: Fill out the form completely. Make note of your email and password for future log in. 
   4. Click start an application or apply online
   5. Select your application 
   6. Fill out the application and click submit
   7. Pay the $45 application charge 

B. Submit supplemental items 

After submitting your application, you can begin uploading your required supplemental items. To upload supplemental items, go to the Admission login page, log in using your email and password, and upload your required documents.

C. Transcripts and transcript evaluations 

You must submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities you have attended. If you are a United States active duty service member or veteran you should also include your military transcript. To speed up your admission process, request all domestic transcripts to be delivered electronically to [email protected]. 

*Oakland University degree graduates do not need to upload a transcript, we will take care of that for you.* 

Schools that do not submit official transcripts electronically, can submit official (paper) transcripts to:

Oakland University 
Graduate School
O'Dowd Hall, Room 520 
586 Pioneer Drive 
Rochester, MI 48309-4482

International Students: If your degree was earned outside of the United States, visit our international student page for additional information on our transcript evaluation requirements. 

D. Request official test scores

Entrance test scores may be required by your graduate program of interest. The institution code for sending test scores to Oakland University is 1497. 

International students should review the English proficiency tab for additional information and test scores.

E. Contact your recommenders

During the applying/completion of your application, you will be asked to provide the email addresses of the people who will write your professional recommendations. Contact your recommenders in advance to get their email addresses and let them know that they will receive an email from Oakland University Graduate School requesting that they submit the recommendation online. Only professional recommendations are accepted. Personal recommendations cannot be used for an admission review and your application decision will be delayed. 

F. Complete and upload program supplemental application 

Most graduate programs require a supplemental application in addition to the online application.

• Visiting the Admission login page
• Signing in using your email address and password (created when you submitted your application)

Once Graduate Admissions has received all of the required application materials, completed admission files are shared with the academic program for admission review. 

For academic programs that admit on a rolling basis, the review process typically takes 2-3 weeks from the date the file became "complete." For programs that review applications as a group, the review process begins after the deadline date and can take 4 - 8 weeks before decisions are announced. 

Once an admission decision is made, it will appear at the top of the page where you submitted your supplemental items. You will also receive a letter from the Graduate Admissions office.

After you receive your offer of admission, the next step is to accept your offer by using the Admission Acceptance Form.