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Conditional Admission of
International Graduate S
tudents
“Giving FSU Graduate Departments an important tool for recruiting great students”
When a program has the desire to admit an international student who meets all the programs requirements except for the
required GRE/GMAT score and the required level of English language proficiency, that program has the ability to offer the
student Conditional Admission.
An offer of Conditional Admission is designed for international students who want to pursue graduate degrees at Florida
State University, but who lack sufficient English skills to earn the required TOEFL/IELTS/MELAB/PTE or
GRE/GMAT scores. Academic programs recommending an applicant for Conditional Admission can add stipulations for
the TOEFL/IELTS/MELAB/PTE and/or GRE/GMAT scores that must be met before formal admission is granted.
Academic programs should follow their typical admissions review process to decide whether to admit the applicant through
Conditional Admission. Since these students will not have the required English proficiency or GRE scores, it is important to
review the applicants’ other materials as
soon as possible (transcript, personal statement, letters of recommendation) to
allow time for
Conditional Admission and to study at the Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES) for a year prior to
formal admission to FSU and your program.
If admitted conditionally, the student will study at CIES and submit the required score(s) in sufficient time to begin
the graduate program within one year of being conditionally admitted.
During that year, the conditionally admitted
student may NOT enroll in FSU graduate courses, but
will enroll in intensive English study at CIES. Dr. Patrick
Kennell (pkennell@fsu.edu) is the primary contact for CIES. Please note: CIES issues its own I-20 and will process
all of the immigration documents for this student coming in on an F-1 (Student) Visa. Additional note: Tanya Schaad
at the Center for Global engagement should be contacted for any students coming in on a J-1 (Visiting Scholar)Visa.
Conditional Admission Process
1. The academic program elects to conditionally admit an international applicant upon a holistic review of the
application.
2. The department contacts Melanie Booker (MBooker@admin.fsu.edu) in Graduate Admissions and informs her that it
wants to offer conditional admission to the student of interest. The department stipulates the “conditions” (test
scores, etc.) that must be included in the letter.
3. Graduate Admissions generates a Conditional Admission letter to the applicant that includes the academic program’s
stipulations (e.g., required score on the TOEFL and/or GRE/GMAT).
4. CIES will contact the applicant and advise the applicant on how to apply to CIES. CIES will issue the I-20 for the
student.
5. The student then begins attending classes at CIES for university preparation.
6. When test score requirements are met, the student submits the official scores to Graduate Admissions.
7. Upon meeting all of the stipulated conditions, a formal offer of admission is extended to the applicant.
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*Note: When advising international applicants interested in Conditional Admission, remind them to allow at least one
year between entering the CIES program and their intended entry date for a graduate degree program. For example, if
students begin English study with CIES in fall 2013, they would plan to apply for graduate admission for fall 2014.
Conditionally admitted students who meet an academic program’s stipulations in accordance with the terms stipulated in
the Conditional Admission letter must be formally admitted by that academic program.
If a Conditionally Admitted international student does not attain the minimum score on the TOEFT/IELTS/MELAB/PTE
and/or GRE/GMAT by the indicated deadline, the offer will be void and the academic program will need to update the
decision.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):
1. Is Conditional Admission the same as Formal Admission to Florida State University?
No, not at all. This is simply a promise made by the program to the student that when/if the student meets the
“conditions” set forth by the department, the student will then be formally admitted into FSU and the program. If
the student does not meet the conditions within one year, the offer is void and the department has no further
obligation to the student.
2. Can a department offer Conditional Admission to a student who is not on scholarship or fully funded?
Yes, a department can offer Conditional Admission to a student who is not fully funded.
3. Can a department offer Conditional Admission to a student who is already at CIES?
Yes, as long as the student meets the academic requirements of the department except for the TOEFL (or other
accepted English language proficiency tests) and GRE/GMAT.
4. Can a department allow a conditionally admitted student to start taking classes without an adequate
TOEFL or IELTS score?
No, the student must have at least an 80 on the TOEFL or a 6.5 on the IELTS to begin taking classes at FSU.
5. How do students interested in Conditional Admission apply to FSU?
Applicants should apply through FSU Graduate Admissions at http://admissions.fsu.edu/graduate/.
6. What process should departments use to determine eligibility of students who are requesting conditional
admission?
Academic programs should follow their typical admissions review process in deciding whether to offer the applicant
Conditional Admission. Since many of these applicants need intensive English training, they may not have taken the
required English proficiency (e.g., TOEFL) and/or other standardized test (e.g., GRE). In these cases, it is important
review the applicants’ other materials as soon as possible (transcript, personal statement, letters of recommendation)
to allow time for Conditional Admission and study at CIES (a year prior to formal admission to FSU).
7. How fast can a student reach the required English language proficiency if they attend CIES?
That depends upon many factors. The two major ones are 1.) What is their level of English when they begin CIES?
and 2.) How hard will they work at improving their English proficiency once enrolled at CIES? A good student who
begins CIES at the beginning level will usually take one full year (3 semesters) of study before he or she is ready to
begin studies at the graduate level.
Contacts:
Melanie Booker, Graduate Admissions MBooker@admin.fsu.edu
Patrick Kennell, Center for Intensive English Studies [email protected]
Olivia James, Center for Intensive English Studies [email protected]du
