ETS GRE has collected best practices for holistic graduate admissions to consider applicants fairly and improve applicant success.
For more information and to review the ETS GRE guide to best practices, please visit Holistic Admissions.
A GRE® Fee Reduction Program is available for students with a financial need and for underrepresented groups. The voucher may be used to reduce the regular GRE® Subject Test fee by 50 percent.
Test takers who receive a GRE General Test Fee Reduction voucher will also receive free access to GRE test preparation materials, including:
For more information and to apply, please visit the ETS GRE Fee Reduction Program website.
Linden Educational Services has announced it’s Spring Tour dates to support international recruitment goals.
More information is available from Linden Educational Services.
Scott Jaschik reported recently in Inside Higher Ed that faculty in disciplines as diverse as the humanities to the sciences are opting to eliminate the standardized test requirement for applicants to graduate programs. Twenty-Four graduate programs at Brown University are the most recent adopters to announce that the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) will no longer be required. Last month, Princeton University made a similar announcement, joining the ranks of programs at Cornell, Yale, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania that dropped the GRE requirement.
Proponents advocate that the GRE is expensive and discourages applications from a diverse pool of candidates. David Payne, vice president and chief operating officer of the higher education division of the Educational Testing Service, said, “Dropping the GRE Score requirement – the only common, objective and research-based measure in the admissions process – will leave only subjective measures for review and selection.”
Many of UNC Charlotte’s graduate programs have eliminated the GRE altogether or have a waiver policy to eliminate the test requirement for applicants with specific qualifications. If you would like to discuss waiving GRE or a waiver policy for your graduate program, and/or alternate methods by which to evaluate applicants’ potential for success in your graduate program, please contact Johnna Watson, JohnnaWatson@uncc.edu, or Kathy Giddings, KathyGiddings@uncc.edu, in the Graduate School.
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Almost 300 prospective graduate students attended this year’s Graduate School Recruiting Fair held at the SAC Salons in the Student Activity Center Oct. 10. Participants, including more than 60 from other colleges and universities, met with representatives of approximately 100 graduate programs.
Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators interested in exploring creative ways to recruit and enroll more, better and more diverse students will want to participate in the upcoming LAUNCH Recruitment Collaborative, a series of focused sessions beginning Oct. 2.
The LAUNCH sessions will provide an opportunity to brainstorm, explore and learn about creative and highly effective recruitment strategies.
The first LAUNCH Recruitment Collaborative will be Wednesday, Oct. 2 in Cato Hall, Rm. 242. For more information and schedule, visit GPDNet’s Recruitment site. Also keep an eye on the GPDNet Important Dates + Deadlines Calendar for more dates.
Did you know you can customize the statement of purpose instructions for applicants?
Below is the default text. If you want to provide customized instructions, email your text and program name to Kathy Giddings at kathygiddings@uncc.edu.
Please write and upload a statement outlining your goals for pursuing graduate education. Specifically, describe your reasons for applying to the proposed program of study, your preparation for this field of study as well as any research experience in the discipline, future career plans, and any other aspects of your background or interests which may aid the Graduate Program Director and Admissions Committee in evaluating your motivation for graduate study. You may also discuss how the program at UNC Charlotte in which you want to enroll can help you achieve these goals.
Education USA produces an annual Global Guide detailing successful recruitment trends, country highlights, government scholarships, virtual and social media usage, and more.
Visit Education USA for more information.
The fee to apply for a post-baccalaureate or non-degree graduate course at UNC Charlotte will be reduced from $75 to $25 effective spring 2020. Admission is limited to one term.
The change makes it easier for prospective students to try out one of UNC Charlotte’s many graduate program options without having to take an admissions test, complete prerequisites, or commit to a specific program.
The regular graduate application fee for domestic students is $75 and the fee for international students is $85.
For more information, visit Graduate Admissions.
Inside Higher Ed is offering a free webcast, “Recruiting International Students in a Challenging Environment,” July 18 at 2 p.m.
The webcast addresses the changing geopolitical environment and other factors driving recent declines in international graduate applications.
A free booklet is offered to accompany the webcast. Download a copy by completing a brief Inside Higher Ed survey.
For more information and to register, visit Inside Higher Ed’s Event Registration website.
A program offering GRE Fee Reduction Vouchers is available for students with a financial need or who meet other special circumstances. The Voucher is redeemable for 50% of the regular test fee.
Those who qualify for a Fee Reduction Voucher may also qualify for free access to GRE prep training options.
More information on the program is available from ETS.org.
After attending a conference hosted by ECE, Educational Credential Evaluators Inc, our graduate application specialists created a new resource to help GPD’s review their applications from Indian, Chinese and Nigerian prospects. The India, China and Nigeria Academic Credential resource is meant to help the GPD understand the documents submitted in the applicant’s portal, and to aide them in determining those academic credentials. While the Graduate School remains as the primary approval point of official and non-official documents, giving the GPD a few key points helps them better understand mark sheets, transcripts and degrees from this particular international audience.
As a reminder to your students enrolled for fall, the bill due date is a week earlier than usual – August 7. The University continues to offer an optional 5-installment payment plan with a $55 setup fee and no down payment required. For additional information please have your student visit NinerCentral.
The ETS webinar entitled Best Practices: Finding Ideal Students for Your Program is available now to download in PowerPoint format. The March webinar focused on recruitment best practices for identifying and engaging with ideal students whose qualifications and aspirations best match your program goals.
A copy of the presentation is available for download.
The Office of International Programs will host a free Country-Culture Workshop featuring India on Mar. 22.
Topics include a comparison with India culture, language and linguistics politics, the India education system and more.
A traditional Indian lunch is included.
For more information and to reserve a seat, please visit the Office of International Programs.
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) recently released its annual International Graduate Admissions Survey report, revealing a second consecutive year of decline in international graduate applications in the U.S.
Nationally, the 240 colleges and universities participating in the survey had a 4% decline in international graduate applications, and a 1% decline in first-time enrollment from 2017-18. For the same period, UNC Charlotte’s international graduate applications declined 21%, while first-time enrollment actually increased by almost 15%.
CGS attributed the slowdown in international graduate applications to “uncertainty over U.S. visa policies, political rhetoric regarding immigration and strained relations with China.” Hardest hit fields were engineering, physical and earth sciences and public administration and services.
“UNC Charlotte is a great place for international students to call home,” said Johnna Watson, Associate Dean for Graduate Enrollment. “They choose us because of our stellar faculty and graduate programs, but also because of the warm welcome provided by the entire University community and the City of Charlotte.”
More information on the study is available from the Council of Graduate Schools.
A virtual career fair for online programs is scheduled for Mar. 26. The event is hosted by Purdue University.
Free to students, the Virtual Graduate Fair & Global Symposium provides an opportunity to introduce prospective students to online graduate programs. The event offers lower participation costs and flexibility. Each organization chooses their own chat times during the event.
For more information and to register, visit CareerEco Virtual Fairs.
Lenoir-Rhyne University’s annual Spring Career Fair is set for Thursday, Apr. 3, 10:30-1:00. The event is open to all organizations interested in recruiting students for internships, full-time jobs, and part-time-jobs as well as graduate schools.
The event will be held on Lenoir-Rhyne’s Hickory Campus in Shuford Gymnasium.
For more information and to register, an event registration site is available. For questions, contact Rita Purvis, rita.purvis@lr.edu, Career and Community Relations Coordinator.
