Academic Requirements

General University Requirements for Graduate Admission

Full Admission

For full admission to a graduate degree program at AUS, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

• hold a four-year bachelor’s degree from an independently accredited university recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division and by AUS (applicants with a bachelor’s degree obtained outside the UAE must submit an equivalency of their degree from the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division)
• have attained a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00 (on a scale of 4.00) or its equivalent, and 3.00 or its equivalent in 300- and 400-level courses in discipline(s) relevant to the graduate program
• have attained a minimum Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) score of 80 or or Institutional Paper-based TOEFL score of 550 or IELTS Academic version score of 6.5 overall or Linguaskill General score of 176 or EmSat Achieve English score of 1550 (if available at the time of applying)

Some graduate degree programs may require additional specific admissions requirements.

Conditional Admission

Conditional admission to a graduate degree program may be granted to applicants holding a four-year bachelor’s degree from an independently accredited university recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division and by AUS and who meet any of the following requirements:

• have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 (on a scale of 4.00) or its equivalent
• have attained a minimum Internet-Based TOEFL score of 71 or a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 (Academic Version). However, the MBA and TESOL programs require a minimum Internet-Based TOEFL score of 80 or an IELTS score of 6.5 (Academic Version)

Conditional admission applicants may also be required to meet additional specific requirements as specified by their requested degree program.

Applicants admitted conditionally may not apply for graduate assistantship until they meet the conditions.

Transfer Applicants

Applicants enrolled in other universities, colleges or any institution of higher education prior to submitting this application must apply as transfer applicants (Student Type: Transfer). Transfer of credit will be subject to AUS academic rules and regulations. The decision regarding credits awarded is made solely by the appropriate academic division dean/department head at AUS. See the AUS Graduate Catalog for more information.

In addition to the documents required for the general application, transfer applicants are required to arrange for an official university transcript to be sent in a sealed envelope directly from their college/university, along with course descriptions.

For information about the credit transfer policy, click here.

To be eligible to apply as a transfer applicant, applicants must:

• be in good academic standing, i.e., not on probation or dismissed from the institution from which they are transferring
• be transferring from a recognized and accredited institution of higher education offering learning experiences equivalent to those offered at AUS and have successfully completed one or more semesters in that institution*
• meet the AUS General University Requirements for Graduate Admission (full admission or conditional admission).

*A graduate student may transfer up to six graduate credit hours from recognized graduate schools at independently accredited universities recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division. Only graduate-level courses completed with a grade of B or higher will be evaluated for transfer credit. Courses completed more than five years from the start date of the first semester of study of the current graduate degree program at AUS are not transferable

Applicants for a Second Degree

Holders of a master’s degree awarded by AUS or another independently accredited university recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division and by AUS may apply for admission to an AUS graduate degree program. Applicants for a second graduate degree must apply through the Office of Enrollment Management/Graduate Admissions. A complete application, along with the official transcript of the previously earned graduate degree, must be submitted to the Office of Enrollment Management–Graduate Admissions.