All graduate and professional program applicants must submit a personal statement. Applicants should check their desired program’s website as some programs specify items that should be included in your statement. If the program you are applying to does not specify their questions, your personal statement should include:

• Your career goals and how the graduate program would help you meet those goals
• Prior work and life experiences related to your interest and aptitude for the program
• Your perception of your intellectual capability to successfully complete the graduate program
• Information about academic honors or professional awards, including scholarships, fellowships, prizes, honorary society memberships, publications, inventions or other creative work

If appropriate, attach a resume or curriculum vita that includes all relevant information and professional designations. Applicants are encouraged to upload their personal statement through the online application.

Three references are requested. You will be asked for their names and email addresses in the online application. Please choose references who can address your academic and professional abilities and preparation for graduate study.

Unofficial transcripts from all postsecondary institutions should be uploaded with your online application and may be used for departmental admission review purposes.

If offered admission, you will be directed and required to submit to the VCU admissions office an official transcript from any institution from which a degree has been awarded to finalize your admission. Transcripts are considered official if they are sent to VCU directly from the issuing institution.

Official transcripts that are not in English must be accompanied by an official English translation. The Office of Admissions reserves the right to request English translations of diplomas prior to granting admission.

Most graduate programs consider scores from common and relevant tests, although standard entrance examinations are not required by the graduate school at VCU.

To check if your specific program requires an entrance exam, review the Graduate Bulletin. If your native language is not English, you must submit scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language, Pearson Test of English or International English Language Testing System in addition to any other test scores required.

Official scores must be reported directly to the Office of Admissions by testing agencies; an official copy must be received before a final offer of admission can be made. The school code for admission testing is 5570.

To register for a test or to request that an official report be sent to the Office of Admissions, refer to the following websites:

• DAT: Dental Admission Test
• GMAT: Graduate Management Admission Test
• GRE: Graduate Record Examinations
• IELTS: International English Language Testing System
• MAT: Miller Analogies Test | VCU MAT testing
• MCAT: Medical College Admission Test
• PCAT: Pharmacy College Admission Test
• PTE: Pearson Test of English
• TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language