You may apply online at our website: http://www.calu.edu. If you do not have access to a computer, then you may request a paper application and it will be mailed to you.  You may e-mail us at gradschool@calu.edu or call 724-938-4187. 

If you are anticipating applying for financial aid, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form should be filled out simultaneously and California University should be designated to receive your information; our school code is 003316  The best option is to complete the web-based version of the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov, known as FAFSA on the Web. It includes step-by-step instructions for completing the online FAFSA as well as preapplication worksheets. You can obtain a PIN to electronically sign the form by visiting www.pin.ed.gov. If you have technical questions about using FAFSA on the Web, call 1-800-4-FED-AID.

You may pay the $25 application fee by credit card when you submit the application online. Hard copy applications can be requested by e-mailing the Graduate School at gradschool@calu.edu or by calling 724-938-4187.  Applications should be forwarded, with the $25 application fee, to:

School of Graduate Studies and Research
California University of Pennsylvania
250 University Ave.
California, PA 15419-1394

At the same time, the granting institution of your degrees should send official sealed transcripts of all graduate and undergraduate work to the School of Graduate Studies and Research. It is not necessary to send a transcript of work completed at California University.

Application deadlines vary by program and students are advised to apply for admission to the School of Graduate Studies and Research as early as possible. Consult www.calu.edu/prospective and/or the Graduate School office (724-938-4187) for the deadline of the semester and specific graduate program you wish to attend. Many programs have “rolling” admissions (beyond those deadlines). To be sure your application gets full consideration, it should be completed by the deadline date.

Some of the graduate programs described in this catalog lead directly to specialized certification. Other programs may require licensing examinations. Individual program coordinators should be consulted for in-depth information regarding certification and licensure.

There are three sources* of additional information about graduate programs that you can contact by telephone or e-mail to schedule an appointment:

• The graduate studies coordinator of the department offering that program
• The assistant director of graduate recruitment and admissions
• The chair of the department

*VISIT www.calu.edu/prospective FOR CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THESE SOURCES

For specific program requirements, visit our website, www.calu.edu/prospective, or contact the Graduate School at gradschool@calu.edu or call 724-938-4187. 

1. Complete application and pay application fee following the guidelines listed above.
2. Applicants must present official sealed transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work to the School of Graduate Studies and Research. The bachelor's degree must be awarded from a college or university that is accredited by the National Commission on Accreditation or the appropriate regional accrediting agency.
3. Some departments require additional documentation such as letters of recommendation, references, and/or other supporting material.  Applicants for admission to certain graduate programs may be required to take specified entrance exams (Praxis/PAPA, GRE, MAT).
4. In some programs, applicants who have less than a 3.00 undergraduate GPA may seek conditional admission based on the criteria established by each program. Visit the program website or contact the program coordinator for more information.

Note: Admission to a program does not carry with it admission to candidacy for the degree. See the statement on candidacy requirements in the next section of this catalog.

The University offers certification or certificate programs that require additional experience and credits beyond the master’s degree. Those additional experiences develop appropriate competencies in specific areas of specialization. They are in the fields of  the Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility and Autism Spectrum Disorders certificates, and certification in K-12 Principal, Elementary Education, Mentally and Physically Handicapped Education, School Counseling, School Psychology, and Reading. For further information, see the individual graduate program information in this catalog.

Although most graduate students at California University are enrolled in degree programs, there are opportunities to take some graduate classes as a non-degree student, either for personal or professional growth or for certification, without becoming an applicant for a University graduate degree.

If you wish to take graduate courses at California University but do not wish to enroll in a formal certification or degree program, you will nevertheless have to apply for admission to the University (and pay the normal application fee as well as send copies of your official transcripts). Your acceptance will be based on the amount and quality of your preparation as determined by the academic department in which you will be taking courses.  Non-degree students are not eligible for financial aid.

Upon admission as a non-degree student, you will be permitted to take 6 credits. Completion of these courses does not automatically and in itself lead to admission to a degree or certification program. Applicants interested in further exploration must reapply (fee waived).

Graduate students from other universities (sometimes known as "visiting students") may take courses at California University and must go through the normal application process. They are responsible for knowing and adhering to the transfer policies of their home institutions.

Once all application materials are received by the School of Graduate Studies and Research, materials are sent to the program coordinator for review and recommendation.  In turn, The School of Graduate Studies and Research is notified of the recommendation and processes the final decision.  The applicant is informed that a decision has been rendered via email and then an official letter of the decision is mailed to his/her permanent mailing address.

An admission decision is valid for one academic year (two semesters and one summer term, i.e., the semester/term the student applied for and the following two semesters/terms). If a student does not register for classes during that time, the acceptance is no longer valid and the applicant must reapply for admission, repay the application fee and resubmit all materials.

California University welcomes applications from students from countries other than the United States. All international students who apply for graduate studies must as well meet requirements for all applicants. Admitted students must obtain F-1 non-immigrant status prior to enrollment or possess other legal status that enables them to pursue studies and maintain their status through the entirety of their studies.

IMPORTANT NOTE: International applicants desiring to engage in an online degree program as an on campus student are strongly encouraged to consider the additional cost required to do so. Federal regulations require that F-1 students maintain a full-time (9 credit) course load each semester and that six credits of the semester course load be in-person/in the classroom. Therefore, a student enrolled in an online program must verify additional funding to add sufficient credits each semester to meet the six credit in-person/in the classroom requirement. See item #6 below for cost information.

All applicants must request an International Graduate School Application from Jessica Spence by calling 724.938.4187 or e-mailing spence@calu.edu. You are encouraged to contact Ms. Spence with any questions you have regarding the application process. Please note that the International Student Advisor is not the contact for standard admissions matters and that other employees or students of the university are not authorized to act on your behalf in admissions matters.

For admission:

1. Applicants for whom English is a second language must submit a certified English translation of all official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended to California University of Pennsylvania's School of Graduate Studies and Research.

2. Request direct submission by either of the testing agencies listed below of an official copy of your qualifying English-language test score to California University of Pennsylvania's School of Graduate Studies and Research.

TOEFL: A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based TOEFL test, 213 on the computer-based test, or 80 on the Internet-based test (iBT TOEFL). For more information, visit www.ets.org/toefl/.

IELTS: A minimum score of 6.0. For more information, visit www.ielts.org.

3. Meet all general admission requirements for degree programs. An official copy of a teaching certificate is required of those applying to certain Master of Education programs.

4. Arrange to have photocopies of all post-secondary diplomas earned submitted to one of the organizations listed below for a document-by-document evaluation. Students should contact the organization to request an application (or visit its website to download an application), complete the application listing California University of Pennsylvania School of Graduate Studies and Research as the recipient, and return it to the organization with the required fees and credentials. This transcript evaluation can take up to four weeks to complete after all documents are received. It is recommended that an applicant check with each service for their specific fee information prior to enlisting a service.

Josef Silney & Associates Inc.
International Education Consultants
7101 SW 102 Ave.
Miami, FL 33173
305-273-1616
FAX: 305-273-1338
info@jsilney.com
www.jsilney.com

World Education Services Inc.
P.O. Box 745
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10113
212-966-6311
FAX: 212-966-6395
www.wes.org

5. Meet any subsequent request made by an academic department to obtain a course-by-course evaluation.

6. Submit documented evidence of sufficient funding for one year of graduate school. Documented evidence of sufficient funding in the form of acceptable notarized affidavits, bank statements, etc. must verify/demonstrate that the individual requesting admission possesses financial resources for one year of study. This amount includes graduate tuition, fees, housing/meals, books/supplies and estimated health insurance cost. Other cost factors may either increase or decrease this total amount (see below). This requirement is not repeated for a second or more year of study but it is the student’s responsibility to meet university costs and all other expenses throughout the entirety of their education to remain eligible for their I-20 for study.

TOTAL FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT: Minimum baseline amount of $26,843 for students enrolled in on-campus programs. Minimum baseline amount of $28,131 for students enrolled in online programs.

TUITION: The rate is $644 per credit (non-Pennsylvanian resident tuition rate). On-campus program students = $11,592 for one year. The total tuition requirement is based on full-time or 9 credits per semester for students enrolled in on-campus programs. Online program students must verify funding to cover an additional 12 credits = $14,160 for one year.

FEES: $2,953 ($1,477 per semester)

HOUSING/MEALS: $10,530 ($5,265 per semester). This cost provides a roommate and you with a 2 bedroom/2 bath, double occupancy suite in a campus residence hall and a 14 meal per week dining plan. Any on campus living contract requires that a meal plan be purchased. The financial requirement total may be adjusted accordingly for a student who provides evidence of a reduced cost for off-campus housing/meals arrangements to the International Student Advisor.

BOOKS/SUPPLIES: Estimated cost is $1,768 ($884 per semester)

HEALTH INSURANCE: All international students are required to maintain health insurance throughout their studies in the U.S. Proof of health insurance must be presented to the International Student Advisor upon arrival on campus. The university’s student health insurance plan is not available to graduate students but the cost of this plan is used to estimate cost. You are encouraged to search for a suitable plan that meets your needs. The financial requirement total may be adjusted accordingly for a student who provides evidence of a lesser cost for their health insurance plan to the International Student Advisor.

DEPENDENTS: The applicant must declare each dependent accompanying the student to the U.S. and provide verification of additional funding support each ($6,000 per year for a spouse / $3,000 per year for each child).

Final admission is contingent upon clearance from the education authorities of the home country and from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

For more information, contact the Graduate Schoolat 724-938-4187.

Students holding undergraduate degrees from a Canadian college or university need only submit their official transcripts directly to the Graduate School. If they are similar to the materials from the United States model, they will be evaluated locally. If not, students will be required to comply with the above international student policy.

International students should contact the dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research regarding graduate assistantships and the Financial Aid Office regarding other financial options.

All international students must subscribe to the University's medical insurance plan.

International students are not eligible for graduate assistantships their first semester.