Applicants must meet the following admission requirements.
- U.S. bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, or the completion of a 4-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized, accredited, and approved institution from a country outside of the U.S.
- A 2.5 institutional or college cumulative GPA (from the 0.0 - 4.0 U.S. grading scale) in the last degree completed, or a 2.5 GPA in the last two years of full time study. Please note that individual program requirements may have a higher GPA requirement.
- Good academic standing at the last institution attended.
- English Language Proficiency Exam, if necessary.
*3-year degree holders see options for eligibility.
Now that you’ve reviewed the graduate SJSU requirements, review our Graduate Degree Program Requirements page and the deadline to submit your Cal State Apply application.
Also, see step-by-step required documents for admission at Want to Apply.
University Required English Language Proficiency (ELP) Exams
An English Language Proficiency Exam [TOEFL (iBT), Academic IELTS, IELTS Indicator, Academic PTE] is required for all graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants
- Who come from a country where English is not the primary language
AND
- Who do not possess a baccalaureate degree from a post-secondary institution where English is the principal language of instruction.
SJSU interprets “where English is the principal language of instruction” to mean that the higher education institution is located in a country in which English is the official language (the daily medium of communication of the majority of residents) and that the students receive academic instruction in all subjects (except foreign language courses) at all levels of education in English.
| Minimum proficiency score |
Internet |
Paper |
| TOEFL (iBT, iBT Home & Paper Edition)* |
80 |
N/A |
| IELTS (Academic, Online Academic) |
6.5 |
6.5 |
| PTE Academic |
53 |
N/A |
*TOEFL Essentials Scores are not accepted at this time. SJSU Graduate Admissions Office will accept MyBest TOEFL (iBT, iBT Home Edition, iBT Paper Edition) Scores.
Note: SJSU Graduate Admissions does not accept Duolingo as a test of English proficiency.
Some programs will require a higher ELP score than the university minimum. For a complete list, see below.
https://www.sjsu.edu/admissions/graduate/admission-requirements/sjsu-requirements/index.php