Certificate Program Admissions Requirements

All applicants to a certificate program at the School of Engineering & Applied Science must meet the admissions requirements for entry.

Please review all of the information and use it as a reference during the application process. You may also refer to the list of Frequently Asked Questions for additional answers.

The application must be completed by the applicant. Any application found to have been completed or submitted by someone other than the applicant will be withdrawn from consideration. All documents and materials must be the applicant's own; forgeries and plagiarization will be not be accepted.

Application Deadlines

To apply for Fall semester entry, the deadline to submit the application is January 15.

To apply for Spring semester entry, the deadline is September 1.

To apply for Summer semester entry, the deadline is March 1. (U.S. citizens only)

*Gateway to CS: This program only accepts students for the fall start term and has an application deadline of August 11 for Fall 2023.*

Required Materials

Applicants must submit the following materials in order to be considered for admission into a SEAS graduate program:

Online Application

Access online application

Transcripts

Scanned copies of unofficial transcripts are required from all colleges and universities attended, whether or not credit was earned; the program was not completed; or the credit appears as transfer credit on another transcript.
Please ensure that all transcripts are readable and properly scanned. Otherwise, applicants will receive notifications requesting legible transcripts, which may delay review of their application.
Please ensure that your name and the institution name is printed on all transcripts.
Please do not mail official transcripts unless you are instructed to do so by a SEAS admissions officer. Admissions decisions are based on unofficial transcripts. Official transcripts will be requested only if the applicant is admitted into the program.

Statement of Purpose

Applicants must include an essay of 250-500 words that clearly states their purpose in undertaking a certificate program at the George Washington University.
The essay must be written by the applicant. Any essay found to have been written by anyone other than the applicant, or plagiarized from other published materials, will be withdrawn from consideration.

Résumé/CV

A current résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) should be uploaded with your online application.

The GRE exam and Letters of Recommendation are not required for direct-entry certificate program applicants. However, please note that if you decide later to transfer credits to a full master's degree program, you will be required to submit GRE scores and letters of recommendation as part of your admissions requirements to the master's program. An English proficiency exam (TOEFL, IELTS) may be required if you have completed your higher education outside of the United States. Please contact [email protected] if you have questions about this requirement.

Application Fees

The application fee is $80. This must be paid by credit card (all types accepted) online upon completion of the online application form. Applications cannot be reviewed until this fee has been paid.

PLEASE NOTE: Once you submit your application and paid the application fee, you may no longer make any changes to your application.

Fee Waiver

The application fee may be waived for applicants in the following categories:

Current SEAS undergraduate students applying for a Five-Year Program Current SEAS graduate students applying for a Certificate Program or changing their field of study

For questions, contact [email protected].

Members of any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces (active duty or veterans)
Attendees from an online information session with a promo code

Track Your Application Status

Check the status of your application online at any time by logging back into the application system. The user ID and password is the same one you used to create the application.

Monitor your email inbox regularly. You should receive an email each time your application moves through the review process. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions for answers to common questions about the application review process. At any time, please contact us at [email protected] or 202-994-1802 with questions.

Check the status of your application online at any time by logging back into the application system. The user ID and password is the same one you used to create the application.

LOG IN TO APPLICATION

Monitor your email inbox regularly. You should receive an email each time your application moves through the review process.
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions for answers to common questions about the application review process.
At any time, please contact us at [email protected] or 202-994-1802 with questions.

Restrictions for visa-seeking applicants

If you require a visa to study in the United States, you may not apply directly to a certificate program. You must apply and be admitted to a master's or doctoral program first; once admitted, you may then apply for a certificate program to complete in conjunction with your master's or doctoral degree.

Are you a current SEAS graduate student?

Current graduate students who are already enrolled in a master's or doctoral program and seeking to add an additional certificate to their degree must adhere to the application deadlines and complete the following supplemental application form:

Current Student Grad Certificate Application Form