Admissions Requirements & Deadlines

Applying to one of our online or evening bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral programs is the first step toward your future. Here’s what you need to know about our application requirements and process.

Admissions Standards

We review every University of Mary applicant on an individual basis. Admission is granted to students whom we believe have the capacity to make positive contributions to the community life of the university and will be able to progress satisfactorily toward the completion of their chosen degree. Admissions requirements vary by program. Find your program here.

General Guidelines

Our online and evening degree programs are designed for working adults who need the flexibility to complete their bachelor’s or earn a graduate degree. Nearly all of our online and evening students attended some form of college before enrolling at the University of Mary.

If you’ve never attended a regionally accredited community college, junior college, military college, or a four-year college or university and have no previously earned college credits, we recommend you visit our undergraduate admissions page and apply as an incoming freshman. If you have previously earned college credit or hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, please refer to the appropriate information below to learn more about our admissions requirements and how you can take advantage of our online and evening learning opportunities.

If You’re Transferring Undergraduate Credits from Another University:

We welcome transfer students from regionally accredited community and junior colleges and four-year colleges and universities. If you’ve ever been enrolled in any such institution, you are a transfer student. To apply, we ask that you submit the following to the Office of Admissions, University of Mary, 7500 University Drive, Bismarck, ND, 58504:

  • A formal application for admission
  • A non-refundable $30 application fee
  • Transcripts (official or unofficial) from every college previously attended

If you have fewer than 24 transfer hours to evaluate, we also require the following to determine your opportunity for success:

  • Academic transcript(s) from high school or GED transcript (if applicable) and any college(s) concurrently attended during high school.
  • An official score report from the American College Test (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) examination (if you are under 21).

You can begin the admissions process and receive a free transfer credit evaluation based upon official or unofficial transcripts. Before you start your first class you’ll need to submit official, final transcripts from every college or university you attended. Please note, if you’re currently enrolled in courses, we require an “in progress” transcript before an admission decision can be made. The transcript must include all courses taken and the grades earned during your undergraduate education, as well as a list of any courses in progress. Once you have completed the course(s), we require an official, final transcript.

Transcript(s) should include the following:

  • The names and grades for all courses you completed at your previous institution(s), along with the number of credits.
  • The signature of the registrar or designated official at the college/university.

Consideration for acceptance into the University of Mary as an undergraduate student requires a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in all undergraduate-level coursework. You can work with our admissions team to receive a free transcript evaluation to determine your personalized program of study at any point in the admissions process. Just submit your transcripts (official or unofficial) to get started! To be considered for undergraduate admissions you must submit the following: 

  • Transcripts from institutions previously attended
  • Application for admission

If You’re an International Student Applying as an Undergraduate Transfer Student:

Our online learning format is a great choice for international students. If you’re a resident of a country other than the United States, we ask that you follow the same application requirements as other transfer students, along with several additional requirements.

We ask that you submit certified copies of all academic records, including certified copies of all transcripts or school certificates and subjects for which you were enrolled or are presently enrolled. If the grading format is not common to the U.S. educational system, we request that the records be evaluated by a transcript evaluation service. We do not perform internal translations/evaluations of international transcripts for individuals. Instead, we prefer that a course-by-course evaluation be completed by the World Education Services (WES), the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), or an agency that is a current member of the National Associations of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). You will need to arrange and pay for the evaluation and have the official evaluation sent directly to the University of Mary from the agency. We do not require the official international transcript, only the official copy of the evaluation.

Since international students do not qualify for Title IV funds (Federal Financial Aid), we require a Certification of Finances form showing evidence of your ability to meet costs over a four-year period.

  • Take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (school code 6428) and achieve a minimum score of 71 on the Internet-Based Test (iBT) or 527-530 on the Paper Based Test (PBT). 

    OR
  • Take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic version test and score a minimum of 6.0. 

    OR
  • Complete Level 112 of ELS English for Academic Purposes.

    OR
  • Complete the GTEC - Japan
    • Undergraduate Students

      Students must achieve a minimum score of 1140-1165.
    • Graduate Students

      Students must achieve a minimum score of 1204-1226.

To be accepted, your scores must be less than two years old.

If you can demonstrate that you meet our admission standards through an institution or organization officially recognized by the University of Mary — such as the NCAA Eligibility Center — you can be accepted based on that documentation. Please note that we must still receive all the required documents indicated above prior to the end of your first semester.

If You’re a Graduate Applicant:

Our online and evening master’s and doctoral programs are an excellent way to enhance your skills and contribute more to your job and the world. In order to apply, you must hold a bachelor's degree or higher from a United States regionally accredited institution of higher education or from an international school approved by the country's Ministry of Education.

To begin the admissions process you need to submit an application for admission and official or unofficial transcripts. For consideration into one of our graduate programs we must receive an official, final transcript from the institution of higher education which granted your bachelor's degree. You will need to request that this transcript be sent directly to us and pay any applicable fees. Did you receive your bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary? We’ll request it for you!   

You may need to provide additional documents for your program to be considered for acceptance, as specific programs may have exceptions or additional requirements. You can find specific requirements within the degree program descriptions in our catalog and in the academics section of this website.

If you have questions regarding international admissions to any of our evening or online graduate programs, please contact Shelby Imdieke at (701) 355-8134, international@umary.edu or our Admissions Office at (800) 288-6279, enroll@umary.edu.

If You’re a Graduate Certificate or other Non-Degree-Seeking Graduate Applicant:

You don’t have to be in a graduate degree program to take — and benefit from — our graduate-level courses.

There are a number of reasons to apply as a non-degree-seeking student, including:

  • You Want to Earn a Graduate Certificate

    Our certificate programs help you advance your professional credentials and don’t require you to enroll in a full graduate program.
  • You’re Preparing for Graduate School

    If you have an undergraduate degree, you may enroll as a non-degree-seeking student to earn prerequisites for a graduate program. In certain cases, you may enroll as a non-degree-seeking graduate student while you’re still an undergraduate as a way to accelerate your graduate school preparation. To enroll as a non-degree-seeking graduate student while an undergraduate, you will need to seek advisement from our graduate program director and hold senior status (greater than 90 semester credits earned). 
  • You’re Pursuing a Personal Interest

    Enrolling as a non-degree-seeking student is a great way to achieve personal growth without committing to a full graduate program.
  • You’re Deciding on a Degree-Seeking Program

    If you know you want to earn a graduate degree but haven’t decided which of our many degrees is perfect for you, enrolling as a non-degree-seeking student gives you the opportunity to explore different courses in selected fields before applying to a degree-seeking program. However, please be aware that taking courses under the non-degree-seeking status does not guarantee you placement into a degree-seeking program.
  • You Missed a Degree-Seeking Program Deadline

    Although many of our programs offer rolling admissions, some have specific application deadlines. If you miss an application deadline, you may apply as non-degree seeking student and earn credits before officially applying for the program at the next opportunity.

Our admission requirements vary depending on your current education status as well as your educational goals. To be considered for admission as a non-degree graduate student you must:

  • Have achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in undergraduate studies
  • Submit official transcripts
  • Submit an application for admission

To be considered for acceptance into a graduate certificate program, you must:

  • Have achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in undergraduate studies
  • Submit official transcripts
  • Submit an application for admission

Admissions Deadlines

All undergraduate programs and most graduate programs at the University of Mary operate on a rolling admissions policy. Once you complete the application process for a rolling admissions program, we’ll make a decision concerning acceptance and notify you within two weeks. To verify admissions deadlines for your program of choice, find your program.  

Nondiscrimination Policy

The University of Mary does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status or public assistance, in accordance with applicable laws.

The university will not tolerate any discrimination, and any such conduct is prohibited. The university also prohibits any form of discipline or retaliation for reporting incidents of discrimination.

The non-discrimination policy and contact information for the persons designated to handle inquiries can be found here.