Frequently Asked Questions

Apply to TWU Graduate School through the Online Application Portal. Learn more about the application process. Also, review the Graduate Catalog for more details on graduate admission to TWU.

Application deadlines vary by program. Most graduate degree programs accept applications year-round, with exceptions. Visit the Graduate Admissions page for an overview of graduate admissions.

Please Visit the Graduate Admissions page for an overview of graduate admissions. Note that some programs require additional admission requirements.

Visit the International Admissions page for admission requirements, application deadlines, etc.

Please log in to the TWU Online Application Portal to check the status of your application. If you have questions regarding your application, please contact the Office of Admissions Processing at OAP@twu.edu or 940-898-3076.

Your official acceptance to TWU graduate school is issued from the Graduate School and the Admissions Office rather than the program, although some students receive admission information from the program before they receive their official acceptance from TWU Graduate School and the Admissions Office. After you receive your official acceptance, see the Graduate Next Steps webpage for a few things you need to do before classes start.

If you wish to change your emphasis area or track within a degree program, please submit a Graduate Catalog Year or Emphasis Change Form (PDF), signed by your academic advisor. 

If you wish to change your degree within the same department, please contact your department chair, who will forward your request to the Graduate School for approval. 

If you wish to change your degree program to a program in a different department, you must reapply through the Online Application Portal.

Yes. Applicants who are not seeking a graduate degree, but who want to enroll in a course may apply as a “Non-degree” student.

• Online Application Portal Graduate application
  • When asked what degree you will be seeking, you will choose “Non-degree.”
  • When prompted, choose the area in which you will be taking coursework. 
  • *Only those areas listed allow students to enroll in coursework in their area as a Non-degree student. 
• The Dean of the Graduate School, upon recommendation of the student's advisory committee, will determine if it is appropriate to allow non-degree credit hours to be applied towards a degree program. A maximum of 12 graduate credit hours earned by a non-degree student may apply toward a graduate degree.

Note: Non-degree seeking students are ineligible for financial aid.

You may be eligible to enroll in graduate-level coursework if you are in your final semester of your undergraduate degree, within 12 hours of graduation, and have filed your Degree Plan Verification form with the Registrar’s Office. You must have submitted a valid graduate school application and application fee to the Office of Admissions Processing and a Proof of Eligibility Form (PDF) to the Office of the Registrar. No undergraduate credit will be granted, and you may not exceed a total of 16 semester credit hours during this term.  

Apply for scholarships through the Pioneer Scholarship System once the Office of Admissions Processing receives your application and you have been assigned a student ID.

TWU provides a limited number of graduate assistantships, graduate teaching assistantships, and graduate research assistantships for qualified graduate students. Stipends vary according to the assignment and educational level of the applicant. Information regarding appointment procedures and remuneration is also located in the Graduate Catalog.

To find an available assistantship, please get in touch with your department, a department related to your field of study, or a university support services office. Also, visit Career Connections to search for assistantship opportunities, and Careers at TWU.

Apply for a graduate assistantship through TWU Connect and Handshake.

An out of state graduate assistant is entitled to register by paying the tuition and other fees or charges required for Texas residents without regard to the length of time the assistant has resided in Texas if: a) is enrolled in a minimum of 5 semester credit hours, b) the assistant is employed at least one-half time (.50 FTE), and c) is working in a position which relates to her/his degree program. The student should ask their department to complete and submit the Request for In-State Tuition Form (PDF) for Graduate Assistants to the Graduate School. Visit the Applying for Graduate Assistantships page for the form. The form must be submitted by 5:00 pm (CST) on the 12th class day of long semesters, the 4th class day of summer sessions, and the 2nd class day of the Summer 1. The Graduate School personnel will determine the student’s eligibility for reduced tuition, approve and forward the form to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office and the Bursar’s Office will apply the reduced tuition to the student’s account.

Student degree audits are available through Student Planning. The graduate student and the advisor share the responsibility of creating, reviewing and updating changes to the student's degree audit. (When the student presents a minor, a faculty member from the minor department must approve the proposed program and serve on the student's committee.)

Doctoral students: The student will develop a degree plan* with the advisor. The degree plan will be reviewed by a department committee which shall consist of not fewer than three members of the Graduate Faculty, with two being from the major department. This committee shall have authority to review the student’s course work and to evaluate it through written and/or oral examinations with respect to the student’s program. The student’s advisor chairs the advisory committee and administers this authority. When a student presents a minor, a faculty member from the minor department must approve the proposed program through signature on the degree plan. It is the student’s responsibility to work with her/his advisor to develop the degree plan, which must be forwarded through the department chair to the Dean of the Graduate School before completion of eighteen semester credit hours at TWU.

*Clinical Doctorate programs and a few doctoral programs have degree audits in place of the degree plans, in which case it will be automatically established upon admission to the program. Students are encouraged to go to Student Planning to review their audit and course planning options.

No absolute time period exists within which a master’s degree must be completed, but semester credit hours older than six years cannot apply toward any master’s degree. Under extraordinary circumstances, semester credit hours older than six years may be reinstated with the permission of the Dean of the Graduate School, upon request and recommendation of a student’s advisory committee, chair of the department, and dean of the college.

All requirements toward a doctoral degree, aside from a completed master’s degree, must be completed within a period of eight consecutive calendar years from the date doctoral semester hour credit is first earned.

The prospectus is due no later than the semester prior to graduation. No study may be implemented prior to receiving notification of approval from the Graduate School.  For additional information regarding prospectuses, please see the section on Thesis and Professional Paper and Dissertation in the Graduate Catalog.

You will receive a letter from the Graduate School sent to your official TWU email address when your prospectus is approved.

Under provisions of the Texas Higher Education Code Section 54.051(e), Texas residents are eligible for a reduced tuition rate when enrolling for thesis or dissertation only, provided those hours are the final credits required for the degree. Students must complete the Request for Reduced Tuition (PDF). This form must be completed and approved by the student’s department and sent to the Graduate School prior to the final enrollment semester.  Students must meet the following requirements: 

• Must be enrolled in thesis or dissertation only.
• Must be a Texas resident.
• Must have an approved degree audit (PhD students) or Online Degree Evaluation (Master’s students).
• Must be unconditionally admitted to the program.
• Must be admitted to candidacy (doctoral students only).
• Must meet the deadline for filing request.
• Request for reduced tuition is granted for one enrollment period only.

You can find information regarding submission and degree completion deadlines on the Graduation Deadlines page.

All documents will be submitted online through the Electronic Thesis/Dissertation site, Vireo. No paper copy should be submitted to the Graduate School. For additional information, please see the Thesis and Dissertation Page.

Formatting instruction is located in our Technical Manual and the TWU Graduate School YouTube channel.

Graduate students must maintain a B (3.0 GPA) average or above on all graduate work. Failure to maintain the minimum 3.0 requirement results in academic probation. Students on probation have one enrollment period to raise their GPA to the minimum requirement of 3.0; Failure to do so results in dismissal from TWU Graduate School.

TWU is committed to the fair treatment of all students who have academic/administrative complaints and appeals. The University has traditionally guaranteed students every opportunity for a fair, prompt, and thorough review of complaints and appeals.

Students who have been dismissed from TWU Graduate School may appeal through the Academic Complaints and Appeals Process.

The specific review procedures and Graduate Sequence of Offices for each type of complaint or appeal are outlined on the Academic Affairs Academic / Administrative Complaints & Appeals page where the Complaints and Appeals form (Word) is also found.

When you are eligible to graduate, please apply as soon as the application opens. The application deadline for graduate is early in each enrollment period. Late applications for graduation will not be accepted. Please visit the Graduation Deadlines page for more information.

You apply to graduate through TWU’s Web Advisor.

Yes, all students must apply to graduate whether or not they participate in a commencement ceremony. Despite participation in commencement, the degree will not be awarded until the Graduate School verifies that all degree requirements have been met.

Visit the Graduation Deadlines page for all submission deadlines.

You may 'rollover' or defer your graduation by submitting the Rollover Form. Visit the Graduation Deadlines page details.

Yes. However, this requirement may be waived if all the following criteria are met on or before the Monday prior to the start date of the next term:

• All degree requirements are met;
• An Early Deadline form is submitted and approved by the Graduate School; Visit the Forms page.
• All forms and documents, including committee-approved theses/dissertations have been submitted and approved by the Graduate School;
• An application for graduation is submitted for the graduating semester, which is the next term, and the application fee must be paid.

Complete the Employer Verification of Degree Completion (PDF) form. Visit the Forms page.

A G8 Hold (Graduation Hold) is placed on students’ accounts when they apply to graduate. By applying to graduate you are letting us know that you have completed all coursework for your degree, therefore you should not need to enroll in anything else. The G8 Hold prevents enrollment. This hold remains on your account indefinitely, unless you are accepted to a new TWU graduate program.

Commencement ceremonies are held on the Denton campus in Pioneer Hall, located on TWU's Denton campus.

Commencement ceremony venues for the Houston campus vary each semester.

Visit the Graduation & Commencement page and TWU Campus Maps for details.

Order regalia/announcements from the TWU Bookstore, 940.898-3103. Order regalia as early in the semester as possible!

Grades are posted within a week of the end of the term. Degrees are posted to the official transcript approximately 2-3 weeks following graduation.

The Registrar’s Office will mail your diploma to the address you provided on your graduation application approximately 6-8 following graduation.

Apply as non-degree or degree-seeking through the Online Application Portal.

The Federation was established in 1968 to promote inter-institutional collaboration, the Federation provides TWU degree-seeking graduate students access to the combined graduate course offerings at UNT and Texas A&M Commerce. When taking courses through the Federation, TWU students earn TWU credit; the courses appear on their TWU transcript, and they pay TWU tuition.

TWU graduate students admitted to a master’s, doctoral, or certificate program may cross-register at UNT or Texas A&M-Commerce in graduate-level courses that will be used toward their current degree program. Check with your graduate advisor to see if the course you wish to take will meet a specific program requirement.  Note: Some departments may require a signed approval form in order to cross-register through the Federation; please check with your advisor or department.

All Federation cross-registrations are processed by TWU Graduate School. Students may not register themselves.

Select a graduate course you wish to take at one of the other Federation institutions by searching their online course schedules. You must meet any course prerequisites and obtain professor or department approval at the course institution if necessary.

Links to Course Schedules:

• A&M-Commerce Course Schedules (Select term from the drop-down menu.)
• UNT Course Schedules (Click on MYUNT; click on Class Search link; Institution=UNT; Career=Graduate; Term=Select appropriate term.)

Check with your graduate advisor to see if the course you wish to take will meet a specific program requirement. Obtain advisor approval, if necessary.

TWU students will submit an Online Enrollment Request Form. Visit the Federation Cross Registration page for the form.

Allow at least 5-10 working days for cross-registration to be completed. Federation Representatives cannot override course enrollment limits or university registration deadlines. Submit your Federation course request as soon as possible once registration for the desired semester is open to graduate students. Registration that is not completed during regular registration periods will be subject to late fees.

The TWU Graduate School Federation Representative will notify you by email when you are registered at both institutions. You will pay for your classes at your home institution, and you will not receive a bill or transcript from the course institution. 

You will attend face-to-face or online courses at the course institution, and you will set up an account on the web-based learning management system at the course institution (i.e., MyLeo at A&M-Commerce and Canvas at TWU and UNT) for both face-to-face and online courses.

You MUST contact your Federation Representative, preferably by email, to request to drop a course so that you will be dropped at both institutions.

Note: You may not drop a Federation course through your university’s online registration system or through the Registrar’s Office at either institution. Failure to contact your Federation Representative to drop a course could result in academic penalty (i.e., grade of F or WF).

In addition, you must submit your drop request by the deadline on the posted academic calendar.  If the two institutions have different drop deadlines, you must submit your request by the earlier of the two deadlines. Failure to drop by the earliest deadline may result in academic penalty (i.e., grade of F or WF).

Please submit a new Online Cross-Registration form to add an additional course. Visit the Federation site for more information.

Deadlines for registering, adding, dropping or withdrawing from a Federation course are determined by the academic calendar of the home and course institutions. If the home and course institutions have different deadlines, you must submit your request by the earlier of the two deadlines.

The Federation Representative at the course institution will notify the Federation Representative at the home institution of the official grade earned in the course. The Registrar’s Office at the home institution will post Federation grades to students’ home institution transcripts.

Yes, the course number, course title, and course institution name will appear on the home institution transcript. You will not receive a transcript from the course institution.

If the academic calendars of the home institution and the course institution are different, there could be a delay in posting grades to the home institution transcript.