Admissions to Graduate Programs

General Provisions on Admission to Graduate Programs

  1. Admissions to all post-graduate programs shall be processed in accordance with the provisions in this Legislation and the criteria and rules for special admissions to individual graduate programs that shall be developed and recommended by the Graduate Program Committee (GPC) with the consent of department graduate committees and endorsed by the Graduate Program Committee (GPC) and/or the Senate.
  2. Colleges with approval of the Graduate Program Committee and endorsement by the Senate may design non-thesis option graduate programs.
  3. The Graduate Program Committee (GPC) shall approve admission calendar and number of graduate students to be enrolled in the different programs
  4. Admission shall take place once in a year in a given program and modality (regular, summer, etc.).
  5. A candidate with previous outstanding academic records, professional experience and good recommendations shall be given priority for admission. However, recommendations from the employer would not be required at the University level. Colleges and departments shall have the discretion to request recommendations and determine the weights to be attached to them.
  6. The University may determine special admission procedures for female students, students with disabilities, students from less developed regions, and students from nationalities with low participation in education due regard given to maintaining the standard of excellence of the University.

Admission to Regular Graduate (Masters and PhD) Programs

Academic Requirements.

  • The applicant must have completed the academic requirements for the bachelors' degree, in case of admission to master’s programs, or be in possession of a master’s degree in case of admission to PhD programs, from the University or any other accredited institution of higher learning. Given the availability of places, admission to the School of Graduate Studies shall be on a competitive and competence basis.
  • The applicant must satisfactorily pass entrance examination to be administered by the department concerned. Foreign applicants should present academic records equivalent to accredited Ethiopian Higher Learning Institutions and pass entrance examination.
  • Senior undergraduate students of accredited universities or colleges applying to join the graduate program immediately upon graduation may be allowed to register and/or sit for entrance examinations administered by departments provided their CGPA/CANG and/or major GPA at the end of the first semester of their final year is above 2.50.
  • The Department Graduate Committee may include additional admission requirements in conformity with University’s rules and regulations and upon approval by Graduate Program Committee (GPC).

Non-Academic Requirements.

  • Colleges/schools/departments may, for academic reasons or special requirements of the field of study, set appropriate restrictions such as age limits subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Committee (GPC).
  • Colleges/school/departments may also set appropriate work experience requirements after obtaining the bachelor’s degrees subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Committee (GPC).
  • Applicants shall be responsible to cover payments of tuition and thesis/dissertation research costs as per internal rules and regulations of the University.

Special Admissions.

  • An applicant who is found deficit in undergraduate and/or graduate courses shall be required to take remedial courses recommended by the respective DGCs.
  • Any such student who has been recommended to take remedial courses shall be admitted as a special student.
  • The duration of the student’s, stay in the University as a special student shall be determined by the respective DGCs, but shall not exceed one academic year.
  • A special student who has satisfactorily completed the prescribed remedial courses and passed the entrance examination shall be granted regular graduate student status.
  • The Registrar shall record separately the results of the examinations in the prescribed remedial courses. These grades may not count towards masters or PhD degree.
  • The performance of the student in the prescribed remedial courses will not be considered for SGPA and/or CGPA/CANG calculation but will appear on the transcript. Such a student must obtain a cumulative grade point of at least 2.00 in the undergraduate and 3.00 for graduate courses taken, with no F grade.
  • A special student may, upon permission of the DGC, register for and take graduate level courses for which he is qualified.
  • An applicant who has successfully completed a semester or more graduate study in another accredited University, and meets the special requirements of the college/department may be admitted to a similar graduate program. Upon admission of such a student, the DGC shall determine the courses from which the student is to be exempted/get credit
  • Grades for transferred courses shall be used in calculating CGPA/CANG.

Admissions to Continuing, Distance & Summer Education Graduate Programs

Admission requirements and procedures set for regular graduate programs are applicable to continuing, distance, and summer education graduate programs.

Illegal Admission

Securing or intending to secure admission using forged academic documents and examination results is illegal.

Securing admission by posing oneself as a student to the University system after withdrawal, dropping out or dismissal is illegal.

The discovery of the above leads to immediate and automatic dismissal from the University and liable to other legal actions.

More information on admission and transfer related information can be obtained from the university senate legislation.