Admissions requirements

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• No cost, risk free trial for eligible students

Alumnus Zachariah B.
BSIT/ANT 2023

Admissions requirements

Apply for free.
No application fee, no obligation.

• No essay needed
• No SAT, ACT, GMAT or GRE required
• No cost to request prior transcripts
• No cost, risk free trial for eligible students

View requirements

Complete your application in as little as 20 minutes

Check out our admission requirements and kickstart your academic journey with us today.

How to apply

Ready to start your application? We've got you covered with a step-by-step breakdown of our application process for our certificate and degree programs.

How to enroll at the University of Phoenix

1. Set your goals

Explore over 100+ online programs and select the program that aligns with your career goals.

2. Get started on your application

Begin your application independently or with the support of an enrollment representative.

3. Share your educational background and work history

This information will help us determine if qualify for any time or cost-saving benefits for your degree.

4. Request your transcripts

In most cases, we can request your official transcripts from prior institutions on your behalf at no additional cost.

5. Create a financial plan

Work closely with an enrollment representative to develop a financial plan tailored towards your needs.

6. Complete your application

Based on the information you have shared, you will receive a personalized list of tasks you must complete to fully register.

General admission requirements

Education

High school diploma

Citizenship

U.S. citizen/valid visa

English proficiency test

Non-native speakers only

Admissions eligibility

To be eligible for an associate degree program, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or have a valid visa if you’re living in the U.S.
• You have an acceptable official high school diploma, state-sanctioned high school equivalency diploma, or foreign secondary school equivalent
• You have not previously been expelled from a higher education institution
• You will complete all required forms for admission, as well as submit official test scores and transcripts from all colleges and universities you've attended

Program-specific requirements

Depending on your program and state of residence, you may need to meet additional admission and/or work experience requirements beyond what is shown above. To find out if your desired program has any such additional requirements, please reach out to an enrollment representative or consult our academic catalog.

Education

High school diploma

Citizenship

U.S. citizen/valid visa

English proficiency test

Non-native speakers only

Admissions eligibility

To be eligible for a bachelor’s degree program, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or have a valid visa if you’re living in the U.S.
• You have an acceptable official high school diploma, state-sanctioned high school equivalency diploma, or foreign secondary school equivalent
• You have not previously been expelled from a higher education institution
• You will complete all required forms for admission, as well as submit official test scores and transcripts from all colleges and universities you've attended

Program-specific requirements

Depending on your program and state of residence, you may need to meet additional admission and/or work experience requirements beyond what is shown above. You also may need access to an organizational environment. This will help you to apply the concepts you learn in our college level courses and achieve curriculum objectives. To find out if your desired program has any such additional requirements, please reach out to an enrollment representative or consult our academic catalog.

Education

Citizenship

U.S. citizen/valid visa

English proficiency test

Non-native speakers only

Admissions eligibility

To be eligible for a master’s degree program, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or have a valid visa if you’re living in the U.S.
• You have earned an undergraduate degree from an approved, college or university with institutional accreditation, or hold a comparable degree from a recognized institution outside the United States
• You have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) shown on an undergraduate degree posted transcript Please note that some Master of Science in Nursing programs require a GPA of 3.0.
• You have not previously been expelled from a higher education institution
• You will complete all required forms for admission, as well as submit official test scores and transcripts from all colleges and universities you've attended

Program-specific requirements

Depending on your program and state of residence, you may need to meet additional admission and/or work experience requirements beyond what is shown above. You also may need access to an organizational environment. This will help you to apply the concepts you learn in our college level courses and achieve curriculum objectives. To find out if your desired program has any such additional requirements, please reach out to an enrollment representative or consult our academic catalog.

Note: Program-specific requirements differ between our traditional master’s programs and competency-based programs. Learn more about our competency-based programs.

Education

Citizenship

U.S. citizen/valid visa

English proficiency test

Non-native speakers only

To be eligible for a doctoral degree program, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or have a valid visa if you’re living in the U.S.
• You have earned a graduate degree from a regionally or an approved nationally accredited — or candidate for accreditation — college or university or equivalent graduate degree earned at a recognized foreign institution
• You have a minimum 3.0 GPA on graduate degree posted transcripts
• You are currently employed or have a record of past employment or access to a work environment

• You have access to a research library
• You have a signed University hardware/software agreement
• You have not previously been expelled from a higher education institution
• You will complete all required forms for admission and submit an official graduate degree posted transcript

Program-specific requirements

Depending on your program and state of residence, you may need to meet additional admission and/or work experience requirements beyond what is shown above. You also may need access to an organizational environment. This will help you to apply the concepts you learn in our college level courses and achieve curriculum objectives. To find out if your desired program has any such additional requirements, please reach out to an enrollment representative or consult our academic catalog.

Education

Varies by certificate

Citizenship

U.S. citizen/valid visa

English proficiency test

Non-native speakers only

Admissions eligibility

To be eligible for a certificate program, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or have a valid visa if you’re living in the U.S.
• You have an acceptable official high school diploma, state-sanctioned high school equivalency diploma, or foreign secondary school equivalent
• You have not previously been expelled from a higher education institution
• You must all required forms for admission, as well as submit official test scores and official transcripts from all colleges and universities you've attended

Program-specific requirements

Depending on your program and state of residence, you may need to meet additional admission and/or work experience requirements beyond what is shown above. You also may need access to an organizational environment. This will help you to apply the concepts you learn in our college level courses and achieve curriculum objectives. To find out if your desired program has any such additional requirements, please reach out to an enrollment representative or consult our academic catalog.

Education

Varies by course

Citizenship

U.S. citizen/valid visa

English proficiency test

Non-native speakers only

Admissions eligibility

To be eligible for our individual courses, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or have a valid visa if you’re living in the U.S.
• You have an acceptable official high school diploma, state-sanctioned high school equivalency diploma, or foreign secondary school equivalent
• You have not previously been expelled from a higher education institution

Course-specific requirements

Depending on your program and state of residence, you may need to meet additional admission and/or work experience requirements beyond what is shown above. You also may need access to an organizational environment. This will help you to apply the concepts you learn in our college level courses and achieve curriculum objectives. To find out if your desired program has any such additional requirements, please reach out to an enrollment representative or consult our academic catalog.

Ready to apply?

International admissions

In addition to our general admission requirements, there are a few additional qualifications you may need as an international applicant.

Are you a non-U.S. citizen currently living in the U.S.? Good news! You can still enroll at the University of Phoenix if you have a valid, acceptable visa. A valid visa not only allows you to attend school but also lets you maintain legal work in the United States. You may provide copies of your visa as acceptable documentation, but please be sure they are eligible.

When filling out your admissions application, you must include the visa type, date of issue and your country of citizenship. It's important to verify that your visa is current because we cannot accept expired visas.

If you completed high school in a non-English speaking country, you can fulfill the English proficiency admissions requirement by passing one of the following exams within two years before enrolling.

English Proficiency Exam

9 (TOEFL Essentials exam)
213 (Computer-based Test-cBT)
79 (Internet-based Test-iBT)
550 (Written-based test-wBT)

69 (Online Test of Reading and Listening Skills-English)
550 (Online English Proficiency Exam)

Cambridge English Assessment
You must pass one of the five acceptable exams offered. No time frame required.

English proficiency tests are not required in the following cases:

• You have previous earned a U.S. high school diploma or GED prior to applying for admission to University of Phoenix.
• You have earned the equivalent of a U.S. high school diploma in a country in which English is the official language.
• You have earned the equivalent of a U.S. high school diploma at an institution where English is the medium of instruction.
• You have successfully completed the equivalent of 30 transferable, academic semester credits at a recognized college or university in a country in which English is the official language.
• You have successfully completed the equivalent of 30 transferable, academic semester credits at a recognized institution where English is the sole medium of instruction. This can be verified by a CRS in Office of Admissions and Records through the International Handbook of Universities or on official letterhead sent directly from the institution to the campus.
• You have successfully completed 30 transferable, academic semester credits at an approved, institutionally accredited college or university in the United States.

You can also meet this requirement by successful completing the approved ESL series of courses at Canadian College of English Language (CCEL), International Language Schools of Canada (ILSC) or Kaplan.

You may connect with an enrollment representative to learn more about this requirement.

1 TOEFL and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). This website is not endorsed or approved by ETS.

2 IELTS is a registered trademark of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate on behalf of the chancellor, masters and scholars of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

3 Berlitz is a registered trademark of Berlitz Investment Corp.

For international students living in the U.S.

If you have transcripts from a recognized international college or university, you can have them evaluated for transfer credits if one of the following statements is true:

• You are a legal resident of the United States
• You have been granted permanent residence
• You have a valid Visa that does not prohibit educational studies
• You have been granted temporary protected status along with approved Notice of Action issued by Citizen Immigration Services and verified through CIS Form G-845
• You have been granted asylum along with the approved Notice of Action issued by Citizen Immigration Services

For international students living abroad

Request your transcripts from your recognized international college or university and have them evaluated for transfer credit to save time and money on your degree. Our evaluation services follow standards approved by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Credentials.

English translation for transcripts

If international transcripts are recorded in another language, a certified English translation is required. We accept translations from:

• An issuing institution if the school itself provides an official translation which is "validated" by the Registrar or other school official.
• A certified translator from an official translation service or a professional organization that provides certified translations as one of its services. [1]
• A foreign language professor from a regionally accredited institution.
• An embassy or consulate official.

If your transcript is in Spanish or French, University of Phoenix can also provide translation services. For more information about transcript evaluation, please contact an enrollment representative.

[1] These services/organizations will only employ certified translators who have successfully passed required examinations and are governed by specific rules/regulations.