Applicants to the graduate program must submit the following items to the Office of Admissions, Florida International University, North Campus, North Miami, Florida, 33181.

• An application for admission. The Office of Admissions acknowledges receipt of the application and the non-refundable application fee. A completed admissions application and all supporting credentials must be on file with the Office of Admissions before a final decision can be made on the admission of an applicant. Applications of persons who have been denied admission will be kept on file for one year from the date the application was received by the Office of Admissions.

• Two official copies of transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. Applicants have the responsibility to initiate the requests, and transcripts must be received no later than six weeks before the first day of class of the anticipated date of entry. (Copies submitted by applicants are not acceptable.)

• Application deadline for foreign students is generally three months before the start of the semester.

• Scores of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE, GMAT, or PAEG) and, if required, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Candidates for the Spanish-Language Journalism Master's Program must submit TOEFL scores.

Appeals
A student whose application is denied for a graduate program, but meets the state university system standards for admission to graduate status is allowed to appeal that decision. Such applicants may request reconsideration by written petition and submission of an appeal packet to the SJMC Student Services Office within 30 days of the date of denial. The appeal will then be forwarded to the department chair or his/her designee and later presented to the SJMC Graduate Committee for final action. The committee generally meets once a semester. Applicants for appeal will receive a written response after said meeting.

If an applicant takes the GRE exam twice and does not meet the 500 verbal score, the program head/department chair can recommend an SJMC Graduate Admission Exception. In order to request this without the filing of an appeal, the score must fall within a 10 percent variance. This recommendation will normally be exercised in situations when a student's first language is not English. In cases when the student's first language is English, the student will submit a letter of petition to his/her department chair/program head who will forward the request to the SJMC Graduate Committee.

Waivers
An applicant who fails to meet stated standards of admission may request consideration for admission to the program under the Board of Regents policy that allows up to 10 percent of graduate students to be admitted, as exceptions, for a particular academic year. For further information on the procedures for application, please contact the Student Services Office.

Special Students
Non-degree-seeking students (special students) include students enrolling prior to completing the requirements for admission as a regular degree seeking student. Enrollment as a non-degree-seeking student does not imply a right for future admission as a regular degree-seeking student. A maximum of six graduate-level credit hours earned as a non-degree-seeking student may be counted toward a degree if a student applies for and is admitted to the degree program. This six-hour limit applies whether the courses are taken at FIU or transferred from another university.