Trinity Graduate School Application Instructions

Read through the following application instructions completely before filling out the application form. For your convenience and to save time, you may apply online.

1. Application Fee

You must submit a $25 nonrefundable application fee. Checks should be payable in $U.S. and drawn from a bank in the United States. For your convenience, fees may also be paid using Visa, MasterCard, or Discover. The master’s-level application fee is waived for graduates of Trinity International University’s various undergraduate programs and those who have already paid an application fee at the master’s level to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School or Trinity Graduate School (Deerfield, Davie, Santa Ana, or any of our listed extension sites).

2. Application Deadlines

We use a rolling admissions process for all of our master’s level applicants. However, we have established the following deadlines to allow the necessary time for review prior to the start of the semester:

Please note that because these deadlines fall shortly before the beginning of the semester, we strongly encourage you to apply six to twelve months in advance of your expected enrollment date.

Applications received after these deadlines may be subject to a $20 late application fee, and no applications will be considered for a given semester after the second week of that semester. (Note: Do not send the late application fee in with application unless notified to do so.)

3. Personal Statements

Be sure to enclose your typed personal statements, following the instructions on the application. Please put your name on the top right corner of each page.

4. Official Transcripts

An official transcript must come from each undergraduate school at which you have taken a minimum of three courses for credit and from each seminary or graduate school you have attended, even though the work may appear as transfer credit on another transcript. However, at schools where you have taken prerequisite course work needed for your program, you should have transcripts sent even if you took three courses or less. In order to be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly to our Admissions Office in sealed envelopes from each school.

5. Recommendation Forms

All Applicants:
Please complete the top portion of each recommendation form yourself:

1. Print your name.
2. Indicate the program to which you are applying.
3. Check the box identifying the recommender.
4. Sign either line “1” or “2.”

All recommendations should be sent directly to the Graduate School Admissions Office by the persons who complete them. The institution reserves the right to investigate the accuracy of information provided by the applicant.

Please have recommendations submitted from the following three people:

1. Pastor or church official
2. A faculty member or administrator familiar with your recent academic work (undergraduate or graduate)
3. An employer, professional acquaintance, or lay leader in your church

If you cannot locate one of your professors to submit a recommendation, please ask a leader in your church or parachurch group to complete one instead.

6. Standardized Tests

Applicants are required to submit test scores from either the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Please see special conditions concerning the TOEFL.

Trinity’s Deerfield Campus Counseling Center administers the MAT. If you live near this campus, you may make an appointment to take the test with the Counseling Center (847.317.4067).

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Information

If English is not your primary language you will need to take a test for your English language skills.  The results must be submitted to the Admissions Office at Trinity in order for your application to be processed.

Graduate Test Information

Test scores must be less than five years old (except TOEFL scores, which must be less than two years old) and must be submitted directly to the Admissions Office from the testing service.

Applicants with completed advanced degrees at the master’s level or higher may request a waiver from the standardized testing requirement. Valid MCAT scores may be submitted in lieu of GRE/MAT results.

MAT information:
The Psychological Corporation
555 Academic Court
San Antonio TX 78204
800.622.3231
210.921.8802
210.921.8861 (Fax)

Graduate Record Examination information:
GRE-ETS
PO Box 6000
Princeton NJ  08541-6000
609.771.7670
609.771.7906 (Fax)
Email: gre-info@ets.org
Web: http://www.gre.org/

Our GRE institutional code is R1797.

7. Immunization

The state of Illinois requires incoming students to submit documentation “with exact dates” of the following injections: Measles (two); Mumps (one); Rubella (one); and Tetanus/ Diphtheria (one injection within the last ten years). For students not attending U.S. grades 9-12, three Tetanus/Diphtheria injections are required, the third being within the last ten years. A PPD tuberculosis skin test is also required.

Accepted students will receive further information and a proper form to be completed as part of the admissions process. Do not send immunization documentation before receiving the official form. If written records are not obtainable, all injections must be repeated. No exceptions can be made.

Students who are taking less than 6 hours of credit or were born prior to 1957 are exempt from this law.

8. Tuition Deposits

Domestic Applicants

If you are admitted to Trinity Graduate School, you must submit a tuition deposit of $100.00 payable to “Trinity International University” to the Graduate School Admissions Office as a confirmation of your acceptance of our offer of admission. This deposit is refundable if the Admissions Office receives written notice of cancellation at least thirty days prior to your anticipated date of enrollment.

International Applicants (F-1 or J-1 Visa)

If you are an International applicant who will be entering the United States on an F-1 or J-1 visa and plan to attend Trinity’s Deerfield Campus in a full-time residential status, you must submit a tuition deposit of US$2,000 to the Admissions Office as confirmation of your acceptance of our offer of admission before an I-20 can be issued. This deposit will be saved in your student account and can be used toward your tuition and fees.  If you decide to not attend Trinity, this deposit will be refunded to you.

9. Special Instructions

Nonresidential Bioethics Applicants

Be sure to check the box on the application marked “Nonresidential.” If you do this, we will know to keep your file active until you return the following summer.

If you need further information or have any questions concerning the application process, please call the Admissions Office at 800.533.0975 or 847.317.6900, send an email to tgsadm@tiu.edu, or visit our web site at www.tiu.edu/graduate/admissions/.

We reserve the right to request from any graduate school applicant additional materials or an interview with a representative of the university.

Marital Status

As an educational institution with a broad representation of denominations among our student body, we are aware that marital status, including positions on divorce and remarriage, vary widely among churches and Christian organizations. Applicants are encouraged to dialogue early with their church and spouse relative to these matters, as they may relate to future ministry placement. 

International Applicants

International applicants have some additional admission requirements. Please visit our International Students page for more information.

Applicants with Disabilities

We want to be prepared to meet your needs when you come to Trinity. After you receive your letter of admission, please send us a statement describing your disability and what special attention or arrangements you may need at Trinity. For more information, contact the Associate Dean of Students Office at 847.317.4063.