Admission to most of the graduate programs is highly selective and by no means can be assured for all who have successfully completed the minimal requirements for admission.
Many programs are able to offer admission to fewer than one applicant in five.
The minimum requirement for admission is a record sufficiently strong to support confidence that the applicant can participate effectively in the graduate community and creditably complete the program of study for which application is made. Evidence favorable to meeting this requirement includes records of study at the baccalaureate or higher levels of a quality substantially above the minimum required for such degrees at recognized institutions, concentrations of previous study in or near the subject matter field proposed for graduate study, analytic letters of evaluation based upon thorough knowledge of the applicant s abilities, as well as the results of examinations for which national norms have been determined. Inasmuch as decisions on admissions are reached after qualitative analysis of the evidence, undergraduates, particularly at Washington University, who can offer convincing evidence before the senior year that their attainments already exceed the qualitative requirements for the baccalaureate degree may want to consult their academic advisors regarding transfer to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for study for the A.M. or other advanced degree.