Returning to school is convenient at Golden Gate University. The following are the requirements to get started in a degree or certificate program.
The Office of Enrollment Services, in consultation with the appropriate faculty, reviews all documents received, including official academic records from other institutions, standardized test scores, personal statement, professional resumes, letters of recommendation, personal interviews, and any other relevant information.
Please note: All application materials become the property of the university and cannot be returned.
Graduate students are expected to possess proficiency in writing to ensure they can be successful in their course of study. Students may satisfy the Graduate Writing Proficiency Requirement by one of the following options:
Graduate students in the Edward S. Ageno School of Business (except DBA, EMPA, and Psychology) are required to possess an understanding of United States business practices. Students can meet this requirement with one of the following:
Graduate programs may require a math proficiency to ensure that you are successful in your course of study. Please refer to the required math proficiencies in the university catalog.
Schedule a Math Placement Exam
The Open Enrollment Program is intended for students enrolling in courses for the purposes of continuing education and personal enrichment or students who have applied for admission to a program of study and, as yet, have not been notified of their admission status. Students in the latter category may register in Open Enrollment for a maximum of nine (9) graduate units prior to admission with maximum 2 terms while the application is being processed.
To register for graduate courses in open enrollment status, you must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited US institution or the equivalent from a recognized foreign (outside the US) institution; Open enrollment does not require submission of transcripts or GMAT scores.
Open enrollment is not available to international students in Student Visa/ Scholar Visa status who have applied for, but have not received, admission to the university, with an exception for international students with valid immigration status at another college- level institution, have written authorization from that institution to enroll in classes at Golden Gate University and have met GGU's academic and English language requirements.
Non-native speakers of English must meet the English Language Proficiency Admission Requirements.
Open enrollment students are required to maintain good academic standing to register for courses and to remain enrolled. Evidence of good academic standing for a graduate student is a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average. Students who fall below this standard will not be permitted to register for subsequent terms.
Students registered in open enrollment status are not eligible for financial aid.
Please refer to GGU Catalog - Open Enrollment for further details.
Open Enrollment students are required to have each course approved by an advisor prior to registering each term. Permission to register for individual courses is based on prior academic performance and preparation in appropriate prerequisites.
Students registered in open enrollment status are not eligible to earn certificates or degrees. However, after gaining admission to a program, courses completed in open enrollment status are applicable to degree and certificate programs on a limited basis. A maximum of nine (9) units of coursework completed in Open Enrollment status may be used toward meeting requirements for a graduate degree or certificate program.
Open Enrollment students are subject to the same Academic Progress and Grade Standards as degree or certificate students.
An application may remain in pending status for up to one calendar year from the date on which it was received in the Office of Enrollment Services. If the file is not completed within that year, the application will expire and the documents associated with that application will be destroyed. Admission is valid for the term for which you were admitted, and the two subsequent terms. If you do not enroll during that time period (approximately one year), the offer of admission is cancelled and the documents associated with that application will be destroyed. Re-applying after that time will require a new application, application fee, and the submission of all transcripts and other required credentials.
Degree students wishing to change their degree objective or area of concentration must file a "Change of Degree Program/Major" request and submit it to the Office of Records and Registration. Students on academic probation may apply for a change of program. If the dean of the school in which the new program is housed determines that your qualifications meet the requirements of the new program, the application will be forwarded to the Committee for Admissions and Academic Probation (CAAP) for review. Applicants who want to change their degree program prior to an admission decision should submit the request to applications@ggu.edu. There is no charge for this process.
You can check your application status, upload your application documents, submit a defer request, download your admissions letter, and accept or reject your application admissions from the application portal or via email at applications@ggu.edu.
Certificate students who wish to enter a degree program should submit the appropriate admission application and all required supporting documents and fees. If admitted to a degree program, students will be required to fulfill the degree requirements to that program in effect at the time of admission. In addition to prior school records and test scores, performance in certificate course work at Golden Gate is used as a criterion for admission to degree programs.
Open enrollment is a registration program, but does not constitute admission to the university. Students who wish to change from open enrollment to a degree or certificate program should apply for admission online or request a mailed application.