School of Education at Johns Hopkins University - Graduate Education Programs:


Special Student

Graduate Special Non-Degree Seeking Students

If you are a post-baccalaureate student who wishes to take graduate courses (.500-level and above) but is not interested in earning a degree at this time, you must apply for graduate special (non-degree) student status. Here's how:

  1. We strongly encourage you to first speak with an adviser.
  2. You must possess a bachelor's or graduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and have achieved a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average overall or in the last half of your undergraduate degree programs to be approved for graduate special student status.
  3. Submit a Graduate Special Student Admission Application with a $25 application fee. You can either apply online or download an application in PDF format. Note: Financial aid is not available for special (non-degree) students. School of Education graduates need only to submit a Graduate Special Student Admission Application.
  4. Submit official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work (those with graduate degrees need to submit only official transcripts of graduate work). To be deemed official, transcripts must be received in the Office of Admissions in the institution's sealed envelope. Academic records from non-U.S. institutions must be evaluated by a certified credential evaluation agency. Please see the International Students Admissions Policy for details.

Please note the following policies:

  • If you wish to apply earned credits to a degree or certificate program, you must obtain adviser approval. No more than nine credits earned as an admitted graduate special student may be applied toward a degree (the number of credits varies with the degree program). If you do not intend to pursue a degree, you are not limited to nine credits, but you are subject to school academic standards.
  • You may apply to graduate degree program. To do so, you should submit a graduate degree application, the $80 application fee, and any other required admission materials (such as resume or essay) to the Office of Admissions.
  • As a graduate special student, you are restricted to .500-level courses and, with adviser approval, .600-level courses.