Graduate Application Support

Attend our events

We organize various events during the academic year to guide students throughout the graduate application process. To learn more about these events, select the links below.
More about Applying Workshops and About The AGE Conference

Articles

• Purdue OWL offers an overview of the graduate application process.
• Since 2006, many graduate programs still refer students to this widely-cited article “Kisses of Death in the Graduate Application Process” written by Drew Appleby and Karen Appleby.

Read the Guides

• Building A Solid Foundation: A Guide to Graduate School for Students at Minority Serving Institutions is a guide created by the Center for MSI and they also have a guide for students applying to doctoral programs.
• Applying to Graduate School: Tips, Timeline, and Tools of the Trade is a guide created by The Committee on Institutional Cooperation.

Campus Resources

• Carefully proofread your application! The Learning Resource Center have consultants that are available to review your information.
• The Career Center’s CareerLink has resources that can help students find the graduate program to obtain their career goals.

• Students can find information about graduate programs at CSUN by Exploring the Program Finder
• We recommend starting a spreadsheet to organize the information you gather on graduate programs. Once you create a list of graduate programs, take your list to your advisor, and ask for their feedback! As a CSUN student, you have free access to Microsoft Excel. 
• Read the Northeastern University Graduate Program article “How to Organize Your Grad School Search” as a helpful guide.
• Search U.S. News and World Report rankings and data on graduate programs to find additional information about your program.
• Grad Cafe is a platform that connects applicants so they can share information. This platform is not moderated by campus representatives.

Listed below are some general resources on the Statement of Purpose (sometimes called the Personal Statement). Conventions may vary amongst programs, please be sure to look for targeted information for your particular path, or ask your CSUN advisor for advice.

• The Purdue OWL guide to planning and writing your Statement of Purpose
• The College Essay Guy’s blog has some annotated examples
• Many graduate schools offer guides to writing the Statement of Purpose. Some examples include Northeastern, Cornell, and UC Berkeley. 

Listed below are some general resources on Personal/Diversity Statements. 

• The University of Chicago’s Guide to Diversity Statements
• The University of Minnesota’s Guide to Diversity Statements

Students can find a variety of resources at the GRAD Center that will help them prepare for the GRE.

Learn more about GRE Resources

Select Order Transcripts to find information on how to request your transcriptions.

• We recommend contacting a faculty member at least a month in advance to request a letter of recommendation. Students should share their resume and Statement of Purpose with their recommenders. The recommenders can use this information to refer to the student's experience and goals. We suggest reading
• Northeastern University Graduate Programs article "How to Request a Grad School Recommendation Letter.”
• We also suggest that students should open their graduate applications as early as possible and enter the names of their recommenders. Recommenders will receive the link to upload their letters early in the process. In most cases, students can enter their name, address, and recommender names and hit “save” to complete the rest of the application later.
• Some programs require that students request letters of recommendation from tenure-track faculty. To find out whether your professor is a tenure-track faculty refer to the CSUN catalog for the following titles: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. 

The Career Center offers a wealth of resources related to creating resumes. Students can visit them during their drop-in hours for feedback!

Please see below a list of tips to help students gain experience for their Resume and CV.

• Meet with a faculty member from your department to talk about what kinds of experience would best prepare you for your career goals.
• Join a club or organization related to your discipline. Select the Matador Involvement Center to view all the clubs and organizations at CSUN.
• Seek community service opportunities by visiting the CSUN’s Unified We Serve website.
• Research experience is important to many graduate programs. Please visit the Office of Undergraduate Research to learn about research opportunities.
• There are Summer Research Programs across the country that connect students with faculty to gain valuable research experience. If you are headed in a research direction, please visit Big Ten Alliance SROPor UCLA program: Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) to learn more about these opportunities.
• Presenting at conferences is important to many graduate programs. CSUN students can request conference travel funding from Associated Students (undergraduate and graduate students) or Graduate Studies (graduate students only) to present at a conference. We encourage students to visit their college and department offices to inquire about additional funding opportunities.
• Visit Matty’s Closet if you need professional clothing for your conference.
• Several pre-graduate programs at CSUN promote student success. For example, the California Pre-Doctoral Program is for students interested in obtaining a PhD and becoming a university professor. The U-RISE and Bridges to the PhD are training programs for students interested in biomedical careers. We also encourage students to meet with a faculty member in their department to learn more about their programs.

We recommend the following:

• Search for guides about interviewing for your graduate program. You can also access general resources by selecting USC, or faq’s for business school, law school, and med school.
• Many programs conduct interviews virtually. You might consider reserving a study room at the University Library for your interview. Practice ahead of time to ensure you are centered on the screen and can make eye contact with your camera. Read tips for Zoom interviews.
• Visit Matty’s Closet if you need professional clothing for your interview.
• Within 24 hours of your interview, please send a thank you email to your interview committee. Be sure to express gratitude for their time. Use the interviewer’s professional greeting (i.e., Professor X) when sending the email. Please select Thank You to view examples.

• Visit Financial Aid and Scholarships to learn more about the financial aid available to CSUN graduate students.
• The Office of Graduate Studies offers several scholarship opportunities. Please visit our Current Students Scholarships webpage for more information.
• Financial aid options differ from undergraduate to graduate education. See the Forbes Advisor article titled “How The FAFSA Differs For Grad School” to learn more.
• Explore the UCLA GRAPES database to search for external funding sources.

• Students who are interested in a graduate program in the health field (including pharmacy, vet school, med school, etc.), should contact the CSUN advisor of these programs to seek advisement. Students will need to complete specific coursework before pursuing these fields and can find more information on the Biology Department’s YouTube Channel.
• There are summer research opportunities for students interested in a career in medicine. Select Summer Undergraduate Research Programs to find a list of programs.
• CSUN’s Political Science department has information and advisement related to law school. Select Apply to Law School to find more information.

Applying to graduate school can be stressful! Listed below are some resources you may find helpful.

• The Oasis Wellness Center offers many different wellness services. Select services to view a list of their resources.
• University Counseling Services offers CSUN students free one-on-one counseling, group therapy, and wellness workshops focused on stress management.
• The Klotz Student Health Center offers CSUN students a variety of health-related support services.
• The Student Recreation Center offers CSUN students a variety of resources, please visit their website to learn more about their programs and services.
• CSUN With a Heart provides services to support student’s basic needs. Please visit their website to learn more about their services.

Please contact our office if you need additional help. We are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 PM. Please send an email to gradcenter@csun.edu or to request a meeting with a GRAD Center Peer Mentor select GRAD Center Peer Mentors.