What are my chances of getting accepted? - DePaul University

Graduate School
1

I applied to DePaul’s Master’s program in Elementary Education for the fall 2015 semester. I graduated from Purdue in May 2014 with a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Child and Family Services, and a Bachelor’s in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice.

My overall GPA is a 2.3. Along with my application, I also sent in an academic addendum stating the reason for my low GPA. During the summer of 2011, I became ill and was in the hospital, there was a miscommunication with the Registrar’s office, and I did not drop my classes in time, and failed the classes. This brought my GPA down to a 1.5, but I ended up bringing it to a 2.3 by graduation. Also in the addendum, I included that I would be willing to take summer courses before the fall semester in order to prove my academic abilities.

I spoke with the admission’s office, who spoke with the Director of Admissions, and she said that she would encourage me to apply regardless of my GPA.

I don’t know if it makes a difference, but I have heard that because I am paying out of pocket and not using grants/loans that I have a better chance of being accepted, not sure how true that is though. Do I have somewhat of a chance of getting accepted?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

2

It really depends on how they consider your mitigating circumstances and the rest of your GPA, particularly the last two years.

3

The last two years was a 2.8 GPA with mostly A’s and B’s and a couple C’s.

4

Every school has a different policy, but I can’t imagine why this would matter. The school gets their money either way.

Anyway, there’s really no way for us to know or tell you - unfortunately, you’re going to have to wait until they make a decision. I will say that your GPA is low even taking into account the 1.5 from the hospital issue; you still have an overall 2.8. Most master’s degrees like to see a 3.0+. However, it’s not a total dealbreaker - it really depends on the rest of your file (letters of rec, your statement, GRE scores) and who else is applying. That’s why we can’t tell you your chances, because we don’t know what the rest of your file looks like, who you’re competing with, and what the department is looking for.

5

GRE was not required.

6

Probably a toss-up then