Important Links:

• Graduate Admissions Page
• Graduate Deadlines Page
• Nondegree Graduate Study

About SUNY Empire Graduate Admissions- Online Graduate Programs

Empire State University (SUNY Empire) offers admission to online graduate programs, including doctoral, master’s, certificates of advanced study, and advanced certificates. Between our five (5) colleges, we offer 30+ graduate programs in nursing, business, teacher education, adult/ higher education, liberal studies, organizational psychology, public administration, policy studies, information technology, and cybersecurity.  This page explains graduate admissions requirements including: where and how to apply, and policies for international graduate admissions and Canadian border commuter student admission. 

Matriculation

A matriculated student is one who has been admitted for study toward a doctoral degree, master’s degree, advanced certificate, or certificate of advanced study program.

What You Need to Apply — Graduate Programs Admission Requirements 

Canadian Border Commuter Student Admission

Canadian students who maintain their residence in Canada and travel to the U.S. for required residencies, orientations or meetings with their advisors are considered border commuter students and must apply for admission to the university and meet the following additional admission documentation requirements:

• Students whose first language is not English must demonstrate that they have sufficient English proficiency to study at Empire State University. See above;
• proof of financial ability to pay for tuition; and
• proof of health insurance coverage.

Canadian transcripts must be in English and from institutions approved by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) or Canadian Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT). All other transcripts from non-U.S. educational documents must be evaluated by any of these approved evaluation services. See above.

When to Apply — Graduate Programs Admission Deadlines

Application deadlines do change from term to term. For the most current deadlines, please visit the Graduate Admissions Deadlines Page.

Canadian border commuter students must obtain an I-20 to study in the United States. Canadian citizens are not required to apply for or hold an F-1 student visa in order to enter the U.S., however, permanent residents of Canada who are not Canadian citizens will need to apply for an F-1 student visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate once they have applied for and received their initial I-20 from the university.

Canadian border commuter students accepted to the university are entered into the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), generating the student’s I-20. All international students who are issued an I-20 document are required to pay the federal SEVIS fee. The current fee is $200 and must be paid directly to the U.S. government. Please visit the SEVIS website for more information on the SEVIS fee and how to pay it. Students are required to present receipt of this payment when they cross into the United States. Border commuter students are issued a new I-20 each term, but are not required to pay the SEVIS fee for each consecutive term they are in attendance. If a student does not maintain status for each consecutive term, he or she will be required to pay a new SEVIS fee when issued a new I-20.

To cross the border, students are required to have a valid passport, an I-20 issued for the current term, their SEVIS fee receipt and their financial documents.

Citizens and permanent residents of Canada are allowed to attend classes on a part-time basis. However, part-time students should submit new financial documents to the international student liaison every term, in order to receive a new I-20 for that term.

Students should contact the international student liaison once they have registered for their program so that their registration is entered into SEVIS, demonstrating that they are in status. The earliest border commuter student may enter the U.S. is 30 days before the start of the term.

Canadian border commuter students are not eligible for financial aid, university-sponsored scholarships or employment while studying with Empire State University. Border commuter students are always considered nonresidents for tuition purposes. Border commuter students are not allowed to establish a residence in the U.S.

For visa or international student questions, please contact Admissions toll free at 800-847-3000.

Please visit the International Students webpage for more detailed information on Canadian border commuter student admissions requirements, including demonstration of financial resources and evaluation of non-U.S. credentials. All documents should be mailed to:

Admissions
Empire State University
111 West Ave
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-4390
Attention: International Student Liaison, U.S.A.

Nondegree (Nonmatriculated) Graduate Students

Resources and space permitting, the university allows bachelor's degree holders, who are not matriculated students, to enroll in a limited selection of graduate courses each term.  Applicants must provide an official transcript verifying completion of a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution prior to acceptance as a nonmatriculated student; and/or must have an active, unencumbered nursing license, if seeking to enroll in graduate nursing courses. Financial aid is not available for nonmatriculated study.

To take courses as a nondegree or nonmatriculated graduate student, you must visit the SUNY Empire application portal and select Nondegree: https://www.sunyempire.edu/application.html

For additional details, please see Graduate Nonmatriculated Enrollment Policy.

Combined (Bachelor/Master's) Pathway Programs

State Authorization for the Provision of Online Education

Federal regulations require that colleges and universities that participate in Title IV funding and offer degree programming through distance or online education to students in other states, must seek approval from those states to offer such programs.

Empire State University is working to comply with each state’s regulations and to maintain the necessary authorizations to continue providing our online degree programs. As a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), SUNY Empire is authorized to offer its online degree programs to residents of all other NC-SARA participating states. A complete list of states that are participants of NC-SARA can be found on their website.

If a state or U.S. territory is not participating in NC-SARA, please visit our State Authorization for the Provision of Online Education web page to check on the status of Empire State University’s authorization in your state of residence. All states are considered “registration approved” unless listed otherwise. If your state is not currently approved, we cannot accept your application for admission to an online degree program at this time.

Complaint Resolution

SUNY Empire, as a provider of distance or online education, is required by the United States Department of Education to provide all prospective and current out-of-state students with contact information for the appropriate agency in their home state that handles complaints against institutions offering distance learning within that state.

Students are encouraged to follow the university’s student problem resolution process prior to filing a complaint with a state agency.

For further information, please visit the Non-New York Residents page.

Graduate Admissions Contact Information

Email: grad@sunyempire.edu 

Phone: 1‑800‑847‑3000  

Mail: Empire State University, 111 West Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-4390