Graduate Non-Degree Program

The Graduate Non-Degree (GND) program may be an option for you if you would like to:

  • Explore courses for possible future enrollment in a graduate/professional degree program
  • Take courses for personal or professional enrichment
  • If you need to take a course for licensing, such as for teaching, contact the department/school to determine the best way to proceed.

If you are an international student and have questions about your eligibility to apply as a non-degree student, please email oiagrad@iu.edu before submitting an application.

You must hold at least a bachelor’s degree to be eligible to apply to the GND program. Graduate non-degree students may enroll in graduate courses only or enroll in a combination of graduate and undergraduate courses in the same semester. Note: If you are planning on taking only undergraduate pre-requisites (400-level or below) to get into a graduate program, you should apply to the undergraduate non-degree program. Please consult with an advisor in your graduate program of interest on what courses you need to take. Also, any undergraduate courses taken as a GND student are at the graduate student credit hour rate.

While there is no deadline for the Graduate Non-Degree application, you should apply early to ensure you will get into the class(es) of your choice but at least a week before the semester starts. Normal application processing time is one week.

Admission to the GND program will not guarantee admission to a graduate degree program.

Some programs, such as medicine or evening MBA, do not allow GND students to take their courses. Some programs/schools have their own non-degree programs. They include: Accounting, Dentistry, Education, Herron, Informatics, Library Science, Nursing, and Physical Education & Event Tourism Management.

If it is your intent to pursue an advanced degree at some point, we encourage you to contact the graduate department/program you're interested in for advice on specific course issues, permissions for designated courses and/or the best admission options.

  • You must achieve at least a 3.0 in all courses if you intend to apply to a graduate program and want those courses to be transferred to that program should you get accepted.
  • You must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 as a GND student even if you do not intend to apply to a graduate program.
  • You are not able to take classes on a Pass/Fail option under GND. This means you must receive a grade for your class(es). Auditing classes is not permitted.

You should not acquire more than 9 to 12 graduate hours in a school or department If you are planning to request GND credits to transfer into a degree program or certificate. If you plan to apply to a program, be sure to ask the maximum credits they will accept from GND students.

  • You cannot acquire more than 18 undergraduate credit hours in a school or department, unless you receive special permission from the department, which must be communicated from the program advisor to the GND coordinator by email.
  • You may need departmental approval/permission for certain courses taken as a GND student before you can register.

Generally, students enrolled in the GND program are not eligible for financial aid. GND students taking graduate classes as prerequisites to get into a graduate program should review information about financial aid and the Non-Degree Prerequisite Verification Form.

The Non-Degree Prerequisite Verification Form must be completed and then signed by a representative from the graduate program the student wishes to be admitted to before submission to Financial Aid for consideration.

According to University requirements, all non-native English speakers must present evidence of English language proficiency as part of their application to IU Indianapolis. For more information, check out the Office of International Affairs website. Proof of English proficiency will need to be provided to the Indianapolis Graduate School before acceptance into the GND program.

Application

Before you apply, please contact the graduate department you’re interested in to determine your best admission and course options. If you’ve determined the Graduate Non-Degree (GND) program is the right fit for you, the next step is to apply.

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