How to Apply

Online Application

Brief personal essay indicating the reason you are pursuing your chosen graduate program and your intended long-term goals (submitted online with your application). Need some tips? 

MSW: Your statement of purpose should address the following:

• How your values align with Siena University’s mission, Franciscan values, and the MSW program’s mission. 
• Your motivation for pursuing social work, including your career goals. 
• Your understanding of racism, privilege, and white supremacy, and how you will address these in your education and career. 
• Your readiness for the demands of graduate-level coursework.

Include employment history, certificate or licenses held, volunteer/extracurricular activities, leadership roles, honors/awards and education history (submitted online with your application).

Submitted by a previous faculty member at your bachelor’s degree granting institution, supervising teacher, or professional reference if you have been out of school for some time. (Recommenders are required to submit recommendations online - instructions included within the application):

• All Education and Social Work graduate programs (degree, certificate, and non-degree options) require two Letters of Recommendation

• All Business graduate degree programs require one Letter of Recommendation

  • Please note that a recommendation is not required for Business Advanced Certificate applicants. 

Official Transcripts are required from all post-secondary institutions which you have earned college credit. Unofficial copies may be uploaded for the purpose of application review, but official copies are required prior to enrollment. 

Also, if you earned your undergraduate degree outside of the United States, an evaluated transcript is required by a recognized member of The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES.) Our preferred evaluators are World Education Services, Inc. or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.

Transcripts and evaluations should be emailed directly to our registrar at transcriptreceiving@siena.edu or mailed to the address below:

Siena University
Registrar's Office
515 Loudon Road
Loudonville, NY 12211

Official TOEFL, IELTS or DUOLINGO Test Scores are required from international students whose native language is not English. All English examination scores are considered valid up to two years after the testing date. Certificates of Instruction may be considered if English was the medium of instruction for undergraduate studies.

Accepted tests and minimum scores:

TOEFL - 79
IELTS - 6.5
DUOLINGO - 115

Official Test Results should be sent electronically to graduateadmissions@siena.edu or mailed directly to:

Siena University
Registrar's Office
515 Loudon Road
Loudonville, NY 12211

For business graduate degree programs, official GMAT scores are required if: 

• GPA is less than 2.75 from an AACSB-accredited undergraduate business program or GPA is less than 3.0 from a non-AACSB accredited undergraduate program.

• Siena does not require the GRE for entrance to any graduate program.