Graduate School Admission 

To be admitted to the Graduate School, applicants must complete the following: 

• Create an online account through the Graduate School (Click here to get started.)
• Complete the Graduate School application
  • Choose the Priority or Final Deadline  
• Submit all undergraduate and graduate transcripts (electronically if possible) 
• Pay the Graduate School application fee ($40) and the Counseling Program application fee ($55) 
  • Once both fees are paid, the account will permit the applicant to submit the additional required materials listed below

Please click here to learn more about the Graduate School’s GPA admission requirements. If you need technical assistance with or have questions about your online account, please contact Chikaodili Aleke in the Graduate School at aleke@ulm.edu

---

Counseling Program Admission 

Once applicants create an online account and pay both application fees, their account will allow them to upload the remaining application materials. These materials are described below. 

 

Resume/Vita 

Provide a current resume/vita. Please include your undergraduate GPA on your resume/vita and your graduate GPA if you have one. 

 

Letter of Interest and Introductory Video

Letter of Interest

The letter of interest is intended for the Counseling Faculty to get a sense of who you are and why you want to pursue a Master of Science in Counseling. In your letter of interest, please provide:  

1. Brief Personal Background: In your letter, provide a succinct overview of your academic background, highlighting relevant degrees, majors, and any honors or achievements. 

2. Professional and Volunteer Experience: Detail your relevant work experience, emphasizing roles that demonstrate your interest in counseling or related fields. Highlight volunteer or community service experiences that showcase your commitment to helping others. 

3. Motivation for Pursuing Counseling: Clearly articulate why you are drawn to the field of counseling. Share personal experiences, challenges, or moments that inspired your interest in counseling.  Please practice appropriate self-disclosure as you write this letter of interest by not disclosing anything such as history of abuse or traumatic events that you endured.

4.  Explain why you are interested in ULM’s counseling graduate program.  Do you plan to pursue our addictions, clinical, or school counseling* track or a combination of two?  Reference specific aspects that attracted you to apply. 

5. Professional Goals: Outline your career goals in the field of counseling. Explain how completing our program will contribute to your professional development and help you achieve your goals. 

6. Uniqueness: Explain something unique about yourself that you think could contribute to the diversity of the cohort. 

Formatting and Proofreading: Ensure that your letter is well-organized, formatted, and free of errors.

We encourage you to tailor your letter to our program, emphasizing how your unique background and experiences make you an ideal candidate. Keep the tone professional, enthusiastic, and focused on your commitment to contributing to the field of counseling. 

This letter of interest should be two pages and double-spaced. 

Introductory Video

For the introductory video, applicants will record and upload a short introduction video of themselves. This video should be no longer than two minutes and provide an opportunity for applicants to introduce themselves, discuss their motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in counseling, and highlight relevant experiences that have prepared them for this journey. Since this is an online-only environment, the video will also demonstrate the applicant’s proficiency with essential technology and video recording.

Additionally, we ask applicants to share any aspects of their personal diversity—such as cultural background, life experiences, and/or other unique perspectives—that have shaped their identity and their approach to counseling and how they connect with others different from themselves.

After recording the video, students should upload it to a platform such as YouTube (as an unlisted video), Vimeo (as a private link),  Google Drive or other personal drives (with private link sharing enabled), ensuring the video is accessible via a URL. Applicants will include the link at the begining of their Letter of Interest.

    *Letter of Interest for the School Counseling or a Combined Concentration Involving             School Counseling

    Students who plan to apply for the school counseling concentration or a combined concentration should include the content listed above along with a statement outlining why you want to pursue a career in school counseling.  In the statement include your understanding of the role of a school counselor, any work experience related to counseling and education, and any advocacy work, volunteering, or involvement in initiatives related to student well-being and mental health. 

 

Letters of Recommendation 

The Counseling Program requires three letters of recommendation be submitted by three (3) individuals who know the applicant’s relevant work and/or educational experience. Letters of recommendation must be on official letterhead with signatures. Follow the directions in your ULM Admissions Account to send an email request to your three references. 

Please note, letters of recommendation should come from people such as supervisors, work colleagues, and professors. We do not accept letters of recommendation from family, friends, therapists, and pastors. 

 

Do I Need the GRE?

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher do not have to submit GRE scores. Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 2.74 or lower but have completed a graduate degree with a graduate GPA of 3.50 or higher do not have to submit GRE scores. Only applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 2.74 or lower or have an undergraduate GPA of 2.74 or lower and a graduate GPA of 3.49 or lower must submit GRE scores. 

Applicants who do not meet the above GPA criteria must submit GRE scores for the General test with a score of 300 or higher to be considered for the Counseling Program. GRE scores should be sent directly to Dr. Thomas Foster, the Program Director of Counseling at tfoster@ulm.edu 

Interview 

Once all application materials have been submitted and evaluated by the Counseling Faculty, some applicants will be chosen to engage in an individual 30-minute Zoom interview. These candidates will be contacted through email by the Counseling Program.

  

Application Deadlines 

The Counseling Program offers two application deadlines, please see below for a description of each. 

 

Priority Deadline of November 15 

The November 15^th application deadline is considered the priority deadline. The advantage of making the priority deadline is that all the seats for the cohort are available and candidates will be given priority consideration. For this deadline, a percentage of seats will be filled for the coming cohort.

Please Note. An applicant applying for the priority deadline will only be considered if their application is 100% complete by November 15, no exceptions. Applications that are not complete will be denied by the Graduate School and will not be considered for the March 15 deadline.

When you create your online application with the Graduate School, you will be asked if you are applying for the Priority or Final Deadline. If the November 15 is approaching, we advise that you consider applying for the Final Deadline as transcripts and letters of recommendation are not guaranteed to arrive on time.

Candidates who complete their application for the priority deadline will receive notice of their status (i.e., invited for an interview, denied) by January 1^st.  

 

Final Deadline of March 15 

The March 15^th application deadline is considered the final deadline and the remaining seats will be filled for the cohort. Candidates who complete their application for the priority deadline will receive notice of their status (i.e., invited for an interview, denied) by May 1^st.  
 

Transferring Credit

Students may transfer up to 12 credit hours (four courses) into the Counseling Program upon acceptance. This policy is in alignment with the Graduate School. Transfer credits are not reviewed for approval until applicants are accepted into the program, however, the requirements for transfer credit are provided below.

Core Coursework Transfer Credit

Core courses are defined as any course a student must take as part of their degree plan. In order for a course to transfer in as a core, the class must come from a CACREP-accredited program, must match the content of the original ULM course, and not be older than six years by the time of graduation from the Counseling Program at ULM. Counseling faculty and the Dean of the Graduate School reserve the right to make final decisions regarding the appropriateness of core course transfers.

Elective Coursework Transfer Credit

In order for a course to transfer in as an elective, the class must be “counseling related” and not be older than six years by the time of graduation from the Counseling Program at ULM. Core courses from non-CACREP accredited programs cannot be used as electives. Counseling faculty reserve the right to make final decisions regarding the appropriateness of elective transfers.

Last Reviewed on August of 2023.

 

International Applications

The Counseling Program at ULM is happy to invite international students to apply. We strongly encourage international applicants to review all of the requirements of the program related to the Practicum and Internship experience and site supervisor requirements to ensure they can meet them before before applying. In addition, students living in different time zones are still required to attend live virtual meetings for synchronous classes and the summer workshop. Since the Counseling Program is 100% online, international students must complete the entire program from where they live. 

Applicants who have transcripts from universities outside of the United States must have their transcripts reviewed before applying. We accept course by course international transcript evaluations from ECE, WES and SPANTRAN. We do not accept IEE. For more information about this, use the following link to learn more: International Admissions.