Apply - Office of Admissions
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Application Process and Requirements
Application Requirements
You may submit up to three applications at once. After clicking "Submit Program Application" on the final application overview page, you will receive further instructions via email. The status of your application will be marked "Submitted" on your dashboard and on the application overview page.
- Add upcoming deadlines to the Comments and Additional Information section.
Official Transcripts
DO NOT order official transcripts before submitting your application. Doing so will cause delay and the inability to link the transcripts to your application.
Order official transcripts from all attended institutions and have them delivered directly to NPS Admissions. Transcripts must come from the institution or an approved transcript exchange service; not from the applicant.
- If you have previously applied and had your transcripts sent to us, your transcript status will be updated by the end of the following week after application submission.
- If you attended NPS, your transcripts will be added to your file and your transcript status will be updated by the end of the following week after application submission.
- For certificate programs, official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions are required.
- For USN officers, official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions are required.
The preferred delivery method is electronically to admissions@nps.edu. If not possible, our mailing address is as follows:
Admissions Office
Naval Postgraduate School
1 University Circle, He-061A
Monterey, CA 93943-5006
Allow 7 business days after electronic download or 14 business days after physical mail receipt to process your transcript(s) and mark it as received on your application.
- One official transcript per institution is required, regardless of the number of applications submitted.
- U.S. students with degrees from international institutions are required to have their degrees evaluated by a service credentialed by the National Association for Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
GRE Scores
GRE Scores, dating back to a max of 5 years, are required for USA officers and Federal Civilians applying to National Security Affairs curriculums 681–693. Use Institutional Code 4831 to have your scores automatically sent to NPS.
Evaluation Process
Once all required materials are received, it will take about a month for an academic decision to be made. We will contact you about any missing documentation.
- If you are a USN officer, it will take about a month to calculate and report your APC to PERS once all required materials are received. We will notify you when this occurs or if there is any missing documentation.
Conditional Acceptance Letter and Enrollment
If you are found to be academically qualified, we will email you a conditional acceptance letter. The letter has no expiration and may be used at any time. You will be enrolled without condition once NPS Admissions has received an official tuition sponsor letter.
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USMC and USN officers will not receive a conditional acceptance letter or be notified about acceptance into a program by NPS Admissions, contact your monitor or detailer for acceptance details. However, if you are a USN medical department officer, we will send you a conditional acceptance letter.
PhD Applicants
If you are applying to a PhD program there are additional requirements listed here. Your application status will remain incomplete and will not be advanced for review until all admission requirements have been satisfied.
Application Requirements
You may submit an application to one program at a time. After clicking "Submit Program Application" on the final application overview page, you will receive further instructions via email. The status of your application will be marked "Submitted" on your dashboard and on the application overview page.
- You are required to include a curriculum number, academic year and quarter.
- USMC officers that have already earned a degree from NPS can only apply to certificate programs.
Application Deadline
The deadline to submit an application is on or before the first day of instruction of the quarter immediately preceding your intended start quarter. If you do not meet this deadline, your application will be rolled over to the next available quarter.
- If you are applying to AY22 AQ2, you must submit an application on or before the start of AY22 AQ1, which is 27 September 2021.
- Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the start dates identified as "Instruction Begins".
Participation Agreement
Applicants applying to programs starting AY/AQ 2023/4 or later are not required to submit a PA.
Official Transcripts
After submitting an application, official transcripts must be ordered from all attended undergraduate and graduate institutions and delivered from the institution(s) directly to NPS Admissions. Transcripts must come directly from the institution or their designated transcript exchange service, we do not accept transcripts submitted by the applicant.
- If you have previously applied and had your transcripts sent to us, your transcript status will be updated by the end of the following week after application submission.
- If you attended NPS, your transcripts will be added to your file and your transcript status will be updated by the end of the following week after application submission.
- If you are applying to a certificate program, only official transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended are required.
- If you are a USN officer, official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended are required regardless of program type.
Transcripts must be delivered electronically to admissions@nps.edu or physically to our mailing address:
Admissions Office (Official Transcripts)
Naval Postgraduate School
1 University Circle, Herrmann Hall 061A
Monterey, CA 93943-5006
Please allow 5-7 business days after electronic download or 10-14 business days after physical mail receipt to process your transcript(s) and mark it as received on your application.
- One official transcript per institution is required, regardless of the number of applications submitted.
- U.S. students with degrees from international institutions are required to have their degrees evaluated by a service credentialed by the National Association for Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
Evaluation Process, Acceptance Decision and Enrollment
Once all required materials are received, we will continue with an evaluation. The evaluation timeline varies depending on your intended start date. We will contact you about any missing documentation. You will be enrolled once you are academically approved, selected and funded. An acceptance email with program details will be sent upon enrollment. DL enrollment may not occur until a month prior to the start of the program or program orientation.
PhD Applicants
If you are applying to a PhD program there are additional requirements listed here. Your application status will remain incomplete and will not be advanced for review until all admission requirements have been satisfied.
Academic Profile Code (APC)
*2022 Update*
The Academic Profile Codes reported as of 1 SEPT 2022 have been updated for the benefit of prospective students. This new method may result in an APC that differs significantly from prior calculations. Further details about the breakdown of the 2nd and 3rd digit calculation will be released to detailers soon. Admissions will conduct an academic review through the waiver process, with the faculty's involvement, to ensure students are prepared for graduate education and their studies and career timing are aligned.
Definition
The Academic Profile Code (APC) is an internal index used for initial applicant evaluation. The three-digit code is calculated by NPS Admissions. It summarizes prior academic performance, including cumulative GPA, mathematics course exposure/performance and selected science/engineering areas.
Application Requirements
This section does not contain full instructions and information, please follow the resident section above regarding applying, transcripts, etc. Listed below are additional instructions and information regarding the APC.
- All officers seeking to obtain an Academic Profile Code (APC) must submit an application.
- Apply as a resident masters student and select "000" or "Not Sure" as the curriculum. You are required to include your designator and command.
- If you are a distance learning applicant, you do not have to submit an additional resident application. Your APC will go through the same process.
- If you require an APC for a lateral transfer board, please indicate this in the Comments and Additional Information section.
- Only graded coursework taken at accredited institutions will be used in the APC calculation.
- If you already have a degree from NPS, your APC will not be re-calculated with the NPS grades.
APC Calculation
Once all required materials are received, it will take 1-3 business days to calculate your APC, then an additional 1-3 business days after calculation to report your APC to PERS. We will notify you when this occurs or if there is any missing documentation.
- Once your APC has been calculated, it will immediately be displayed on your application under the Employer Information section.
- Once your APC has been reported about 1-3 business days after calculation, please allow 5-7 business days before it appears in Block 47 of your ODC. If Block 47 of your ODC is blank or if 565 is listed, your APC was not calculated and you must submit an application.
Consult your detailer if your APC does not meet the minimum requirement for a particular program.
- All APC waiver requests will be handled by your detailer through the Graduate Education Placement Officer, PERS 440C.
- While the Admissions Office does work with the Graduate Education Placement Officer on waiver requests, it is your detailer who must ultimately advocate for any waivers.