Graduate Pre-Application Survey
Obsolete version - do not use!
Please use the secure form found here
The pre-application survey simply indicates your interest in our program and is not a replacement for the Graduate School application. It simply indicates your interest in our program and does not incur any cost or obligation on your part. This material will be reviewed by Geosciences faculty only and will otherwise remain confidential.
Please note our application deadlines: January 5 for Fall admission and October 2 for Spring admission. We recommend that prospective students submit applications by the listed dates, but we accept applications at anytime.
It is a university requirement that international students, except those who (1) are native English speakers (UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada) or (2) have a score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE), who are offered Teaching Assistantships are required to pass an institutional version of the Test of Spoken English (SPEAK) before actually discharging teaching responsibilities. Students who do not achieve a satisfactory score on the SPEAK test are required to enroll in English 0014, "Oral Communication for ITAs." International Teaching Assistants who do not pass the SPEAK test may be assigned other department duties in lieu of teaching while they are completing the "Oral Communications" course.
Students sometimes ask us for guidelines regarding scores on standardized tests. While we do not have any strict cutoffs, the following are typical lower limits for our graduate students:
- GRE: Verbal: 550 (GRE general test) or 156 (revised GRE general test); Quantitative: 650 (GRE general test) or 151 (revised GRE general test); Analytical Writing: 4.5
- TOEFL: 105 (internet), 250 (computer based), 600 (written version); TWE: 5.0; TSE: 50
Virginia Tech will accept IELTS scores of 6.5 or higher in lieu of the TOEFL.
If you have any questions or need assistance in filling out this survey, contact Ms. April Newcomer at +1 540-231-8824 or apriln@vt.edu.