Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Graduate School

Competitive Graduate Award

Frequently Asked Questions

These FAQs are provided to assist you with the CGA application process. If you have any questions regarding the CGA competition, please contact the Graduate School at graduateschool@siue.edu. Please allow up to 48 hours for responses. Q: I took a graduate course several years ago, but I did not pursue a graduate degree at that time. Can I compete for a CGA? A: Eligibility requirements state that applicants must be new graduate students, whose first term of enrollment as a classified student in a graduate degree program at SIUE will be no earlier than the Summer term preceding the fall term of application. SIUE undergraduates approved for admission to a 3+2 program may submit an application provided their eligibility for such enrollment does not occur before the Summer preceding the fall term of application. Q: Can I delay payment of the SIUE application fee until after I have won a CGA award? A: No. Your SIUE application is not complete without the payment of the application fee. Q: Do I need to complete the admission tests for the graduate programs, e.g. the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) before I will be considered for a Competitive Graduate Award? A: No, not technically. The tests are not required by the Graduate Admissions Office for general admission to SIUE, however, some graduate programs require one of these tests for acceptance into the program. The CGA application files are sent to the graduate faculty of the applicant’s chosen major for evaluation and ranking. Please be aware that faculty may give a higher ranking to a CGA applicant who has completed the admission process for their graduate program, and that process may include having the test results from MAT, GMAT or GRE in the graduate program file. If you have questions about the deadlines for taking the required test for your graduate program, please contact the director of the graduate program to which you are applying. Q: Does the deadline in January, mean ‘postmarked by’ specified date?? A: No. All of your CGA application materials must be received in the Graduate School office by 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date. ‘Postmarked by’ does not apply to this date. Q: Can I ask the department of my major to copy my letters of recommendation and send them to you for the CGA competition? A: Yes, however, the members of the University Fellowship and Scholarship Committee prefer to see letters that specifically address the CGA competition.

Q: If a letter gets lost in the mail and I find out about it after the competition closes, can you hold my CGA application until I can get the recommender to send another one? A: No. It is your responsibility to make sure that your CGA application is complete by the deadline date. Email our office two weeks before the deadline to check the status of your CGA application (allow 48 hours for replies). Give yourself enough time to correct any problems or deficiencies with your application. If you wait until the due date to check on your letters, it will be too late for your reference to mail another copy. Q: Can my letters of recommendation be written by people that I work with or church affiliates instead of former professors? A: Such letters are not prohibited; however, the committee will be evaluating your academic potential. Your application should contain letters from former professors whenever possible to increase your chances of receiving one of the awards. Q: Can I collect my letters of recommendation personally and mail or bring them in with my application? A: No. Please have your recommenders mail the letters with the waiver form from their universities or places of business. Exceptions can be made for letters that must be sent from outside the United States. Please contact us for guidance. Q: Can I have more than three letters of recommendation in my file? A: Yes. You may have any number of letters in your file, as long as you have at least three. You may wish to consider asking at least four people for recommendations, in case one gets lost in the mail. Q: Can I send you a copy of my resume instead of filling out the Statement of Personal History and Career Goals? No. Your resume will not be accepted. Please fill out the forms as specified. Q: What is your grade scale based on? A: A = 4.0. If your baccalaureate institution calculated your Grade Point Average on a scale wherein A = 5.0, please convert your GPA when you fill out the cover page. Q: I didn’t hear about the CGA until the last week in December, and I cannot get everything to you in time. Can I have an extension? A: No. Extensions would create unacceptable delays in the award process. Q: I received my baccalaureate degree from SIUE and did not take undergraduate classes at any other institution. Do I still have to have my transcript mailed to the Graduate School? A: No. We have access to the transcripts originated by SIUE. If you completed undergraduate work at another institution, however, you must have that transcript sent to the Graduate School for your CGA application packet. Q: I transferred to SIUE from another university before I received my baccalaureate degree from SIUE. Doesn’t the SIUE transcript have the information from the transferred credits?

A: The SIUE transcript notes the transferred credit but it does not list the grades earned in those courses. In some cases, the titles of courses transferred are not listed on the transcript, merely the total credit hours transferred. You must have the other undergraduate institutions mail copies of your transcripts to the Graduate School so that the Committee will have a complete academic record to examine. Q: I have already ordered a copy of my transcript(s) from my undergraduate institution(s) to be delivered to SIUE as part of my application to SIUE. Do I need to order another copy separately for the CGA competition? A: No. We do have access to transcripts mailed as part of your application eventually, however, sending a second set of your transcripts directly to The Graduate School/CGA Competition allows for faster processing for a complete CGA application. International Students Only: Q: I cannot take my TOEFL test early enough for the results to arrive at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville by the deadline. Will you waive the TOEFL requirements? A: No. Your TOEFL scores are a vital part of your application to SIUE. You will not be eligible for the CGA competition if your SIUE application is incomplete. Take the TOEFL test as early as possible and have an official set of scores sent to SIUE. Students do not need to send unofficial copies of their TOEFL scores to the Graduate School office. We will have access to the scores sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. Q: My TOEFL test scores may arrive at SIUE too late for me to be eligible for the CGA competition. Will you accept an unofficial copy? A: No. The Graduate Admissions Office needs to receive your official TOEFL score before you can be considered for admission to SIUE. Only those whose applications to SIUE are complete are eligible for the CGA competition.

Revised 7/15/13 SR