Indiana University of Pennsylvania offers two excellent ways for their students to save time and money by working toward their graduate degree while still an undergraduate student. These two options, called 4+1 and Graduate Early Admission (GREA), both allow an IUP undergraduate student to take graduate classes that will count toward both their undergraduate degree and their master's degree. Where the two programs differ is how students enroll.
The 4+1 program invites incoming freshman students to participate based on their high school GPA and their SAT scores. Students must be invited by IUP in order to participate in the 4+1 program. As long as the student maintains a 3.0 GPA in their undergraduate coursework and fulfill any additional requirements, they are guaranteed admission into the graduate program for which they were invited before they started at IUP. Once the 4+1 student enters the semester where they will earn their 60th undergraduate credit, they just need to fill out the graduate school application for clerical purposes. Once they have completed 60 undergraduate credits, they can begin taking graduate level courses that will count toward their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students in the 4+1 program cannot transfer their 4+1 status should they choose to change their major, but they may be eligible to apply for GREA. For more information on the 4+1 program at IUP, please visit the program webpage.
GREA is open to all IUP undergraduate students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students can apply for GREA during the semester that they will earn their 60th undergraduate credit. GREA students are not guaranteed admission into the graduate program of their choice and they do need to submit all necessary supplemental items to be considered for admission. If the student is admitted, they can begin taking graduate level coursework while still in undergraduate and these courses will count toward both degrees. Students interested in GREA should consult with their academic advisor to make sure that they are completing their coursework in the proper sequence to be eligible for this opportunity. For specific information on how to apply to GREA, please visit our webpage.
For questions regarding either of these opportunities, please contact Graduate Admissions at 724-357-2222 or graduate-admissions@iup.edu.