Deadlines/Policies

California Institute of Integral Studies actively seeks a culturally and socially diverse student population. Decisions regarding admission are based on consideration of (1) potential for success in the chosen field of study based upon past academic or professional achievement, maturity, and motivation for educational and personal development; and (2) the congruence of the applicant's interests with the philosophy and purpose of the program and Institute.

For more information, please contact the Admissions Office at (415) 575-6154.

Admissions Application Deadlines

Applications may be accepted after these deadlines, pending availability of space. Please see our Twitter for up-to-date availability.

Fall

All CIIS programs admit students in the fall semester. The admissions application deadline for entrance into the fall semester for all graduate programs is February 1st. Applicants will be notified of the admissions decision by April 1st.

The deadline for the Bachelors of Arts Completion program is April 1st.

Spring
The following programs also admit students in the spring semester. The application deadline for spring is October 15th.

• Bachelor's Degree Completion Program
• Integral Counseling Psychology
• Cultural Anthropology and Social Transformation with an emphasis in Gender, Ecology, and Society
• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• East-West Psychology
• Integrative Health Studies
• Asian and Comparative Studies
• Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness
• Women's Spirituality

Application Requirements

A complete application can vary by program but includes the following:

• Application (online or paper).
• Nonrefundable $65 application fee.
• An autobiographical statement (length dependent on program), including a personal history and an explanation of why you have chosen to apply to CIIS and to the program of choice.
• A statement of educational and professional goals and objectives: one page unless otherwise stated in the program description (not required of Bachelor of Arts applicants).
• Official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended.
• Two letters of recommendation and an academic writing sample, if required by the program. See the requirements for specific programs listed in the academic programs section.

Personal Interviews

Interviews are required by the BA Completion program, most MA programs, the PsyD program, and all PhD programs. After all the documents have been received, qualified applicants will be contacted to arrange an interview. Most interviews will be conducted during the months of February and March. An in-person interview is preferred by most programs; however, an interview by phone or web may suffice for students living outside a 500-mile radius of the Institute or for students in exceptional circumstances. The interview structure and format vary according to program.

Academic Requirements

Graduate Programs

1. Applicants to M.A. programs must have a B.A. or B.S. from a regionally accredited institution.
2. Those applying to Ph.D. programs must have an M.A. or its equivalent from a regionally accredited institution in an appropriate discipline.
3. Students with an M.A. in an unrelated field may be admitted to a Ph.D. program with additional course requirements.
4. Applicants to the Clinical Psychology doctoral program must have earned a B.A. or B.S. for regular standing, and an M.A., an M.S., or a minimum of 40 semester units in psychology or counseling for advanced standing (see the academic programs section for details).
5. A grade point average of 3.0 or higher from previous academic institutions is required by all programs, with the exception of the Doctor of Psychology program, which requires a 3.0 average for regular standing and a 3.5 average for advanced standing. See the individual program descriptions for additional requirements.

Undergraduate Program

1. Applicants to the B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies program must have earned a minimum of 60 semester units of transferable credit from an accredited college. Up to 30 of these units may have been earned through satisfactory test results from the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Excelsior College Examination (ECE), and Advanced Placement Exams. The maximum number of total units a student can transfer is 84, with 75 being the maximum for lower-division units. Students who enter the program with fewer than 75 total transferable semester units may petition for academic credit for life experience (see the academic programs section for details). Coursework marked by a grade of D, D-, or F, or coursework falling under the rubric physical education is not transferable. Coursework taken twice for credit will be counted only once.
2. Applicants must demonstrate a readiness to explore and develop their life direction or vocation, a commitment to learning that incorporates significant personal growth, a willingness to work within a group setting, and college-level communication skills.

International Students

An international student is a student who plans to study at CIIS on a non-immigrant visa. All international students at CIIS must be in an eligible visa classification to pursue studies. CIIS assists international students admitted to degree programs with the F-1 student visa application only.

In addition to meeting the general requirements for admission, international applicants who have earned their degree outside the U.S. must have a foreign-credential evaluation service evaluate the transcript reflecting the latest degree conferred. (Students who have obtained a degree from a Canadian university are exempted from the policy.) Please visit the International Students web page for credential evaluation services and links to the online applications.

Any applicant whose native language is not English is required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and achieve a minimum score of 80 on the Internet-based test. It is the applicant's responsibility to make arrangements to take this test.

Aside from meeting the admissions requirements, international applicants for the F-1 student visa must also demonstrate that they have the financial resources necessary to cover one year's costs, including tuition, room and board, and other related items upon acceptance to a degree program. This amount varies by degree and is likely to change from year to year. The costs associated with study at CIIS are reflected on the Certificate of Funding, which must be submitted by the applicant along with corroborating financial documents upon admission. Please visit the International Students page for details.

A Certificate of Eligibility Form I-20 for use in obtaining an F-1 student visa will be issued after the student has been admitted to a program of study and has submitted proof of financial support for one year of study. Students who enter the United States on an F-1 student visa must maintain full-time student status in fall and spring semesters.

Nonrefundable Enrollment Deposit

Upon notification of acceptance into a degree program, and to secure their place in a program, students are required to submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit by May 1. Admitted students who do not pay a deposit will not be guaranteed enrollment in their respective program. The deposit is credited to the student's account and is applied toward tuition.

Students who submit an enrollment deposit will have it forfeited if they do not enroll in the intended term.

Enrollment deposit waivers will only be granted to students who submit in writing to the Director of Admissions a request for an exemption and an explanation that gives (1) the reasons for being unable to put forward the deposit and (2) a confirmation of an intention to enroll.

Provisional Admission

Provisional admission may be granted for the following reasons: (1) the degree or credit from the institution the student is currently attending has not yet been awarded or (2) the applicant is missing minor requirements required by the program. Full admission will be granted upon receipt of transcripts of the most recent degrees, or receipt of missing materials. Students who are on provisionally admitted status are not eligible to receive financial aid. Students may hold provisional status for a maximum of one semester, and must be fully admitted in order to register for a subsequent semester.

Rejected Applications

An applicant denied admission by a program may contact the appropriate Admissions Counselor to discuss the steps needed to bolster the application and reapply in the future. However, please keep in mind that the Admissions Office cannot answer questions concerning the specific reasons an application was rejected. All admissions decisions are final.

Readmission

An application for readmission must be submitted if a student has not maintained active students status (see Registration Policies). Applicants for readmission are required to meet current admissions requirements. A student applying for readmittance may have some of the application requirements waived by completing an Application Requirements Confirmation Form, which must be completed by the Admissions Chair of the student's program and which must be sent along with the regular application and corresponding application fee. ( Note: Students must also submit the most recent official transcript from CIIS, as this requirement cannot be waived by the program.)

Students who have become inactive and who wish to reenroll in a program that is no longer being offered at CIIS will be required to apply to another program. In such cases, the student will follow the same procedures for readmission as stated above. Once the application is complete, the Admissions Director will determine how many units will be transferred from the previous program. This amount is not subject to the onesixth rule that applies to transferring credits (see Transfer of Credit from Another Institution), as the Director may elect to accept most, if not all, of the units taken from the student's previous program.

Transfer of Credit from Another Institution

A maximum of one-sixth of the total number of graduate-level units required in the student's program may be transferred from another accredited institution. (This limit only refers to transfer units between institutions, not between CIIS programs.) Transfer credit may be granted for graduate study completed prior to admission, for relevant study completed elsewhere while registered at CIIS, or for a combination of the two, up to the allowable limit. The following conditions must be met:

• The work was done at an accredited institution.
• The work is clearly relevant to the student's program at the Institute.
• The grade received was B or higher (CIIS graduate programs only).
• The units involved were not used to satisfy requirements for any previous academic degree.The student's advisor endorses the transfer.
• The Institute has established criteria to evaluate the work done, and the student must demonstrate that the learning experience at another institution meets CIIS guidelines if it is to be used for credit at the Institute. For current CIIS students who take courses at another institution, official transcripts must be submitted directly to the Registrar's Office by the issuing institution.

Special Students (Non-degree)

Individuals who wish to take courses for credit but are not enrolled in a program may apply for Special Student status. This applies to someone who meets one of the following criteria: He or she may or may not want to apply for a degree program at a later time; is awaiting an admissions decision; is enrolled in a degree program at another school and is seeking transfer credit; or simply wishes to take a course for personal enrichment. Students should request a Special Student application from the Registrar's Office. See the Enrollment Policies section of the catalog for specific policies related to Special Students.