Applicants are considered for admission to the fall term only. There is no spring or summer admission.

The Fall 2025 application is now open.    Please contact us at criminologydept [at] umd.edu if you have any questions.

The University of Maryland's Graduate School accepts applications through its gradapply.umd.edu application system. Before completing the application, applicants are asked to check the Graduate School for specific instructions https://gradschool.umd.edu/behavioralsocial-sciences/crim.

As required by the Graduate School, all application materials below are to be submitted electronically: 

• Graduate application
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test score
• Three letters of recommendation 
• One Statement of Goals and Purpose
• CV/Resume
• One Writing Sample that reflects your scholarly potential
• TOEFL/IELTS/Pearsons Score [international students only]
• Transcripts from all institutions attended after high school or secondary school whether or not a degree was granted. Official copy of all previous degrees/diplomas and transcripts issued in the original language with a literal English translation. The transcripts should be uploaded into your online application.
• Non-refundable application fee of $75 for each program to which an applicant applies

The electronic submission of application materials helps expedite the review of an application.

There is no page limit or word count on the writing sample. You may submit your undergraduate term paper, similar academic scholarship, or other writing you have done for school that showcases your ability to write graduate-level work.

In a writing sample, you should present your ideas clearly, and demonstrate your analytical ability. It can be an excerpt of a master's thesis, an article or other published manuscript, a policy brief, or a piece of an academic paper you have written. If you are submitting a published paper where you are not the first author, describe your contribution to the publication.

The online application requires applicants to upload a scanned copy of their official transcripts/diplomas in English. International applicants must send transcripts and diplomas in one combined PDF. You may upload your unofficial transcripts to your application.

Upon admission by the Graduate School, a hard copy of the official transcript(s), coming directly from the applicant’s respective institutions (in a sealed envelope) or an electronic copy sent directly from the Graduate School institution, will be required for enrollment.

Transcripts can be mailed to:

University of Maryland
Enrollment Service Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
Room 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, Maryland 20742

We will only accept official test scores sent directly by the testing agencies. When you request scores to be sent to the University of Maryland, College Park use the following institutional code: 5814

Applicants will be assessed a non-refundable $75 application processing fee for each program to which they apply.  You are responsible for paying this fee whether or not you are offered admission or choose to enroll. You must pay your application fee online.  Your application will not be processed until you pay your application fee and the payment is authorized.

Please click here https://www.gradschool.umd.edu/feewaiverinformation for fee waiver eligibility.  In addition, you may be eligible for a fee waiver using the BTAA FreeApp.

If the Department favorably recommends the application, this decision is sent to the Graduate School. The Graduate School, in turn, notifies the applicant of admission and asks for acknowledgment of acceptance. If the applicant is not favorably recommended for graduate study by the Department, then the Graduate School notifies the applicant of the decision. 

Typically, admission decisions are issued in late Feb/early March of the following year. We will send an offer letter of admission by email.

To check the status of your application to the University of Maryland, please go to gradapply.umd.edu. 

Yes.  If you wish to reapply, you must submit a new application and application fee. If you would like to update any other supporting materials, please do so. 

For more information, please visit https://billpay.umd.edu/GraduateTuition.

The program consists of 30 credits. Please note that tuition fees are always subject to change.

1. Criminological Theory Development & Testing
2. Criminal Justice Policy & Practice
3. Emergent Issues in Crime & Justice
4. Statistical Methods & Data Analysis

Please see more information on our areas of specialization.