Please contact us at criminologydept [at] umd.edu if you have any questions.

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

We are be accepting Fall 2025 applications in late August 2024.    Please contact us at criminologydept [at] umd.edu if you have any questions.

The University of Maryland's Graduate School accepts applications through the TerpEngage Graduate Admissions System.

Before completing the application, applicants are asked to check the Graduate School for specific instructions https://gradschool.umd.edu/behavioralsocial-sciences/crim.

General instructions for completing the UMD Graduate Application are available in the Graduate School’s Step-By-Step Guide to Applying. 

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

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.

The University of Maryland Graduate School waives application fees to eligible students in participating programs. Please visit the following page for more information: https://www.gradschool.umd.edu/feewaiverinformation. 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. 

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 to 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 you feel reflects your scholarly potential.

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test is required for our MA and Ph.D. programs.

All required official test scores must be sent directly to the Graduate School from the testing agencies.  Instructions on how to send scores to the Graduate School may be found here: https://gradschool.umd.edu/admissions/faqs/scores.  To determine if you need to send a test score, please check the required items for this application on the portal home page.  Please also refer to the Graduate School's English Language Proficiency Requirements.

We strongly recommend that applicants make arrangements to take these examinations at least one month prior to the application deadline. Scores more than two years old will not be accepted.

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

GRE scores must be less than five years old to be considered official.

No, we do not have an online Ph.D. program at this time; our program is entirely in-person. 

  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.