Graduate College extends GRE, GMAT waiver

Alejandra Yañez  | THE RIDER

The UTRGV Graduate College has extended its waiver for the GRE and GMAT test requirements to all applicants until Summer 2021, in response to the closing of test centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Students have taken advantage because, as you know, one of the major issues for many students is finding the time to study for the test,” said Parwinder Grewal, executive vice president of research in graduate studies and new programs and dean of the Graduate College. “People are also worried about getting exposed to the virus, so we thought it would be fair for all students if we do not require the GRE and GMAT for this year.”

The waiver of the Graduate Record Exam and the Graduate Management Admission Test may be extended into Fall 2021, according to Grewal.

“This initiative began because of COVID-19,” he said. “In many places the test centers were closed, so the students could not take their tests. That is the main reason we waived the tests for our students at least for one year.”

Application fees to most graduate programs have been voided since 2018 and the Graduate College plans to continue to make this incentive available for students. 

However, there are some exceptions, such as professional programs for a physician assistant, which have limited seating and, therefore, require an application fee.

“Nationally, the accreditation bodies only allot us so many spots, so in those programs we will continue to have the application fee, but for all other programs … we will continue to waive the application fee,” Grewal said. 

The college continues to provide rolling admission, which allows students to apply at any time throughout the year and be admitted to the nearest semester. 

Asked what scholarships are available to incoming graduates, Grewal replied,“Right now we still continue to have the Presidential Graduate Research Assistantship, the PGRA. We also have some for the new programs. Once we start a new program, we generally have new scholarships for students who are the first to enter that program.”

Accelerated programs have become popular with students who are working or cannot come to campus, Grewal said.

 These programs are offered fully online in an accelerated format and are broken down into seven-week modules. 

“In each seven-week module, students can complete two courses,” Grewal said. “So, in a semester’s time, students can complete four courses instead of normally completing three.”

Since 2015, enrollment for Accelerated Online Programs has increased by 250%, according to Grewal.

Accelerated Online Programs offered:

—Master of Science in Kinesiology

—Master of Business Administration with a Specialization in Business Analytics

—M.B.A. with a Specialization in Accounting

—M.B.A. with a Specialization in Marketing

—M.B.A. with a Specialization Entrepreneurship

—Master of Education in Teacher Leadership Online

—M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Content Specialization in English

—M.Ed. in C&I with a Content Specialization in Mathematics

—User Experience and User Interface Design UX/UI Graduate Certificate

—International Sustainability Management Graduate Certificate

—Advanced Business Administration Graduate Certificate

—Entrepreneurship Graduate Certificate

—Master of Science in Social Work-63 Hours

—Online Instructional Designer Graduate Certificate

—M.S. in Criminal Justice

—M.S. in Health Sciences with a concentration Health Professions Education and Technology

—M.S. in Business Analytics

Traditional programs offered:

—M.S. in Applied Statistics and Data Science

—Bilingual Counseling Graduate Certificate 

—M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

—M.S. in Political Science

Students interested in applying to graduate school can find information at utrgv.edu/graduate or by joining a free monthly live webinar and registering to learn more about program admission requirements, financial aid, scholarships and much more.

“This is the best time for students to enter in graduate programs because of the economic situation that we are in and also, with the pandemic, people just need to stay focused and they can complete their degrees now so that as soon as we open they will be ready to find that job,” Grewal said.