M.S. Admission Requirements

If you're ready to pursue your graduate degree in rehabilitation counseling, you don’t have to wait. We accept applications and supplemental materials for the fall, spring and summer semesters.

Application Deadlines

To be assured consideration for admission to the master’s degree program in Rehabilitation Counseling, prospective students must submit completed application materials to the Graduate School by the stated application deadline. Applications will continue to be reviewed until the program reaches capacity.

  • Summer admission - February 1
  • Fall admission - February 1
  • Spring admission -September 1

Admissions Checklist

  • Graduate school application
  • Unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions
    • Official transcripts are required once you are admitted
  • Personal goals statement
    • The specific reasons you wish to pursue the graduate program in rehabilitation counseling at NIU
    • Your career goals and how earning a degree in rehabilitation counseling relates to those career goals
    • Steps you have taken or will take to make sure your academic performance in our program is exemplary
  • Two letters of recommendation

After the deadline, the rehabilitation counseling admissions committee will select qualified applicants to participate in pre-admission interviews. Committee members will look for your ability to demonstrate:

  • Relevance of career goals/commitment to working with people with disabilities
  • Aptitude for graduate-level study
  • Potential success in forming effective counseling relationships
  • Respect for cultural difference
  • Openness to self-examination/willingness to take constructive feedback
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