How To Apply

• Create your application portal account (preferred browsers are Google Chrome or Firefox)
• Select and add the program Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
• Complete all required application questions.

(Visit the GradCAS Applicant Help Center for questions about the application portal)

Personal Statement

• Upload personal statement via the application portal.
• The statement should be no longer than a total of 5 double-spaced pages. You should address the following questions:
  • What significant cultural experiences have most influenced your present development and your desire to be a couple and family therapist?
  • What are your professional career goals after completing your degree?
  • What are your strengths that will help you achieve your professional goals?
  • What do you consider to be areas for personal growth that may need the most attention during your training as a therapist at PLU?

Recommendations

• Identify two references on your application.
  (For applicants who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program or are recent graduates, at least one academic recommendation is encouraged.)
• Your references will receive an email invitation from gradcasinfo@liaisoncas.com with instructions for completing the reference electronically.
• If your recommenders need assistance, please visit the Letters by Liaison Help Center.

Resume

Upload resume via the application portal that includes your:

• Employment history
• Significant academic, professional and community achievements
• Honors and awards

Application Fee

• Pay the nonrefundable $55 application fee.

(Note: If you need to submit additional documents after submitting the online application, you can email them to gradadmission@plu.edu)

Official Transcripts

• Official transcripts must be sent to GradCAS by the schools you attended, either through one of the approved electronic transcript services, or directly from your school in a sealed school’s envelope to the mailing address listed below.
• If you attended a school or earned your degree outside of the United States, you need to obtain a course-by-course US equivalency report from the World Education Services (WES). This report should then be sent directly to GradCAS from the evaluation service along with the official transcripts which they receive from your schools.
• PLU current students and graduates do not need to submit PLU transcripts.
• Read more instructions about Sending Official Transcripts to GradCAS.

Sending Transcripts Electronically

• GradCAS only accepts electronic transcripts from Parchment and National Student Clearinghouse. If your school does not offer either of these services, your transcript must be sent by mail. GradCAS cannot accept transcripts sent via email.
• When selecting the recipient, choose Educational organization, and then select GradCAS.
• Include your full GradCAS ID number when entering the GradCAS mailing address.
• See GradCAS instructions for sending electronic transcripts

Sending Transcripts by Mail

Download and print the Transcript Request Form under each school you listed in the College Attended section of your application. Send the Transcript Request Form to your school.

Your registrar should mail your paper transcript to the following address:

GradCAS Transcript Processing Center
P.O. Box 9217
Watertown, MA 02471

In addition to the documents listed in the above sections, international applicants also submit the following materials:

• Credential Evaluation – If you attended a school or earned your degree outside of the United States, you are required to submit your coursework to World Education Services (WES) for a course-by-course US equivalency report. This report should then be sent directly to GradCAS from WES along with the official transcripts sent by the schools. Visit World Education Services (WES) website to follow its instructions and arrange for your documents to be delivered to WES. We recommend the ICAP package when you select services on the WES website.
• English translation is also required if the documents are in a language other than English. The translation must be provided by a university, government official, organization, or a certified translation service, example: American Translators Association.
• Proof of English proficiency (see details for the Proficiency in the English Language requirement for graduate admission)
  • IELTS or TOEFL Minimum TOEFL-iBT score of 80 or minimum IELTS score of 6.5.
  • TOFEL scores must be mailed to PLU directly from the testing institution. The institution code for PLU is 4597.
  • We can accept a copy of an IELTS score report as we can verify with the testing agency.

In order to be sent a form I-20, admitted international students must:

• Pay the enrollment deposit
• Submit a Passport picture page
• Submit the Declaration of Finance form and Proof of financial support dated within 12 months.

Once the applications are reviewed, candidates advancing to the next stage of review will be invited to an interview appointment.

Interviews are held in group settings either in person or virtually. Each session is about four hours long. During the interview, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the MFT program, meet with the faculty both in small groups and also individually.

Interview invitation will be sent out in mid-February through end of March via email.

If you or your recommenders have any questions or technical problems with the online application portal and recommendation process, status, navigation, missing credentials, etc., please visit the GradCAS Applicant Help Center.