Admission Requirements

All Applicants

Admission is granted jointly by the Graduate School and the Department of Mathematics. The Department of Mathematics recommends admission to the Graduate School, and the Graduate School checks that minimum requirements have been met and makes the final decision on the admissions.

Minimum requirements for admission to graduate programs in mathematics set by the Graduate School. These requirements apply to PhD and MS programs in Mathematics:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a foreign institution. (Note that an MS is not required for application to the PhD program in Mathematics.)
• A grade point average of at least 3.00 (“A”= 4.0) on all undergraduate work (or last half-degree requirement) and a 3.00 GPA or better on any graduate work already completed. International applicants must have at least a 3.00 GPA, or equivalent, on all college-level work attempted.
• Acceptance by the Department of Mathematics.

Submitting an application. Please see the Application Instructions link for detailed information.

• All submissions to the Mathematics PhD program received by January 15 will be considered for admission for the Fall of the same year.
• Only unofficial transcripts and english proficiency exams (if applicable) are required for submission of an application. Official transcripts are only required of students who are accepted to LSU and accept to study at LSU.
• GRE scores are not required for admission.
• It is not necessary to secure an advisor prior to submission or admission.

International Applicants

Please check the LSU Graduate School's website for current information on International Admissions.

English Proficiency

An applicant whose native language is not English and/or who has been educated outside of the U.S. in a country or province where English is not the only official language must demonstrate proof of English proficiency by submitting either a TOEFL or an IELTS or PTE score before the application is evaluated for admission.

Applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS/PTE requirement if they have completed one of the following:

• a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution or
• a college-level degree showing the completion of post-secondary education in a country where English is the primary official language.

TOEFL

On the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the following minimum scores are required for admission:

• 550 (paper-based exam)
• 213 (computer-based exam)
• 79 (internet-based exam)

IELTS

On the IELTS (International English Language Testing Service), the following minimum score is required for admission:

• 6.5

PTE

On the PTE (Pearson’s Test of English) the following minimum score is required for admission:

• 59