Application Instructions

To be considered for admissions to the College of General Studies please complete the following steps.

Complete our free non-degree student application 

The application is available online here. Your application cannot be submitted until all required questions are completed, all required documents are uploaded, and the application is signed. Incomplete or inaccurate information will delay the processing of your application.

Here are the application materials you will need to gather before applying:

Transcripts (Mandatory):

  • All applicants must submit college transcripts with their application.
    • If you attended Pitt, you will not need to submit a Pitt transcript as part of your application.
    • University of Pittsburgh faculty and Pitt staff with a University of Pittsburgh degree do not have to supply prior transcripts with their application.
  • If you are a certificate applicant with no college experience, official high school transcripts are required.
  • Electronic copies of transcripts must be uploaded prior to submitting an application. Please request an electronic copy of your transcript from your school and upload it to your application as a PDF file. Scanned PDF or JPEG files of paper transcripts are also acceptable as long as they are readable – documents that are not clearly legible will not be accepted and must be resubmitted. Grade reports, advising transcripts, or academic progress reports will not be accepted in lieu of a transcript. If you have any questions about file uploads, please call 412-624-6600 or email cgs@pitt.edu.

Please note that academic departments may request a copy of your transcript to verify that prerequisites have been met. Please maintain a copy of your transcript for your records.

Personal Essay (Optional):

The Personal Essay is not required. Certificate applicants are encouraged to complete the personal essay only if they do not meet the admissions criteria for the College of General Studies.  Post baccalaureate and Summer/Guest students do not need to complete a personal essay.

Admission Timeline

Admission is rolling, but please submit your application at least 2 weeks prior to the start of classes, as after this time we cannot guarantee a processing date before the start of a term. Term start and end dates can be found on the University’s Academic Calendar. Please note that depending on volume, applications may take from 2-4 weeks for processing.

View Academic Calendar