Department of Personal Financial Planning

Admissions

Admission to the doctoral program is very competitive and based on a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's application package. Due to the limited number of spots available per yearly cohort, applicants must submit all required materials on, or before, the December 1st deadline. In addition, top candidates must be available for a brief virtual interview. Students officially begin the program during the summer semester with their first on-campus session.

Admission Criteria

Applicants must possess an undergraduate and graduate degree from a recognized and accredited institution.

Applicants must demonstrate the potential for graduate study as reflected by transcripts and GRE/GMAT scores. Undergraduate grade point average should be a 3.0 (B) or better. In some cases, a 2.65 will be permissible if the last 60 hours of study were at least a 3.0. A cumulative GPA of 3.0, or higher, is expected for all graduate level work. GRE/GMAT scores dated within five years of the time of application are required for admission without exception.

When reviewing your application, we also take the following into consideration:

  • career objective and potential to contribute to the academic field
  • extent to which the doctoral program matches your academic objectives
  • research interest fit with faculty
  • potential for graduate study as reflected by
  • commitment to participation in required summer 10-day residency courses in Manhattan, Kansas for first three years of study, OR desire to complete degree with full-time study in Manhattan, KS (also requires 10-day summer residency courses)
  • commitment to attend professional and academic association meetings
  • commitment to other program milestones

Once you have submitted the required application materials, program faculty and committee members will review your credentials. Upon recommendation for admission, your materials will be forwarded to the Graduate School, which checks the completeness of your application, reviews your official transcripts, and verifies that you have or will soon have a valid degree from an accredited institution.

Application Process

  1. Submit an application for admission to the Kansas State University Graduate School for: Health and Human Sciences - PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING
  2. Submit a domestic application fee of $65 or international application fee of $75. Applying to the wrong program will require an additional application fee of $65
  3. In addition to the degree-granting institutions, unofficial transcripts from every college where credit was received must be uploaded. Upon admission, an official copy of each must also be sent directly to the Graduate School (submission instructions to be provided)
  4. Upload your official GRE/GMAT scores to the application portal.
  5. Provide three letters of recommendation from current or former faculty, colleagues, or other professionals who are non-family members; your references will be contacted by CollegeNet via email as you complete the process. An accompanying letter may be uploaded by references while completing the recommendation form online
  6. Upload resume or curriculum vitae
  7. Upload personal statement and research statement as one file under Statement of Objectives. These statements are considered your "writing sample" . For more information, review the statement guidelines provided above under Admission criteria

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure all application materials, including references, have been submitted on or before the final application deadline. Any missing application materials will render an application void and ineligible for review.

For questions, please contact us at: pfp@k-state.edu

Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA to avoid dismissal from the doctoral program. For additional K-State Graduate School information, please visit the Graduate School web site.

If your application is complete by the deadline, the program committee will act on your request for admission to the program and will contact you about their decision. You may receive one of three decisions:

  1. full admission
  2. conditional admission subject to resolving deficiencies
  3. admission denied

Note: Applicants to the K-State Graduate School must have a bachelor's degree substantially the same as the ones granted by K-State. These degrees regularly contain a broad range of courses representing the basic academic disciplines. In addition, a major portion of the courses included should be graded by a multilevel system, usually A, B, C, D, F.

Final Application Deadline

The application deadline is December 1st to begin the program the following Summer.