We encourage you to attend an information session. Attendance is not required to apply for our program. Write to us at [email protected].

To submit a successful application for admission, you need to provide the following:

• Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Describe an education-oriented problem you have solved, or problem you would like to solve. What steps did you take, or could be taken, to identify, design, and implement a solution? In addition, how did or would you successfully communicate that information to influence the outcome?
  • Two double-spaced pages is considered a good length. Set document margins to one-inch and verify that any tables fit within the margins.
• Personal Statement
  • We welcome applicants with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Paint a vivid picture of a real-world scenario from your professional or academic experience where you found yourself yearning for the skills you hope to gain from this program at the Marsal Family School of Education.
  • Two double-spaced pages is considered a good length. Set document margins to one-inch and verify that any tables fit within the margins.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Résumé
  • Your curriculum vitae or résumé should describe your education, work experience, research publications, teaching experience, professional activities, volunteer activities, community engagement, honors and awards.
• Letter of Recommendation
  • A completed application requires one letter of recommendation from an individual who is familiar with your academic or professional performance.
  • Register your recommender's name and contact information on the online application so that they will be sent instructions for submitting their letter via the application system. Let your recommender know that they need to upload a letter and that it is required by the program.
  • As soon as you click “save” on the page of the application where your recommender’s contact information is entered, they will receive an email with instructions for completing the process. Proceed to this point in the application process as soon as possible to trigger that email.
• Transcripts
  • Upload unofficial transcripts to the application.
  • Admitted students will be required to send official transcripts to the Marsal School.
  • Read the full details on Step 6.
• Test Scores
  • English proficiency scores for non-native speakers of English only.
  • GRE test scores are not required for admission.
  • Read the full details on Step 7.

Create an ApplyWeb account, managed by Marsal Online.

• This program, unlike all of the other Marsal Family School of Education’s graduate programs, is not administered through the University of Michigan Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. However, Marsal Online students can benefit from many of the resources available to Rackham graduate students.

Complete the ApplyWeb application.

• You will be issued an UMID number, via email, within 5 business days of submitting the ApplyWeb application.
• Current and former U-M Ann Arbor students, alumni and employees: You will not be issued a new UMID number.
• If your personal information has changed (e.g., legal name, gender), make sure the personal information you submit with your application matches your previous Ann Arbor campus record. If your previous Ann Arbor campus record does not display your current personal information, contact the Registrar’s Office (current students) or the Shared Services Center (former students, alumni, and current U-M Ann Arbor employees) to change your personal information before you apply.

• Upload the following documents to the ApplyWeb application:
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Personal Statement
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Résumé
• Include at the top left of each document:
  • The type of document (Academic Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement, or Curriculum Vitae or Résumé)
  • Your name
  • M.A. in Leading Educational Innovation and Transformation
  • Your 8 digit U-M ID (if known)
  • Make sure margins are at least one-inch so nothing is cropped when you upload the documents to the application.

• Upload an electronic version of your unofficial transcript(s) for each Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, or Doctoral degree earned or in progress through your ApplyWeb application account.
• Do not upload academic records printed from your school’s website or student portal.
• You are not required to send official transcripts at the time of application. If you are admitted to the program, the Marsal School will require official transcripts. Admitted applicants will receive an email notification when the official transcripts are required.

• English Proficiency Requirements
  • Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency. One way to do so is to meet one of the criteria for an exemption listed below.
    • You are a native speaker of English.
    • You are an applicant from Puerto Rico.
    • You completed all of your undergraduate education and earned an undergraduate degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English only. Undergraduate degree requirements must be completed before the start of classes at U-M.
    • You completed all of your graduate education and earned a graduate degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English only. Graduate degree requirements must be completed before the start of classes at U-M.
    • You are a current U-M student.
  • Applicants who do not meet the English proficiency exemption:
    • A one year graduate degree.
    • If you completed a Master’s degree that was strictly research and no academic classes. This type of Master’s degree is generally awarded at a non-U.S. institution.
  • If an applicant does not meet one of the criteria below, they may be required by the graduate program to submit language test scores.
• TOEFL, IELTS, MET, or ECPE scores.
  • For non-native speakers of English only.
  • Valid 2 years from test date (example: 12/15/2024 scores are valid until 12/15/2026).
  • The official scores must be received from the testing agency no later than the graduate program application deadline.
    Photocopies and/or faxes of English proficiency scores will not be accepted.
• GRE Test Scores
  • GRE test scores are not required for admission, but scores (valid 5 years from test date) can be included with your application.
  • Provide ETS with the U-M Institutional Code of 1839 and your scores will be sent directly to the university.
  • Test scores must be sent directly from the testing center to the Marsal Family School of Education. We recommend starting this process early as it can take up to two weeks for the scores to be received.
  • View the minimum test scores required for admission to the online degree program.

• Check the status of your letter of recommendation, change the recommender, or resend the notification email to your recommender using the ApplyWeb Activity Page.
• Please reach out to [email protected] if there are any questions regarding the submission of the letter of recommendation.

• To check on your application status, create a U-M Friend Account. U-M Ann Arbor students, alumni, and employees can view their application status in Wolverine Access.

• If you have been accepted, congratulations! The admissions letter includes detailed instructions to accept or decline the offer of admission.