

William & Mary Admissions Requirements
As you prepare your application for William & Mary’s Online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counseling, know that admissions outreach advisors are always on standby, ready to assist you to answer your questions, clarify admissions requirements and review the materials needed. We also encourage you to check out our step-by-step How to Apply guide, which walks you through the process of applying through our online portal.
William & Mary is proud to accept applicants of various academic backgrounds, and all applications are reviewed holistically. With this in mind, our baseline requirement is that all applicants have a completed bachelor’s degree (or equivalent); in conjunction with this, we recommend a GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).
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Full Application Requirements
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Additional Requirements for International Students
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Preparing Your Personal Essay
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Admissions Timeline
Full Application Requirements
When you are ready to begin the application process, we ask that you be prepared to submit the following:
- Completed online application
- Application fee of $50
- If you are an honorably discharged or active duty service member; Fullbright or McNair Scholar; or AmeriCorps or PeaceCorps participant, speak with an Admissions Outreach Advisor about determining your eligibility for an application fee waiver.
- Transcripts from all institutions attended: Unofficial is accepted during the review process. Official transcript is required upon matriculation.
- 3 academic or professional letters of recommendation
- Personal essay
- Resume detailing full employment history
Additional Requirements for International Students
During the application process, students applying as non-U.S. citizens must present proof that they have successfully passed either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with a minimum score of 100 on the internet version (or comparable, if test is not taken online), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, with a minimum score of 7.0.
Preparing Your Personal Essay
Your personal essay is an important means of sharing with us the reasons why you are drawn to counseling and what career aspirations you intend to pursue following successful completion of the Online M.Ed. in Counseling program. These pieces are usually two to three pages in length and can be submitted electronically with the online application.
As you begin to outline and compose your essay using the following guiding questions, please think about your career aspirations, past academic, professional and volunteer experience, leadership potential, collaborative skills and propensity to engage in reflective practice: Guiding questions:
- What has led you to become interested in becoming a counselor?
- Why are you interested in pursuing your counselor education at William & Mary?
- How will your graduate degree in Counseling at William & Mary help you achieve your career goals?
- What strengths would you bring to your graduate studies at William & Mary?
- What do you think would be the greatest challenge(s) for you in your graduate studies at William & Mary? How would you address the challenge(s)?
If you have any questions regarding the composition of your personal essay, we encourage you to contact your admissions outreach advisor for clarification of expectations and requirements.
Admissions Timeline
In addition to our How to Apply guide, we have created a sample timeline to guide you through the application process. While your personal timeline may differ, we encourage you to reference the sample timeline below to keep track of important William & Mary admissions milestones and plan for how much time you should expect to spend on each task.
DAILY TASKS | |
Day 1 | |
Request Official Transcripts | 30 min |
Request Letters of Recommendation | 45 min |
Update Resume/CV | 30 min |
Day 2 | |
Complete FAFSA | 60 min |
Day 3 | |
Submit your application* | 15min |
*You can submit your application prior to William & Mary receiving your official transcripts, official GRE scores, or letters of recommendation; however, you must provide contact details for three recommenders, your resume, personal statement, unofficial transcripts, and unofficial GRE scores by the final application deadline.
Meet Your Admissions Outreach Advisor: John Monitnola

Video Transcript
Hello, my name is John Monitnola, and I advise on behalf of the online programs. Thank you for your interest.
Furthering your education is a big decision, and you may not know what questions to ask.
Whether you're just researching or ready to move forward with the application process, I'm here to help to determine if this is the right fit for you.
When you have a few minutes, I'm happy to review some important details, answer your questions, and most importantly, learn more about you to determine if you're a competitive candidate for the school. I'd love to connect.
Please schedule a time to talk per the link in my email correspondence, via the website, or simply respond to this message to coordinate a convenient appointment time for you.
Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Email: counselingonline@wm.edu
Toll Free: (866) 870-6966
Local: (757) 903-0072 (ext. 850)
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- Retrieved on January 10, 2018, from bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/substance-abuse-behavioral-disorder-and-mental-health-counselors.html