MARA Application Procedures
Application Procedures — MARA
Before completing the Cal State Apply application, visit the State Authorization for Distance Education page to search for applicant eligibility information for residents of the state where you reside.
Please be sure to complete all 3 steps.
- Complete the university’s Cal State Apply application. Note: Non-US citizens do not use the “International Admissions Application;” they use the Special Session ”Graduate Admissions Application” in Cal State Apply. Before completing the Cal State Apply application, read the following – and then apply for Fall 2025: at this URL.
- Apply to “San José State University Graduate.”
- On the Cal State Apply screen “Select the Program,” choose: Source > Extended Education “Masters in Archives and Records Administration MARA (Special Session)”
-
A GRE, work experience, academic references, academic honors, and a statement of purpose are not necessary. In the boxes provided on the form, leave these boxes blank. For the “Statement of Purpose” box, only type in the words “not applicable.”
- When you click the “Submit” button, the application is electronically submitted to the SJSU Office of Graduate Admissions and Program Evaluation (GAPE). Be sure to print out the “Confirmation” web page for future reference.
- Application URL
- Pay the CSU application fee of $70. Payment of the CSU application fee will be accepted by credit card or PayPal only. The payment must be made in order to submit your Cal State Apply university application.
- Do not send transcripts before you submit your application. If your degree is from the United States or Canada, send official transcripts for your degree(s) and for all work from previous and current colleges or universities. If you attended SJSU, you do not send your SJSU transcript.
There are two options for sending transcripts: (1) by mail, (2) electronically
(1) By mail. Send officially sealed transcripts to:
Graduate Admissions & Evaluations
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0017
(Use of any other zip code will cause misdirection and/or loss of transcripts)2) Electronically, send directly by the Institution’s Registrar to the email: etranscript@sjsu.edu
If your school of record has partnered with any of the following vendors, the institution should send the transcripts to SJSU Admissions directly. If the vendor needs an email address, use: etranscript@sjsu.edu
Credentials, Inc. or E-scripsafe
Credential SolutionsXAP
SPEEDE
WES
JST
Parchment
National Student Clearinghouse
CAS Liaison
SJSU alumni who apply to an iSchool graduate or certificate program: If you earned your master’s degree at SJSU and your SJSU graduate degree is older than one year, you will be required to send another set of undergraduate transcripts to the Graduate Admissions office by the provisional deadline for applicant documents. Contact the Graduate Admissions office at grad-admissions@sjsu.edu for the provisional document deadline for the semester you are applying.
If you attended a university outside the United States or Canada, you must submit your transcripts to WES. The Graduate Admissions office requires that all international applicants (except Canada) provide a WES evaluation of their transcripts, according to the SJSU GAPE office specifications. Do not send your transcripts to the address above. The university also accepts ACEI or ECE.
English Language Proficiency / International Documents
English Language Proficiency / International Documents: GAPE now accepts the online IELTS Indicator – same test and scores, just taken online from home. Look for the School of Information scores, under University Required English Language Proficiency (ELP) Exams
Please read the financial aid information page and then visit SJSU’s Seven Steps to Financial Aid to learn about the FAFSA application process and timelines. In order for financial aid to be available in your first semester, you must complete your financial aid application 3-4 months before the semester begins.