What is Eligibility Criteria

First, Let's try to understand, what are the eligibility criteria and then your eligibility status for study abroad/ admission. The eligibility criteria are a well-defined set of requirements with specifications, defined by the university or its selection committee. The relevant academic background, performance level and language competency are always part of the eligibility criteria for all master's programs. For better understanding, we have divided the eligibility criteria into four major categories (3 defined and 1 undefined).

1. Academic eligibility criteria- Academic eligibility criteria refer to the specific educational qualifications and requirements that individuals must meet to be considered eligible for a particular academic program. There are mainly 4 different subcriteria under this
2. 1. Relevant academic background - The university always requires an undergraduate degree program/ diploma in a relevant subject such as a 3-4 years bachelor's in agriculture, agronomy, horticulture forestry etc.
   2. Performance level/ GPA – University also has the minimum GPA requirements/ performance level in a bachelor's degree to be eligible for a program.  Example - A bachelor's degree in agriculture/ agronomy/ crop science with 2.5/4.0 (7.5/10) or a better grade is required for successful application in the Master in Crop Science program at the University of Hohenheim. Thus the university ask for the name of the degree program and obtained a grade point to collect the eligibility details in the application form and academic documents like transcripts and bachelor's degree certificate for later verification purposes.
   3. Degree status - Some programs also accept applications with pursuing bachelor's degree status, however, some only accept those with awarded degree status.  Example – An applicant must have accomplished the degree program to apply for Horticultural Science at the Humboldt University of Berlin on the other hand Crop Science program at the University of Hohenheim allows 4th-year students to apply with 6 or 7 semesters mark sheets.
   4. Specific knowledge or prerequisite modules – Some program asks for the presence of specific modules with obtained credit points in that. For example, the master's program in Agriculture Economics requires 20-30 credit points in economics and statistics.
   5. Document proof – However the university thoroughly examines the transcript and degree certificate in the suitability stage (a stage after the eligibility status check and only applicable to eligible candidates), but if an applicant does not send the all required documents, then he/she will be considered not-eligible despite he/she is fulfilling the above mentioned all criteria because there is no way to verify the shared information.

Important – The academic eligibility criteria are a good indicator of your knowledge regarding the subject and one of the most important eligibility criteria, so it is strongly advised to work hard during the bachelor's degree tenure and secure high-grade points.

2.  Language eligibility criteria - The language of instruction in renowned public universities is English (mostly), so, one must be proficient in English communication to accomplish the program.

1. 1. Performance/ competency level - The required level of language competencies varies from university to university and program to program. It is recommended to achieve 6.5 band at least with not less than 6.0 in any module.
   2. Document proof - The university collects the acquired English proficiency level information from the applicant in the application form and asks for an official certificate of IELTS, TOEFL or other for verification purposes. Most programs require the official language certificate during the application, however, some programs have a grace period of 30 - 40 days.  It is always good to start preparing in advance so you can appear for the official test in time.

3. Professional experience in the relevant sector – In many programs, having a professional experience in relevant fields is considered mandatory to understand and accomplish the master's program, so universities consider experienced candidates to be eligible for application. For example, the MLA program requires a minimum of 2 years of work experience in the relevant sector.

1. 1. Relevant work experience – University clearly states what engagement types and works are considered relevant. One must have relevant work experience in such a case to be eligible.
   2. Duration – The university also mentions the minimum required period in this case. It can be 6 months, or 1 year or more.
   3. Document proof – The official document for issuing authority on their letterhead is mandatory to verify the professional work experience of the applicant.

4. Other Criteria -  The eligibility criteria are not limited to Academic, language and professional only, but there are some criteria which universities use for eligibility purposes. It is always better to check the program-specific eligibility criteria such as the requirement of APS, WES, GRE, GMAT and others.

Anyone who fulfils all eligibility criteria for at least one program will be considered eligible to study master's abroad.

To know the program-specific eligibility, we need to check the program-specific criteria and examine the profile for it.

Why Eligibility Criteria

Identifying the competent students - Every prestigious institute only wants to offer the study place to competent students, who can complete the master's program successfully, and so these eligibility criteria are used as a predictive indicator for selecting competent students. If a student fulfils the eligibility then he/she is competent enough to accomplish the degree program.

Efficient utilization of time and other resources of the University - This Eligibility criterion has clear definitions of requirements with the specification that serves as a tool and helps the university to differentiate the eligible and not-eligible candidates without spending significant time, energy and resources. The university will only allow the eligible candidates for a suitability status check (the next step that is taken by the selection committee to carefully examine the application of eligible candidates only) to take final decisions.

Efficient utilization of time and other resources of student/ applicant - The informed students always use the eligibility criteria before deciding on the documentation and application for a program, so this helps students in saving time, energy and resources.

There are two important points, I wish to mention here –

1. Being eligible does not mean that you will be offered the place, it only ensures that your application will be reviewed for suitability (next step after the eligibility status check).

2. Maintain high-grade points, it is a good indicator to reflect your interest in academics.