The CATESOL Journal

Many graduate TESOL programs grapple with whether to admit applicants who fall short of meeting established admission criteria yet who show promise as future TESOL professionals. This study examined key characteristics affecting the success of candidates admitted conditionally to graduate TESOL programs. Participants were 21 students who had been admitted conditionally to master’s-level TESOL programs at 2 faith-based universities. Correlations between several independent variables and success in those programs were studied. Experience abroad and holding a teaching certification had the highest positive correlations with academic success as measured by GPA in the 1st semester of course work. Previous ESL teaching experience had a respectable, yet smaller, correlation. All of these variables had higher correlations than undergraduate GPA. These findings suggest that considering undergraduate GPA in isolation is unlikely to result in informed decisions about conditional admits in graduate TESOL programs as there are many other factors that predict TESOL candidates’ success.