Day 1 CPT Schools Without Essays or Recommendation Letters: A Breakdown of Application Requirements

For many international students, preparing personal statements and recommendation letters when applying to graduate or doctoral programs is a major challenge. Especially when you have to prepare application materials after work, it can be even more stressful. Recommendation letters are particularly troublesome because finding suitable recommenders often takes time and effort. Recommenders generally need to have a sufficient understanding of your academic or work background, such as professors, advisors, or supervisors, so that the letters they write are persuasive. To ensure that recommenders can better support your application, you usually need to contact them in advance, provide background information, and explain your strengths. This preliminary work often takes several weeks, especially when recommenders need to write letters for multiple schools. Therefore, planning this process in advance is crucial to avoid affecting application progress due to insufficient preparation.

However, some Day 1 CPT schools have simplified the application process by waiving the most troublesome essay and recommendation letter requirements. Below are introductions to some schools and programs that do not require essays or recommendation letters, or that may waive these requirements under specific circumstances.

1. Schools That Do Not Require Essays or Recommendation Letters for All Programs

The following schools do not require essays or recommendation letters for all CPT programs, making them the 6 schools with the simplest application process:

• Westcliff University

• California Institute of Advanced Management (CIAM)

• Tennessee Wesleyan University

• McDaniel College

• New England College

• Humphreys University

The graduate and doctoral programs at these schools all offer CPT options and do not require submission of essays or recommendation letters.

2. Programs That Waive Essays and Recommendation Letters for U.S. Degree Holders

Some schools offer flexible application policies for students who hold U.S. degrees, allowing them to waive the submission of essays and recommendation letters. They are:

• Harrisburg University: All programs at this school waive the essay and recommendation letter requirements for students holding U.S. degrees.

• Ottawa University: The EMBA (Executive Master of Business Administration) program waives the essay requirement but still requires submission of recommendation letters.

• Saint Peter's University: The Business Analytics and Data Analytics programs waive the essay and recommendation letter requirements for students holding U.S. degrees.

For students who have already obtained a U.S. degree, applying to these 3 schools is also very simple.

3. Schools That Require Essays

There are 5 schools that require submission of essays:

• Sofia University

• Monroe University

• North Carolina Wesleyan University

• National Louis University

• Texas Wesleyan University

Among them, Sofia University requires an essay of more than 750 words, while Monroe University and National Louis University require more than 500 words.

4. Schools That Require Recommendation Letters

Finally, the following 3 schools require recommendation letters in the application:

• Ottawa University: Requires submission of three recommendation letters.

• Monroe University: Requires submission of two recommendation letters.

• National Louis University: Requires submission of two recommendation letters.

The following school does not require recommendation letters, but applicants must provide recommenders' contact information in the application materials; if the applicant's GPA is too low, the school will contact the recommenders listed in the application to learn about the applicant's strengths.

• North Carolina Wesleyan University: Requires submission of two recommenders.

Overall, Sofia University requires an essay, and Ottawa University requires 3 recommendation letters. Monroe University and National Louis University, however, require applicants to prepare both an essay and recommendation letters during the application process.