1997-98 UAF Catalog

Undergraduate


Admission Requirements

Freshman

To qualify for admission as a freshman, you must meet one of the following:

Associate Degree

For admission to associate degree programs, you must be at least 18 years old or have earned a high-school diploma or successfully completed the GED examination.

If you're an associate degree or certificate student in good standing with a high-school diploma or its equivalent and later wish to enter a baccalaureate degree program, you may be admitted after earning, with a "C" average, 14 credits at the 100 level or above, of which nine credits must satisfy general baccalaureate degree requirements.

Baccalaureate Degree (Bachelor's Degree)

  1. For admission to a baccalaureate degree program, you must have graduated from high school with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 ("C") or higher. Your admission to a specific baccalaureate degree program is based on a combination of your high-school grade point average and your completion of specific high-school courses.

    In addition, you must complete, with a minimum grade point average of 2.5, a high-school core curriculum of at least 16 academic units. The units must include 4 credits in English, 3 credits in college preparatory mathematics (selected from Algebra I, II, geometry, trigonometry, elementary functions, precalculus or calculus), 3 credits in social sciences and 3 in natural or physical sciences (including at least one laboratory course in biology, chemistry or physics). Two years of study in a non-English language are strongly recommended.

    Test results from the ACT or SAT must be received before you can be admitted.
  2. If you've graduated from high school with a satisfactory GPA but don't meet minimum entrance requirements for the baccalaureate degree, you may be accepted with deficiencies provided you make up the deficiencies by earning at least a "C" grade in each of the appropriate developmental or university courses and complete 9 credits of general baccalaureate degree requirements with a grade of "C" or higher in each course.
  3. If you haven't graduated from high school, are 18 years of age or older, if you completed high school by passing the GED test or its equivalent or if you do not meet admission requirements, you may be considered for unrestricted admission to a baccalaureate degree program on a case-by-case basis. You will need to provide for review supporting evidence of your academic ability, including test results from either the ACT or SAT examinations.

Transfer Students

If you're an applicant who has attended other accredited institutions, you are eligible for admission if you have a 2.0 GPA in your previous college work and an honorable dismissal from previous schools. If you're applying to a technical or scientific program, you may need to present a higher grade average and proof that you've completed appropriate background courses before you will be admitted to the program. If you're transferring in with fewer than 30 semester hours of transferable credit, you must also have a high-school GPA of 2.0 or higher and must complete the ACT or SAT before registering. If you have attended an unaccredited postsecondary institution, your admission status will be determined on an individual basis.

International Students

If you're an international student or a recent immigrant to the United States, additional admission requirements apply to you:

  1. English Language Proficiency Policy: In addition to meeting regular admission requirements, you must be able to read, write and speak English well enough to successfully complete your program.
    TOEFL Test Requirements
    1. If you're from a country where English is not the native language, you must present a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). You can't use any other proof of English competency (such as English credits from other schools).
    2. If you're a permanent resident on an immigrant visa, a TOEFL score is required if all your formal education is from a country where English is not the primary language, or when the documents presented for admission don't clearly indicate your proficiency in English.
    3. You must present a TOEFL score of at least 550.
  2. Other Requirements
    1. When preparing the I-20 form that is necessary to obtain an F-1 (student) visa, the university must certify to the Immigration and Naturalization Service that you have been accepted for full-time enrollment and that you have funds to meet estimated expenses for one academic year. If you're in the U.S. on an F-1 visa, you must maintain a full-time course load; you may not enroll as a part-time student (less than 12 credits per semester).
    2. You must sign a statement and provide documentation that funds are available to pay all expenses while you attend UAF, as well as the amount needed for round-trip transportation between your home and Alaska. The minimum cost for attending UAF for one school year is $15,000. This amount covers university fees, room and board on campus and a reasonable amount of personal expenses. It does not include transportation to and from Alaska, summer living or cold weather clothing costs. Since the application for the F-1 visa requires affirmation that you don't intend to live in the United States permanently, you aren't eligible for resident tuition fees.
    3. Your application should reach the Office of Admissions by March 1 for the fall semester or October 1 for the spring semester. Your application must be completed and accepted by August 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester in order to allow time for your I-20 form to be issued. You can't reserve on-campus housing until your application for admission has been accepted. If you're interested in single student housing, you should file your application materials at least eight months before you plan to enroll.

Readmission of Former Degree-Seeking Students

As an undergraduate degree student, if you don't enroll for a semester or more, or if you enroll through the non-degree student registration process, you need to notify the Office of Admissions in advance when you plan to resume studies in your degree program.

If you left UAF in good standing, haven't enrolled in an institution outside of the University of Alaska system, and haven't been absent more than two years, you must request readmission and an update of your degree status before you register. No processing fee is required if your readmission update is received by Aug. 1 for the fall semester and Dec. 1 for the spring semester. Requests for readmission received after these dates must be accompanied by a $35 fee and will be processed if time permits.

If you were on probation at UAF or were enrolled in an institution outside the UA system or if it's been more than two years since you were last enrolled in your degree program at UAF, you will need to submit the regular undergraduate application for admission form, pay the $35 processing fee and submit official transcripts from any colleges or universities you attended since you last enrolled at UAF.

If you're a UAF graduate and are seeking to enter a second undergraduate degree program, you must submit an undergraduate application for admission. If you're a UAF associate or certificate student and you wish to enter a bachelor's degree program, you will have to submit an application for admission.

Non-Degree Students

If you wish to attend UAF, but not as a degree student, you must be a high-school graduate or at least 18 years old. As a "non-degree student," you are subject to the placement examination requirements for freshman courses. You must maintain a 2.0 GPA to remain in good standing. You won't be considered a degree candidate until you've met regular admission requirements and filed transcripts. As a non-degree student you aren't eligible for financial aid or priority registration.

High-school Students

If you're a qualified high-school student, you may enroll in one or two UAF courses while you're still in high school. To enroll, you must present written approval from your high-school counselor or principal and your parents, and an official transcript indicating a satisfactory GPA in your high-school work. If you're a high-school senior with a GPA of at least 2.5, you may register for two courses for a maximum of six credits. If your GPA is between 2.0 and 2.5, you may register for one course each semester. If you're a junior with a GPA of at least 2.75, you may register for one course each semester. If you're an academically exceptional freshman or sophomore high-school student, you may register for one course each semester with the approval of the director of admissions. You must submit all of the documents listed above. You may continue to take UAF courses as long as your high school and college grades are satisfactory and you have permission from your high-school principal or counselor and from your parents each time you enroll. Students in elementary, junior high or middle school are not eligible to register for UAF classes.

Students with Bachelor's Degrees

If you hold a bachelor's degree but have not defined or declared your graduate program, you may enroll as a non-degree student. You're in this category if you are:

  1. Planning to take "interest courses."
  2. Strengthening your preparation in order to be admitted to graduate study.
  3. A transient student expecting to be at UAF only briefly.
  4. Awaiting action on applications for graduate status.

Second Bachelor's Degree Programs -- If you wish to complete a second bachelor's degree, you must apply for admission as an undergraduate transfer student.

Academic Bankruptcy for Returning Students

If you performed at an academic level that made you ineligible to continue your studies at UAF and dropped out or were dismissed from school, academic bankruptcy can offer you a new undergraduate start.

You may apply for readmission on the basis that your prior academic record be disregarded. You begin your college study again with no credits attempted, no credits earned and no quality points reflected in subsequent grade point average calculations. You may use academic bankruptcy only once. You may request academic bankruptcy for records from present UAF units that were not part of UAF prior to fall 1987.

To declare academic bankruptcy, you must submit an Application for Academic Bankruptcy form. Before applying for admission on this basis, at least two years must have elapsed since the end of the last full-time semester you attended. Academic bankruptcy application forms are available at the Admissions or Registrar's offices.

Your prior academic record remains a part of your overall academic record and appears on your transcript, but none of the credits you earned previously can be used in your new program. The only time these credits will be included, however, is in GPA computations for graduation with honors (See "Graduation with Honors"). You may be allowed advanced standing or a waiver of requirements just as any nonbankrupt student, but you won't be allowed credit by examination for courses lost in bankruptcy.

High-School Entrance Credit Requirements for all Bachelor's Degree Programs

English Math Social Science Natural/Phys. Sci.

High-School Core Credits:

Required for all freshmen (2.50 GPA in core-16 credit total) 4 3 in college prep-aratory math-ematics (selected from Algebra I, II, geometry, trigonometry, elementary functions, precalculus or calculus) 3 3 (includes 1 cr. lab science course in biology, chemistry or physics)

College of Liberal Arts:

Physical Educ. majors 4 Algebra-2
Elective-1­3 (selected from math core above)
3 Biology-1
Physics or Chemistry-1
Elective-1
All other majors Liberal Arts Same as entrance core

College of Rural Alaska:

All majors Same as entrance core

College of Science, Engineering and Mathematics:

Applied Statistics, Computer Science or Mathematics majors 4 Algebra-2 Geometry-1 Trig.-1/2
Adv Math-1/2
3 Nat. Sci.-2
Physics or Chemistry-1
All other majors 4 Algebra-2 Geometry-1 Trig.-1/2 3 Physics or Chemistry-1
Biology or Elective-2

School of Agriculture and Land Resources Management:

Land Resources Mgt. majors 4 Algebra-2
Geometry-1
Trig.-1/2
3 Physics or Chemistry-1
Biology or Elective-2
School of Engineering:
All majors 4 Algebra-2 Geometry-1 Trig.-1/2 3 Chemistry-1
Physics-1
Elective-1

School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences:

All majors 4 Algebra-2 Geometry-1 Trig.-1/2 3 Physics or Chemistry-1
Biology and/or Elective-2

School of Management:

All majors (two years foreign language highly recommended) 4 Algebra-2 Geometry-1 Trig-1/2 3 Physics or Chemistry-1
Nat. Sci.-2

School of Mineral Engineering:

All majors 4 Algebra-2 Geometry-1 Trig-1/2 3 Physics or Chemistry-1
Nat. Sci.-2