Certificate or Associate Degree Program
Freshman and transfer applications for admission to certificate or associate degree programs are due no later than August 1 for the fall semester, or December 1 for the spring semester.
High school seniors should apply for admission during the first semester of their senior year and provide a listing of course work in progress. Transfer students should apply at least three to four months prior to the beginning of the semester in which they plan to enroll.
To apply to a certificate or associate degree program, request an application from the Office of Admissions. Apply online via the UAF website at www.uaf.edu/admissions or at http://alaska.edu/uaonline. Before your application is complete, the Office of Admissions must receive:
- Application for Admission
Your application must be received, along with a $40 non-refundable application fee, before the published application deadlines. - Transcripts
Applicants to certificate and associate degree programs aren’t required to submit high school or college transcripts but are strongly encouraged to do so. - Test Results
Certificate and associate degree applicants with fewer than 30 semester credit hours who apply to a certificate or associate degree program requiring English or mathematics course work must submit the results of the ACT (preferred), SAT, ASSET or COMPASS test. Test results must be less than two years old.
Contact the UAF testing office at (907) 474-5277 or your high school for information concerning the ACT, SAT, ASSET or COMPASS tests. - International Students
See Special Instructions for International Students for additional information.
For admission to associate/certificate programs, you must:
- be at least 18 years old, or
- have a high school diploma*, or
- have a Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED).
*To earn a high school diploma in Alaska, you must fulfill all curriculum requirements and satisfactorily complete all three competency areas of the High School Qualifying Exam.
If you are under the age of 18 and do not have a high school diploma or GED, you are not admissable but may take courses as a non-degree student. Upon turning 18, you may reapply for admission to an associate or certificate level program.
If you have attended other accredited institutions, you are eligible for admission if you have left your previous insitutution(s) in good standing. If you’re transferring with fewer than 30 semester hours of transferable credit, you must submit placement scores from the ACT (preferred), SAT or COMPASS tests. Test results must be less than two years old. If you have attended an unaccredited postsecondary institution, your admission status will be determined on an individual basis.
Anyone who wishes to attend classes at UAF as a non-degree student must be a high school graduate or at least 18 years old. Non-degree students are subject to placement examination requirements for freshman courses, and they must maintain a 2.0 GPA to remain in good standing. Any non-degree student who wishes to be considered a degree candidate must meet regular admission requirements and submit transcripts. Non-degree students are not eligible for financial aid or priority registration.
Many people who enroll as non-degree students hold a bachelor’s degree but have not applied to a graduate program. This category may include students who plan to take "interest courses,” those who wish to prepare for admission to a graduate program, and those who expect to stay at UAF only briefly. It’s important for potential graduate students to understand that credits earned as a non-degree student might not be accepted for use toward a graduate degree program. Please see the transfer credit section of How to Earn a Graduate Degree.
UAF offers three opportunities for secondary students to enroll in university classes: secondary student enrollment, the AHEAD program, and TECH PREP. For information on these programs please contact your high school guidance counselor, your local rural campus, or the UAF admissions office via telephone (907) 474-7500 or (800) 478-1823, or online at www.uaf.edu/admissions/.
- Secondary Student Enrollment
The secondary student enrollment process allows secondary students to register for UAF classes. A student meeting course prerequisites may enroll in university courses with permission of the instructor.
Secondary students must consult their appropriate school district officials and school counselors prior to registration for approval if they wish to use university courses to meet high school graduation requirements.
Registering for courses at UAF establishes a permanent academic record that will reflect student academic performance in all courses attempted. Grades and credits earned as a high school student at UAF become part of some future calculations of GPA.
Note: Enrollment in UAF courses as a secondary student does not constitute formal admission to the university for the purposes of earning a certificate or degree.
- AHEAD Program
The Alaska Higher Education Admission Decision (AHEAD) program allows qualified high school students to be formally admitted to UAF. AHEAD students are assigned an academic advisor and are given priority registration. The AHEAD program is for high school students who have completed three-fourths of their high school core curriculum and have a 2.5 GPA or higher. You may pick up an AHEAD program application and a UAF undergraduate application for admission from your high school counseling office, or from the UAF Office of Admissions.
- TECH PREP Opportunities
The TECH PREP program allows students to earn credits toward a UAF certificate or associate degree by completing classes in high school that have been approved for college credit by UAF. The classes available for credit vary from school to school, but in general, they are taken from the following areas: automotive and diesel mechanics; airframe and powerplant; human services; computer information office systems; office management and technology; allied health; drafting; accounting; emergency medical services; and welding.
For more information, contact your high school counselor or Tanana Valley Campus student assistance at (907) 455-2851.
If you’re a qualified applicant, a letter of acceptance will be mailed to you once the above items are received and evaluated.
- Conditional acceptance — Your letter of acceptance will list any conditions under which you are being admitted.
- Final acceptance — Your acceptance to UAF is final only when all your credentials have been accepted by the Office of Admissions.
Your offer of admission is valid for the semester for which you applied. If you’re unable to attend in the semester for which you’re admitted, you’ll need to contact the Office of Admissions to request a later term. If you don’t attend another school outside the University of Alaska Statewide System, you may postpone your enrollment for a maximum of one calendar year.
Readmission of Former Degree-seeking Students
If you’re an undergraduate degree student and you choose not to enroll for a semester or more, you may be eligible to re-enroll in your degree program without reapplying for admission. You remain eligible to register for classes in your degree program if:
- you have not been academically disqualified,
- you have not attended a non-UA institution since you were last enrolled at UAF,
- your lapse in enrollment is less than two years, and
- you’re continuing with the same degree program as before.
If you meet all the above requirements, you need only consult with your advisor and register for classes. If you do not meet all these requirements, you will need to submit a regular undergraduate application for admission along with the $40 processing fee and transcripts of any non-UA course work taken.
Fresh Start for Returning Students
Fresh Start can offer a new beginning for students who performed poorly at UAF. Those who withdrew from school or were dismissed for academic reasons may apply for readmission by disregarding their entire prior academic record. Those who apply on this basis begin their college study anew with no credits attempted or earned, and no quality points reflected in future grade point average calculations. Fresh Start may be used only once.
Fresh Start application forms are available at the Office of Admissions or the Registrar’s office. Admission on this basis requires that at least two years have elapsed since the end of the last semester the applicant attended UAF full time.
Prior academic records remain part of the student’s overall academic record and appear on transcripts, but none of the credits earned previously can be used in a new program. These credits will be included only in GPA computations for graduation with honors (see Graduation with Honors). A student admitted under Fresh Start may be allowed advanced standing or a waiver of requirements just as any other student, but will not be allowed credit by exam for courses lost in Fresh Start.