Certificate or Associate Degree Programs

When to Apply

Freshman and transfer applications for admission to certificate or associate degree programs are due no later than Aug. 1 for the fall semester, or Dec. 1 for the spring semester.

High school seniors should apply for admission during the first semester of their senior year and provide a list 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.

How to Apply

To apply to a certificate or associate degree program, request an application from the Office of Admissions or apply online via the UAF website at www.uaf.edu/admissions/. Before your application is complete, the Office of Admissions must receive:

  • Application for Admission
    Submit your application before the published application deadlines, along with a $40 non-refundable application fee.
  • 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. These test scores are used to help place the student in English, mathematics and other freshman courses. Contact Testing Services 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.

Admission Requirements

For admission to associate/certificate programs, you must:

  1. be at least 18 years old, or
  2. have a high school diploma*, or
  3. 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 admissible but may take courses as a non-degree student. Upon turning 18, you may reapply for admission to an associate or certificate level program.

Transfer Students

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. See "Undergraduate Transfer Credits" on page 30 for more information on transferring credits.

High School Students

High school students may take classes at UAF. One program, Alaska Higher Education Admission Decision (AHEAD), requires formal admittance to UAF. The other two enrollment options, Secondary Student Enrollment and TECH PREP, have specific requirements but do not call for admission to UAF. See the Registration section for description of non-admission opportunities.

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.

After Acceptance

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.

Request To Postpone

Your offer of admission to UAF is valid for the semester for which you applied. If you want to postpone your admission until a later semester, you may request permission from the Office of Admissions. Your enrollment may be postponed for up to one calendar year as long as you do not attend another school outside the University of Alaska Statewide System.

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 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 when enrolled at least two years ago. 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 GPA calculations. Fresh Start may be used only once.

Fresh Start application forms are available at the Office of Admissions. 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 a student's overall academic record and appear on transcripts, but none of the previously earned credits 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.

Where to Get More Information

Office of Admissions
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Signers' Hall, Room 215
P.O. Box 757480
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7480
E-mail: uaf-admissions@alaska.edu
Online: www.uaf.edu/admissions/
Telephone: (907) 474-7500
Toll-free: 1-800-478-1823