2007-2008 Academic Catalog

Getting started at UAF


Applying for Admission: Bachelor’s Degree Programs

When to Apply

Freshman and transfer applications for admission to a bachelor’s degree program are due on July 1 for fall semester and Nov. 1 for spring semester.

High school students should apply 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 before the beginning of the semester in which they plan to enroll.

How to Apply

To apply to a baccalaureate degree program, request an application from the Office of Admissions or apply online via the UAF website at www.uaf.edu/admissions/. For more information contact 1-800-478-1823. Before your application is complete, the Office of Admissions must receive:

  • Application for Admission
    Submit your application must be received before the published application deadlines, along with a $40 non-refundable application fee.
  • Transcripts
    High school transcripts--Applicants with fewer than 30 semester credit hours of college credits must submit official high school transcripts.
    College transcripts--Applicants who have attended other postsecondary institutions must arrange for those institutions to send official college or university transcripts to UAF. Transcripts must come in sealed envelopes from each institution attended.
    International--International applicants must present an evaluation of all required academic documents compiled by an independent academic credential evaluation provider. UAF requires that all applicants use World Education Services for this service. Applications for this evaluation may be obtained from the WES website at www.wes.org. WES requires a fee from the applicant for processing applications. Please make note of the following:
    • Credentials from Canadian institutions are exempt from this requirement; they may be sent directly to UAF from the issuing institution.
    • You do not need to have any documents sent from your international institution to UAF. Your documents will go to WES, and UAF will receive a copy of the original documents along with the evaluation.
    • You must request the Comprehensive Course-by-Course Report of your credentials.
    • Undergraduate students seeking to transfer credits to UAF must send course descriptions or course catalogs (in English) directly to the UAF Office of Admissions.
  • Test Results
    Freshman and transfer applicants with fewer than 30 semester credit hours must submit the results of either the ACT (preferred) or the SAT examination. 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 or SAT. COMPASS, ASSET or other placement tests do not satisfy this requirement.
  • International Students
    See Special Instructions for International Students for additional information.

Admission Requirements

For admission to baccalaureate level programs, you must:

  1. have a high school diploma*, AND
  2. have an overall high school grade point average (GPA) of a C grade (2.0) or higher, AND
  3. meet high school core curriculum requirements in Table 1, AND
  4. have a core curriculum GPA of 2.5, AND
  5. submit results of the ACT (preferred) or SAT taken within the last two years.

Admission to a specific baccalaureate degree program is based on a combination of your high school GPA and completion of specific high school courses. See Table 1 on the next page for entrance requirements to specific colleges and schools within the university. You must complete, with a minimum GPA of 2.5, a high school core curriculum of at least 16 academic units in English, college preparatory mathematics, social sciences, natural sciences and foreign languages. 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 (preferred) or SAT must be received before you can be admitted, and test results must be less than two years old. This requirement will be waived if you have successfully completed, with a grade of "C" or better within the last two years, the equivalent of 3 credits each of 100-level math and English composition from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.

*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.

High School Entrance Credit Requirements for all Bachelor’s Degree Programs
  English Math Social Sciences Natural/Physical Sciences
High School Core Curriculum--Required for all freshmen; 2.50 GPA in core; 16 cr total, which must include:
  4 cr 3 cr in college preparatory mathematics (selected from Algebra I, II, geometry, trigonometry, elementary functions, precalculus or calculus) 3 cr 3 cr (includes 1 cr lab science course in biology, chemistry or physics)
College of Engineering and Mines--Mining and Petroleum Engineering majors
4 cr Algebra-2 cr; Geometry-1 cr;
Trigonometry-1/2 cr
3 cr Physics or Chemistry-1 cr; Natural Sciences-1 cr
College of Engineering and Mines--All other majors
4 cr Algebra-2 cr; Geometry-1 cr;
Trigonometry-1/2 cr
3 cr Chemistry-1 cr; Physics-1 cr; Elective-1 cr
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences--All majors
4 cr Algebra-2 cr; Geometry-1 cr;
Trigonometry-1/2 cr
3 cr Physics or Chemistry-1 cr; Biology or Elective-1 cr
College of Liberal Arts--All majors
4 cr Same as high school core curriculum 3 cr Same as high school core curriculum
School of Management--All majors (two years foreign language highly recommended)
4 cr Algebra-2 cr; Geometry-1 cr;
Trigonometry-1/2 cr
3 cr Physics or Chemistry-1 cr; Natural Sciences-1 cr
School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences--All majors
4 cr Algebra-2 cr; Geometry-1 cr;
Trigonometry-1/2 cr
3 cr Physics or Chemistry-1 cr; Biology or Elective-1 cr
College of Natural Science and Mathematics--Applied Statistics, Computer Science or Mathematics majors
4 cr Algebra-2 cr; Geometry-1 cr;
Trigonometry-1/2 cr; Advanced Math-1/2 cr
3 cr Natural Sciences-2 cr; Physics or Chemistry-1 cr
College of Natural Science and Mathematics--All other majors
4 cr Algebra-2 cr; Geometry-1 cr;
Trigonometry-1/2 cr
3 cr Physics or Chemistry-1 cr; Biology or Elective-1 cr
College of Rural and Community Development--All majors
3 cr Same as high school core curriculum 3 cr Same as high school core curriculum

Pre-Major

If you do not meet the minimum requirements for admission to a baccalaureate degree program, you may be admitted to pre-major status within the department of your choice.

You may later be admitted to a baccalaureate degree program if you are in good standing and have completed 14 credits at the 100-level or above with a C grade average (2.0) or higher, of which 9 credits must satisfy general baccalaureate degree requirements.

General Studies

Students accepted to baccalaureate-level programs who do not select a major will be considered general studies students. This program is administered by the assistant provost for general studies. General studies students with 75 or more earned credits are required to declare a major prior to registration.

Transfer Students

A transfer student is defined as someone coming into the university with at least 30 transferable semester credits. You are eligible for admission to a baccalaureate program if you have a 2.0 GPA in your previous course work and left your previous institutions in good standing. 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’ll be admitted to the program. If you’re transferring into a baccalaureate degree program with fewer than 30 semester hours of transferable credit, you must also meet the freshman admission requirements listed in A through E above. Admission status for students who have attended an unaccredited postsecondary institution will be determined on an individual basis. See "Undergraduate Transfer Credits" for more information on transferring credits.

Probational Acceptance

Freshman and transfer applicants may be admitted with probationary status if their cumulative or most recent term grade point average is marginal (1.85 to 1.99) at the discretion of the Office of Admissions.

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

Conditional and Final Acceptance

Once the Office of Admissions receives and evaluates application materials, UAF will mail a letter of acceptance to qualified applicants. This letter will list any conditions under which the student is being admitted. Qualified applicants who are in their last year of high school or who are attending another college will receive conditional acceptance. Acceptance becomes final when the Office of Admissions receives official transcripts showing the student has satisfactorily completed all work in progress and that high school seniors have graduated. Acceptance to UAF is final only when the Office of Admissions has accepted all necessary credentials.

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. You need to notify the Office of Admissions if you are attending another school outside the University of Alaska Statewide System.

Applying for a Second Bachelor’s Degree

A student who has already earned a bachelor’s degree at another institution and wants to complete a second bachelor’s degree must apply for admission as an undergraduate transfer student. Upon official acceptance to a UAF undergraduate degree program, a student who earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution will be considered to have completed the equivalent of the UAF baccalaureate core.

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.

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