Applying for Admission: Certificate or Associate Degree Programs
Freshman and transfer applications for admission to certificate or associate degree programs are due no later than July 1 for the fall semester, or Nov. 1 for the spring semester.
High school seniors are encouraged to 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.
You may apply to a certificate or associate degree program online at www.uaf.edu/admissions/. You can also apply by printing an application from the above website or requesting an application from the Office of Admissions. Before your application can be reviewed, the Office of Admissions must receive:
- Application for Admission
Your application must be received before the published deadlines, along with a $40 nonrefundable fee. - Transcripts
Most applicants to certificate and associate degree programs are not required to submit high school or college transcripts but all are strongly encouraged to do so. Transfer students who want to receive credit for prior work must submit official transcripts. - Test Results
Certificate and associate degree applicants with fewer than 30 semester credit hours must submit the results of the ACT (preferred), SAT, ACCUPLACER or ASSET 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 ACCUPLACER tests. - International Students
See Special Instructions for International Students for additional information.
For admission to associate/certificate programs, you must show official documentation:
- that you are at least 18 years old, or
- have a high school diploma*, or
- have a General Educational Development (GED) diploma.
* 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 will not have a high school diploma or GED prior to the start of your first semester, you are not admissible but may take courses as a non-degree student. Upon turning 18, you may apply for admission to an associate or certificate level program.
If you have attended other accredited institutions, you are eligible for admission if you left your previous institution(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, ACCUPLACER or ASSET 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 Transferring Credits for more information.
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.
- 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. To qualify, students must have completed three-fourths of their high school core curriculum and have a 3.0 GPA or higher. Students who wish to apply for the AHEAD program may pick up a program application and a UAF undergraduate application for admission from their high school counseling office, or from the UAF Office of Admissions. The AHEAD application should be submitted with the UAF application.
Home-schooled students who have gone through a state-recognized program and have a valid high school diploma may be admitted to a certificate or associate program following regular UAF admission standards. See admission requirements above for additional information.
Home-schooled students who have not gone through a state-recognized program may be admitted to a certificate or associate program by one of two paths:
- The General Educational Development (GED) test.
Submit your GED scores to the campus to which you are applying, or - Via the ability to benefit.
Ability to benefit is determined by taking the appropriate assessment test (ACCUPLACER or ASSET). Scores from either the GED or the ability to benefit test will be used to determine your admission.
If you're a qualified applicant, a letter of acceptance will be mailed to you once all 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 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 are required to notify the Office of Admissions if you are attending 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. Students who withdrew from school or were dismissed for academic reasons may apply for readmission and request that their entire prior academic record be disregarded. Students who qualify for Fresh Start will begin their college study anew with no credits attempted or earned, and no quality points reflected in future GPA calculations. Fresh Start can be used only once.
At least two years must have elapsed since the beginning of the last semester the applicant attended UAF. The applicant may be asked to present evidence that the conditions which resulted in poor academic performance have changed enough so there is a reasonable expectation that the student can perform satisfactorily if permitted to resume college study.
All prior course work will remain part of the 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. - Readmission of Servicemembers
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 requires that students who left school to serve in the uniformed services be readmitted into the same program with the same standing they had when they left. UAF allows for special readmission of these students. More information is available at www.uaf.edu/admissions/undergrad/military/.
Office of Admissions
University of Alaska Fairbanks
215 Signers' Hall
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