Applying for Admission: Graduate Degree Programs
Applicants should apply to a graduate degree program six to nine months before the beginning of the semester in which they plan to enroll. Most departments require much earlier submission of credentials for graduate study. Contact the prospective department for specific deadlines; the number of students accepted is limited.
At the latest, applications for graduate admission with all supporting documentation, transcripts and test scores must be received by June 1 for the fall semester and Oct. 15 for the spring semester. Earlier deadlines apply for international applicants.
Graduate students are strongly encouraged to apply early. Applications received near deadline will be processed as time permits or may be considered for the following semester.
Apply online at www.uaf.edu/admissions/. Application forms may also be printed from the above website or requested from the Office of Admissions and the Registrar. Before an application can be reviewed, the student must:
- Apply for admission
Applications must be received before the published deadlines, along with a $60 nonrefundable processing fee. The fee should be paid by check, credit card or money order in U.S. funds to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Please do not send cash. - Submit official transcripts
The Office of Admissions and the Registrar requires official transcripts of all college-level course work. To be considered official, transcripts must arrive in sealed envelopes from each institution attended.
Transcripts for International Applicants
International applicants must submit official transcripts showing that a bachelor's degree has been or will be earned, and must submit certified English translations of transcripts of all college-level course work to the Office of Admissions and the Registrar. - Submit official test results
Results of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are required from applicants to most graduate programs. Some programs also require GRE subject exams. MBA program applicants are required to submit scores from the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Refer to the admission requirements of your prospective degree program to determine which tests are required. Results of the GRE are required for all students whose cumulative undergraduate GPA is below a B (3.0) average regardless of the departmental requirement. - Submit resume/curriculum vitae
Include work and research experience, publications, patents, honors, professional and civic memberships, and foreign travel. - Submit statement of academic goals
Write a statement indicating why study is desired in a particular program. Include qualifications and educational experience. (For applicants to education programs, a four-to-five-page self-evaluation essay is required.) - Submit three letters of recommendation
Send at least three letters of recommendation from people able to vouch for the applicant's academic work, character and ability to undertake graduate study and research.
Additional Application Information
- Master of Fine Arts Applicants
Master of fine arts applicants must submit writing samples when applying for admission to the creative writing program. An art portfolio (usually slides) must be submitted when applying to the program in art. - Interdisciplinary Applicants
Submit a Proposed Graduate Study Plan (available for download at www.uaf.edu/inds/) and a comprehensive research proposal. Applicants must also obtain commitment from UAF faculty members to serve as an advisory committee. Contact the Graduate School for specific interdisciplinary procedures. - International Students
See Applying for Admission: International Students for additional information. - Students in Western Regional Graduate Programs
Students from Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming may be eligible for resident tuition through the Western Regional Graduate Program/Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WRGP/WICHE). This program is for students pursuing a graduate degree in clinical-community psychology, justice, northern studies or rural development. For more information about this program, contact the Graduate School at 907-474-7464, uaf-grad-school@alaska.edu, or online at www.uaf.edu/gradsch/. Students with questions may also contact the WICHE Student Exchange Program at P.O. Box 9752, Boulder, CO 80301-9752, 303-541-0210, or online at http://wrgp.wiche.edu.
In general, applicants may be admitted to a graduate program if they have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with at least a 3.0 (B) cumulative undergraduate GPA and a 3.0 (B) GPA in your major. Equivalent accomplishments at a foreign university may be substituted. The undergraduate major should provide suitable preparation for continuation of studies in the field of choice. Some programs require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and other special criteria for admission.
For the purposes of admission to graduate study, all grades, including those generated from retaking a course, are included in calculating GPA.
If an applicant meets the minimum requirements for the university, the Office of Admissions and the Registrar sends the complete application to the academic department. Program heads and/or committees in fields of interest will determine the adequacy of the student's preparation and whether or not departmental facilities are sufficient for their aims.
Information on specific degree programs is available from academic departments or by contacting the Graduate School at 907-474-7464, uaf-grad-school@alaska.edu, or online at www.uaf.edu/gradsch/.
Qualified applicants can be accepted for admission while enrolled in their last semester at another college. Acceptance is conditional, however, pending receipt of the final transcript indicating satisfactory completion of work in progress and the completion of graduation requirements prior to enrollment at UAF.
Final acceptance to UAF is complete only when the Office of Admissions and the Registrar receives and accepts all credentials.
An offer of admission to UAF is valid for the semester for which the applicant applied. Requests to postpone admission until a later semester may be made in writing to the Office of Admissions and the Registrar. Admission may be postponed for up to one calendar year with the approval of the academic department and the dean of the graduate school. Students are required to notify the Office of Admissions and the Registrar if they are attending another school outside the University of Alaska Statewide System.
All graduate student requests to postpone are subject to approval by the department to which the student is applying.
Office of Admissions and the Registrar
University of Alaska Fairbanks
First Floor, Signers' Hall
P.O. Box 757480
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7480
Email: uaf-admissions@alaska.edu
Online: www.uaf.edu/admissions/
Telephone: 907-474-7500
Toll-free: 800-478-1823
Fax: 907-474-7097
Graduate School
University of Alaska Fairbanks
202 Eielson Building
PO Box 757560
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7560
Email: uaf-grad-school@alaska.edu
Online: www.uaf.edu/gradsch/
Telephone: 907-474-7464