Prospective graduate students
Welcome from the director
We hope you will join us as a graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. As a graduate student, you will advance our understanding of our diverse and complex world.
Our graduate students often choose UAF based on a fascination with Alaska and its diverse peoples. They also often want to work with particular faculty members and programs. Students draw on the social and natural richness of our location to address complex issues. They thereby contribute to the cultural, economic and social well-being of communities in the North and around the world. Whether you choose arts, business, education, engineering, humanities, indigenous studies, interdisciplinary studies, or social and natural sciences, you will find a sense of adventure and exploration here that is hard to match. UAF grad students learn lessons, gain perspectives and make contributions that establish a foundation for their future endeavors, wherever their lives take them.
Our mission at the Graduate School is to maintain and improve the quality of graduate education at UAF and to enrich the academic, professional and social experience of our graduate students, all with a commitment to inclusion and innovation.
Pursuing a graduate degree can appear daunting, but, as part of the broader university community, the Graduate School is here to help you on your academic journey.
Please feel free to contact us with your questions and concerns — that’s why we’re here.
— Richard Collins, Ph.D., Graduate School and Interdisciplinary Studies director
Why become a UAF grad student?
At the University of Alaska Fairbanks, you have access to the resources of a major research university with the personal support and sense of community you would find at a smaller institution. Whether your passion is anthropology, climate change, environment, energy, fisheries, geophysics, or Indigenous knowledge, UAF offers you the opportunity to work with leading faculty scholars and answer questions of importance to Alaskans and the world. For information about applying, please contact us at uaf-grad-admissions@alaska.edu.
Interdisciplinary studies
The UAF interdisciplinary studies program provides a pathway for students who have goals and interests that draw on multiple disciplines and do not fit into a single program offered by the university. The graduate interdisciplinary studies program is administered by the Graduate School, while the undergraduate interdisciplinary studies program is administered by General Studies.
How to apply to a graduate or interdisciplinary program at UAF
Before you apply
Admission to our graduate programs is competitive. Before applying, please research your program of interest (faculty, course requirements and admissions protocols). Research potential faculty advisors with interests that match your own and inquire of their availability to advise and mentor you. We encourage you to read and study recent publications from those faculty members and to contact them directly. Students can be supported with either a graduate teaching assistantship provided by a department/program or a research assistantship provided by a faculty member through a funded grant or contract. Students seeking support should discuss this with the department, program and/or faculty member directly. For more information, please reach out to uaf-grad-admissions@alaska.edu.
Accreditation
The University of Alaska Fairbanks was founded in 1917 and has been continuously accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU—formerly the Commission on Colleges of the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges) since 1934. NWCCU is one of six accrediting associations for institutions of higher education recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
