All students intending to pursue a graduate certificate or degree must apply for admission. A link to the electronic Application for Graduate Admissions is available from the Office of Admissions website.
Admission Requirements for Graduate Degrees and Certificates
To qualify for admission to the Graduate School, a student must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an institutionally accredited institution in the United States or a foreign equivalent. Students who expect to receive their baccalaureate degree within two semesters may also apply for graduate admission. Admission is granted to applicants who have received their baccalaureate degree and whose credentials indicate an ability to pursue graduate work. Applicants must either have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 (B average on a 4.00 scale) or meet the GPA requirements of the specific graduate program to which they are applying.
All students applying to the Graduate School for master's programs must submit official transcripts showing completion and conferral of all baccalaureate degrees and any transcripts reflecting graduate-level courses. Students applying to doctoral programs who have a previous master's degree must submit a transcript for that degree. Students applying to doctoral programs directly from an undergraduate degree must submit transcripts showing conferral of the baccalaureate degree. (Exception: Students do not need to request transcripts from any University of Alaska campus.) All U.S. and English Canadian official transcripts and credentials must be submitted by the issuing institution directly to the UAA Office of Admissions. All final non-U.S. and French Canadian transcripts must be translated and evaluated using World Education Services (WES) Basic Course-by-Course Evaluation.
Individual graduate programs may also require additional transcripts and/or specific entrance examinations such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). See individual program requirements for details.
Applicants whose native language is not English or whose baccalaureate degree was conferred by an institution where English was not the language of instruction must also submit official test score reports from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Score reports must be sent directly from the testing agency to the UAA Office of Admissions. Student score reports are not accepted. See International Graduate Students below for more information.
Applications accompanied by appropriate fees, official transcripts and required test scores (if any) must be submitted to the Office of Admissions. All of these materials become the property of UAA and are only released or copied for use within the University of Alaska system. Once all required transcripts and test scores have been received, the Office of Admissions will forward each student’s admission packet to the dean or department chair or designee for consideration.
Admissions are undertaken by individual graduate programs, then reviewed and approved by the Graduate School. Each graduate program has individual admission standards and document requirements. Additional information such as goal statements, letters of recommendation, research proposals, writing samples and/or personal interviews may be required by specific programs. These materials must be submitted directly to the Office of Admissions and will be forwarded to the individual programs. At the time of admission, students will be assigned an advisor (see Graduate Advisor). All admitted graduate students are expected to attend a formal orientation by their program before the beginning of their first semester of study.
Deadlines for submission of materials vary by program. For programs with rolling (ongoing) admissions, in order to ensure consideration for all financial aid opportunities, it is strongly recommended that eligible students submit:
- For fall admission: all required application forms no later than June 15, and all other required application materials by August 1;
- For spring admission: all required application forms no later than November 1, and all other required application materials by December 1.
Application and Admission Status Definitions
Application Status
- Incomplete Application: An incomplete application is one that is not accompanied by all required documents; generally an application is considered incomplete until all required official transcripts and test scores have been received.
- Pending Application: A pending application has met university requirements and is awaiting departmental recommendation for admission.
- Postponed Application: Students may postpone their applications to a future semester by notifying the Office of Admissions prior to the end of the semester for which they originally applied.
- Withdrawn Before Admission: Students must complete or postpone their admission by the end of the semester for which they have applied. At the end of each semester, all applications still incomplete or not postponed will be withdrawn. Students whose applications have been withdrawn must re-apply for admission if they later choose to attend UAA.
Admission Status
- Complete Admission: All required documents have been received and all admission standards met.
- Incomplete Admission: Students who expect to receive their baccalaureate or master’s degree from an institutionally accredited institution within two semesters (three if including summer) may apply for graduate admission. Formal acceptance becomes final only after the baccalaureate or master’s degree is completed and conferred, and all other admission requirements are met. All admission requirements must be satisfied prior to advancement to candidacy. Students cannot receive financial aid while in this status.
- Provisional Admission: Students who show potential for success in graduate studies but do not meet all the admission requirements for a program may be provisionally admitted. Provisions and deadlines for meeting those provisions are established at the time of admission and are monitored by the department chair or designee and the Graduate School. Normally, such provisions are to be satisfied within one academic year. If the provisions are not met within the specified deadlines, the student may be removed from graduate degree-seeking status. If the provision is met, the department will indicate the completion on a copy of the Graduate Admission Recommendation Form (GARF) and submit to the Graduate School for final approval.
- Postponed Admission: Upon approval by their program and the Graduate School, students may postpone their admission to a future semester once for up to one year prior to the end of the semester for which they originally applied.
- Withdrawn After Admission: Admission will be withdrawn when students do not attend classes during or postpone their admission before the end of their admission semester. Students whose admissions have been withdrawn must re-apply for subsequent admission to UAA.
International Graduate Students
International students who intend to reside in the U.S. for the purpose of pursuing a certificate or degree as F-1 visa students and need a form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant F-1 Student Status must meet university and degree program admission requirements and submit the following:
- Official TOEFL (minimum score of 79-80 IBT) or IELTS (minimum score of 6-6.5) scores, completed within the last two years and sealed by the issuing agency. International students may request an exception from the language exam requirements if they:
- are a native speaker of English, or
- have earned a bachelor or master's degree from an institutionally accredited U.S. institution.
- A notarized affidavit of financial support from the student or the student’s financial sponsor and documentation of financial resources to cover one full academic year of study.
- A completed Admissions Agreement for Prospective F-1 Students.
Alternate documentation of English proficiency may be considered on a case-by-case basis and approved by the program faculty and dean of the college.
The University reserves the right to require additional English proficiency evidence, even from those who are eligible for an examination exemption.
Students who earned their baccalaureate degree outside the U.S. or English-speaking Canada must submit a Basic Course-by-Course Evaluation from World Education Services (WES), stating that they have earned the equivalent of a U.S. baccalaureate degree. Evaluations should be sent directly to the UAA Office of Admissions, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508.
Students who have earned multiple bachelor degrees or already hold an advanced degree should contact the program to which they are applying to determine if a WES ICAP is needed for all institutions attended. In some cases, an evaluation only for the previous study most relevant to their UAA program will be needed. These decisions are made by the program faculty and approved by the dean of the college.
Students transferring from other institutions in the U.S. must also complete and submit the F-1 Transfer Eligibility Form.
International students in F-1 visa status must be formally admitted, full-time, degree-seeking students. Health insurance is mandatory. Visit the International Student Services website for details and forms.
Western Regional Graduate Program
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 (WRGP). Graduate students who qualify for WRGP pay the in-state tuition rate on all graduate degree programs, both master's and doctoral. Certificate programs are not eligible. For more information, visit the Graduate School website.