FAQ List, Graduate Admissions
How do I get an application for admission? Can I apply now and submit the application fee later? What is the deadline to apply? What are the admissions requirements to pursue a degree program? What are the admissions requirements if I do not want to obtain a degree? How do I check on the status of my application? What are the academic transcript requirements? My academic records/transcripts are not listed on the status page. Why? Is the GRE or other standardized entrance test required? Where do I send the admissions application materials? How do I apply to more than one program? When will I receive a notification of the admissions decision? How do I change my application to a different semester? How can I get classified as a Georgia resident for tuition purposes? Are there additional requirements for international applicants? Must I submit official TOEFL scores? Who makes the admissions decision? If refused, how do I appeal the decision? How do I apply for financial aid? What is the current graduate tuition? What are the driving directions to campus and to the Graduate School? How can I contact you with additional questions that are not answered by the information on your website? Do I have to submit an immunization or health history form? How many letters of recommendation do I need? How do my recommenders submit letters of recommendation? My recommender did not receive an email. How can I give her/him the link to submit my recommendation? Can my recommenders send paper letters instead of completing the electronic form?
1. How do I get an application for admission?
All applicants should apply online.
If you have difficulty applying online after repeated attempts, please send an email request to gradadm@uga.edu.
2. Can I apply now and submit the application fee later?
No. Online applications must be accompanied by an application fee, which you may pay by credit card or electronic check. NOTE: Electronic check payments submitted through the online application system take several days longer to be officially received by Graduate Admissions than do credit card payments. The “e-check” must clear the participating banks before the application is released to us to process.
3. What is the deadline to apply? http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/admissions/deadlines.html
International applicants must meet earlier Graduate School deadline to allow for adequate time to review credentials and obtain additional visa paperwork for accepted students.
Applications submitted after the Graduate School admissions deadlines will be marked for the following semester.
4. What are the admissions requirements to pursue a degree program?
Degree-seeking students must submit the following materials:
To GRADUATE ADMISSIONS in the Graduate School:
Online application and application-processing fee
Two official transcripts from each institution attended. (If UGA, you do not need to submit; we will pull this document.)
Three (3) letters of reference submitted online when you submit the application.
Request official entrance test scores to be sent directly to Graduate Admissions. See additional information listed under FAQ #6.
To the ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT
Additional supplemental information (check with the program coordinator in the academic department.)
5. What are the admissions requirements if I do not want to obtain a degree?
UGA has two classifications of students who are enrolled for graduate study but do not want to pursue a degree program: transient students (students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program at another institution and want to attend UGA for one semester) and nondegree students (students who wish to take courses for certification, licensure, or personal interest). If you wish to be a transient student or nondegree student, you should first confirm with the academic department that the department will consider admission in these categories, before submitting your application for admission. (The application processing fee is non-refundable. )
Nondegree applicants must submit:
Online application and application-processing fee
Two official transcripts of the highest degree earned
To the ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT:
Additional supplemental information as required by the department (check with the program coordinator in the academic department.)
Transient applicants must submit:
To GRADUATE ADMISSIONS in the Graduate School:
Online application and application-processing fee
Transient Form (letter of good standing) sent to us directly from the Dean or graduate officer at your current institution. The form is available in our downloadable forms page.
To the ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT
Additional supplemental information as required by the department (check with the program coordinator in the academic department.)
6. How do I check on the status of my application?
An admissions counselor in Graduate Admissions will review your application for initial completeness and send you an email message that provides a userid and password where you can check the status of your application. Depending upon the time of the year and how busy the admissions office, the initial review may take from 5 - 21 days from the date that you received our application confirmation message. There are two primary sections on this page. Information in the “yellow section” is updated by Graduate Admissions counselors. Information in the “blue section” is updated by the academic department. If you need clarification about information listed or not listed in the blue section, please contact the academic department.
7. What are the requirements for submitting transcripts?
You must send two official transcripts to the Graduate Admissions office. Official transcripts are those academic records produced by the institution where you received the academic credit, certified as official by the Registrar, and placed in an envelope sealed by the registrar’s office. You should not open these envelopes. For information about international credentials and what is considered by us to be official, you should visit the webpage: www.gradsch.uga.edu/admissions/intl/
Send to GRADUATE ADMISSIONS in the Graduate School: two official transcript from every institution that you attended.
8. My academic records/transcripts are not listed on the status page. Why?
If you are an international applicant, your records are generally not listed on the status page until the department makes a recommendation for admission. At that time, the counselor will review your materials and inform you of academic documents that are still needed to finalize your application.
9. Is the GRE or other standardized entrance test required?
All applicants to a degree program, with the exception of two (2) programs, must request official test scores to be reported to Graduate Admissions. Most programs require the GRE. Some require GMAT. All doctoral programs with the exception of the Ph.D. in Business Administration require the GRE examination. See the list below for degree programs that will accept more than one entrance test score.
Request test scores through the testing agency’s website. MAT: www,harcourtassessment.com
NO Entrance test scores required for these programs:
GRE or GMAT may be submitted for these degree programs:
GRE or MAT may be submitted for these degree programs:
10. Where do I send the admissions application materials?
Many of your admissions application materials will be submitted online to Graduate Admissions (e.g. application for admission, test scores), but for transcripts, please use the following postal address:
Graduate Admissions
Supplemental departmental requirements, such as statements of purpose, resumes, etc., should be sent directly to the academic department. You can find the address by selecting the Program Contacts link at this website:
11. How do I apply to more than one program?
After you have submitted your first application and application fee, you may add a second application for $30 and a third application for $20. You may only have three active applications at any time, and they cannot pursue the same degree in different terms. You will be given the option to add additional applications after submitting the first application.
Please remember to submit departmental requirements to each department. A resume, statement of intent or other departmental requirements cannot be sent by our office to all departments, as these items are not kept on file in Graduate Admissions. Please furnish new copies of those items directly to each department.
12. When will I receive a notification of the admissions decision?
Each department establishes its own timeline and procedures for making admissions recommendations. Once departments forward their recommendation to the Graduate Admissions Office, a final review is made. The admissions decision is made by the Graduate School and will be mailed to you in an official letter.
13. How do I change my application to a different semester?
Applicants are eligible for a one-time move without filing a new gradadm@uga.edu .
14. How can I get classified as a Georgia resident for tuition purposes?
You must be eligible based on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents policy. The residency requirements are described at: http://www.reg.uga.edu/or.nsf/html/residency
If you feel that you qualify, complete the residency petition and return it with supporting documentation as identified on the instructions page to Graduate Admissions.
15. Are there additional requirements for international applicants?
Information, resources and general tip sheets found via the link below will facilitate your admissions processing; you can determine appropriate credentials to submit and steps to follow. You will find specifics requirements for academic records, proof of degree, US degree equivalencies and English language proficiency. The tip sheets suggest what Graduate Admissions looks for to complete your file.
16. Must I submit official TOEFL scores?
Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit official TOEFL or IELTS scores that are not more than two years old. Applicants who have received degrees from accredited institutions in the U.S. or from institutions in countries where English is the primary language (e.g., the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand) usually are not required to submit the TOEFL (or IELTS) scores. If such an applicant received the degree more than two years prior to application to the Graduate School and has been residing/working in a country where the primary language is not English, he or she must submit current scores. Students who are currently enrolled and have been enrolled at least one year at a regionally accredited U.S. institution, may have the English language proficiency requirement waived, if their work shows a strong quality of performance. Some departments may require the TOEFL (or IELTS) regardless of previous educational experience.
17. Who makes the admissions decision?
Faculty Admissions Committees within each department review application materials and make formal recommendations on admission or refusal to Graduate Admissions. Once a formal recommendation is received, Graduate Admissions reviews applications for completeness and appropriate, official transcripts and test scores. For complete files, Graduate Admissions finalizes the department’s formal recommendation and mails an official decision letter to you .
18. If refused, how do I appeal the decision?
University of Georgia applicants have the right to appeal admissions decisions. The appeal must first be filed with the academic department responsible for the admissions decision. The department will reconsider your application and inform you of their decision on your request for reconsideration. An unfavorable ruling at the department level may be appealed to the Graduate School within 30 days of the date on the correspondence that you received from the academic department’s decision on the initial appeal.
19. How do I apply for financial aid?
Requests for financial aid in the form of assistantships and waivers of
Academic departments have additional resources to offer departmental
A limited number of waivers of the out-of-state tuition portion of the
Finally, graduate students can apply for student loans through the UGA financial aid office; visit their website at: www.uga.edu/osfa/
20. What is the current graduate tuition?
The most current information on tuition rates at UGA is posted at the Bursar’s Office website: http://www.bursar.uga.edu/schedule.html
21. What are the driving directions to campus and to the Graduate School?
General directions to the University of Georgia are available here:http://www.uga.edu/visctr/directions/index.html
Graduate Admissions is located in downtown Athens at the corner of Jackson Street and Clayton Street.
Downloadedable maps of UGA's campus are available here:http://www.uga.edu/maps/
22. How can I contact you with additional questions that are not answered by the information on your website?
First, be sure you have closely reviewed the website and appropriate links. Graduate Admissions staff have worked to ensure that all pertinent information is available online. Second, if your question deals mainly with departmental issues (e.g. assistantships, decision timeline, etc.), please contact the department directly. A listing of departmental contacts is available from the Graduate School website: www.uga.edu/gradschool.gradadm@uga.edu .
23. Do I have to submit an immunization or health history form?
Yes, all accepted applicants who are new to the University of Georgia must fill out an immunization and health history form prior to their first registration. This is submitted to University Health Services. Find information about this at
http://www.uhs.uga.edu .
24. How many letters of recommendation do I need?
Most departments require three letters of recommendation for degree-seeking applicants. Non-degree and transient applicants are not usually required to submit letters of recommendation. Check with the academic department to find out for
sure.
25. How do my reommenders submit letters of recommendation?
The application for admission has mandatory fields for recommender information. These must be filled in and you should check to make sure you entered the email address correctly. When your paid applicatiion is submitted and acknowledged, your reommenders receive an email with a secure link and a pin and password to complete your recommendation. The letter is then downloaded to the Graduate School via a secure web database where the department to which you applied can view and print the letters.
26. My recommender did not receive an email. How can I give her/him the link to submit my recommendation?
The Graduate School does not have access to the link, but the applicant does. You must go back to the application introduction page at http://www.applyweb.com/apply/ugagrad and click on "Review Your Activity." You will be prompted to log into the application. The activity page has a link for submitted form(s). Clicking on that will show any recommendatiions that have not been received and the applicant can send the recommender a reminder email with the same information that was in the orginal message. Be sure to check the recommenders email address for accuracy.
27. Can my recommenders send paper letters instead of completing the electronic form
Some departments allow recommenders to submit letters in different formats than the one the application uses. You should check with your academic department to see if they allow this. Do not tell recommenders to submit paper or email letters to the Graduate Admissions Office. Since these are for department faculty to review, they need to go directly to the department and the Graduate School does not need to review them.
