Graduate Admission

Admission deadlines and application requirements vary by program. Prior to beginning your UNC Graduate School Application, visit the Degrees and Programs webpage of your intended area of study for complete details.

Minimum requirements for all programs:

• A bachelor’s degree or master’s degree from a Institutionally Accredited college or university or a comparable degree from a foreign institution.
• You must have a grade point average of 3.00 or better, on a 4.00 point scale, from the most recent degree earned or current degree in progress. If a master’s degree is in progress, a minimum of 18 credit hours must be completed for the GPA of the master’s degree to be used, otherwise the GPA from the bachelor’s degree will be used. Applicants admitted based on the requirement to complete a degree in progress must still provide an official transcript within the first semester of enrollment at UNC showing their degree conferred and a GPA of at least 3.0. If the transcript showing degree conferred reports a cumulative GPA less than 3.0, requirements defined by the program will be added to the student’s admission, just as they are for any admit with a GPA below 3.0.
• One official transcript from any accredited college or university where a bachelor’s degree or higher was earned or is in progress (if you have earned multiple degrees, bachelor’s level or higher, an official transcript is required from each college or university where a degree was conferred). If you received a degree from UNC, you do not need to request a transcript from UNC. The Graduate School reserves the right to request that applicants provide official transcripts from other colleges or universities as needed. Applicants who have earned or are directly pursuing a higher degree from an accredited institution without receiving a bachelor’s degree (i.e., PharmD) may be eligible to apply to the Graduate School without the conferral of a bachelor’s degree. If an applicant intends to use Veteran’s Education Benefits, an official transcript from all colleges or universities attended will be required in order to maintain compliance with Veteran’s Affairs policies.

Requirements and supplemental application materials may also require:

• Resume
• Letter(s) of recommendation
• Writing samples
• Auditions
• Samples of your work
• Personal statements
• Official standardized test scores (GRE, GMAT, MCAT, etc.). UNC’s Educational Testing Service code is 4074.

Programs have different tuition based on varying factors. Visit your degree or program page to identify the tuition for that individual program.

If you haven’t started exploring your options for financial aid, now is a good time to do so. Financial assistance comes from a variety of sources, visit our Funding and Costs page for more information.

Application: When you begin your UNC Graduate School Application you will create a password and use your email address. You can use these identifiers to return to your application multiple times before you complete and submit it, or to check the status of your application once it has been submitted. Your application is valid for one calendar year from the proposed start date.

Non-Refundable Application Fee: After you complete all application questions, you will be prompted to pay a $50 application fee.

The Graduate School is waiving application fees for all current UNC students and alumni! The application fee waiver applies only to the UNC Graduate School application. Students applying to programs with a Centralized Application Service (CAS) application will still need to pay for the CAS application. 

Transcripts: Request one official transcript from any accredited college or university where a bachelor’s degree or higher was earned or is in progress (if you have earned multiple degrees, bachelor’s level or higher, an official transcript is required from each college or university where a degree was conferred). If you received a degree from UNC, you do not need to request a transcript from UNC. The Graduate School reserves the right to request that applicants provide official transcripts from other colleges or universities as needed. Applicants who have earned or are directly pursuing a higher degree from an accredited institution without receiving a bachelor’s degree (e.g., PharmD) may be eligible to apply to the Graduate School without the conferral of a bachelor’s degree.

Exceptions:

• If an applicant intends to use Veteran’s Education Benefits, an official transcript from all colleges or universities attended will be required in order to maintain compliance with Veteran’s Affairs policies.
• Per program requirements, some programs may require that official transcripts from each college or university attended be submitted for admission consideration. Currently, applicants to the following programs must list all colleges or universities attended and provide official transcripts for each:
  • Biomedical Sciences MBS
  • Sport and Exercise Science — Biomechanics Emphasis (M.S. and Ph.D.)

Official transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent via mail directly from the educational institution in an unopened, sealed envelope or through an electronically secure digital program from the issuing institution.

Mailed transcripts should be sent to:

University of Northern Colorado
Office of Admissions
Campus Box 10
501 20th St
Greeley, CO 80639

Electronic transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent directly from the educational institution to: grad.applicationmaterials@unco.edu.

The Graduate School does not accept email, scanned or PDF transcripts directly from applicants. All official transcripts, submitted as part of the application process, are retained by UNC and not returned to applicants or admitted students.

Other required supplemental materials: To check what materials your program requires please see Degrees and Programs to determine appropriate materials for your area of study.

You will need to log back into the online application systems to submit program-specific supplemental materials and to request letters of recommendation, if applicable. Items your program may require may include:

• Resume
• Statement of goals
• Letters of recommendation, etc.

After initial evaluation by the Graduate School, all materials are sent to the selected graduate program to be reviewed by faculty. The faculty will then make a recommendation of Regular Admission, Conditional Admission, Provisional Admission or Denied Admission is submitted to the Graduate School. Once the Graduate School receives that recommendation, we will notify you of your official admissions decision.

• Document Requirements: Applicants may be admitted pending submissions of required documents specified by the Graduate School (e.g., transcripts showing degree conferred) before the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. No student will be permitted to register for an additional semester, receive financial aid or take the comprehensive examination or its equivalent unless the specified requirement(s) is met. Failure to meet the condition(s) within the specified time frame will result in the closure of the student’s program by the Graduate School.Applicants admitted based on the requirement to complete a degree in progress must still provide an official transcript within the first semester of enrollment at UNC showing their degree conferred and a GPA of at least 3.0. If the transcript showing degree conferred reports a cumulative GPA less than 3.0, applicants will be given additional academic requirements, defined by the program, which must be met within one calendar year, to remain enrolled at UNC.
• Program Requirements:When a program recommends an applicant for admission who does not meet UNC’s Graduate School standards, the program faculty must provide specific requirements in writing to the Graduate School. These requirements include a list of measurable academic and professional/behavioral requirements the student must attain in the first calendar year of program enrollment in order to remain in the program. All recommendations for admission for applicants with a GPA below the 3.00 must be reviewed and approved by the Graduate Dean or his/her designee. In addition, the program recommending admission for such students may also be expected to submit a letter of justification, which is a rationale detailing the factor(s) considered in recommending the student, such as GPA in the discipline, maturity, letters of recommendation, applicant work samples, GRE scores or other compelling factors,If the Graduate School, upon compelling recommendation of the program faculty, officially admits an applicant who does not meet the academic standards of the Graduate School, the admitted student must complete a set of measurable requirements stipulated by the program and reviewed and approved by the Graduate School. The successful completion of provisions is monitored by the program faculty, who report attainment/non-attainment of the provisions to the Graduate School. A student has one calendar year to meet all such requirements. Students are not permitted to register for an additional semester, receive financial aid or take the comprehensive examination or its equivalent unless the specified provisions(s) is/are met during the first calendar year of program enrollment.Failure to complete the requirements within the specified time frame will result in the closure of the student’s program by the Graduate School.
• Denied Admission: Denied admission refers to applicants who do not meet the Graduate School, program admission requirements, or both. Students denied admission must reapply to be considered again for the same program or a different program. There are no appeals of denied admission. Denied admissions are final.

When an applicant is offered admission to the University of Northern Colorado the applicant will receive a status update email letting you know that an update has been posted your application status page in your Admissions Portal.

Your electronic admission letter will have the following useful information:

• Your residency classification for registration purposes. Questions about residency should be directed to Janis Hooper, Associate Director of Graduate Admissions, at janis.hooper@unco.edu.