US Citizens, Permanent Resident or DREAMer Undocumented/DACA
Applicants must take the following steps to be considered for admissions:
- Complete the online application and pay the non-refundable application fee.
- Request one official transcript from any regionally 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 are unsure if your school is regionally accredited, please contact Graduate Admissions to confirm. If you received a degree from UNC, you do not need to request a transcript from UNC. Graduate Admissions 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, Doctor of Chiropractic, D.C.) 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.
- 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 Street
Greeley, CO 80639
- Electronic transcripts from U.S. institutions should be sent directly from the educational institution to: grad.applicationmaterials@unco.edu or, alternatively, grad.application@unco.edu.
- Graduate Admissions 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.
- Programs may require supplemental admission items such as letters of recommendations, or GRE scores; please visit www.unco.edu/graduate-school/degrees-and-programs/ for specific program requirements. If you have questions or need assistance with documents or your application, please contact Graduate Admissions at grad.admissions@unco.edu.
- Applicants with a GPA below 3.00 may be considered for admission. If someone is recommended for admission who does not meet the Graduate School standard, a rationale must be provided by the program stating the factors which were considered in recommending the student: GPA in the discipline, maturity, letters of recommendation, work samples, GRE scores or other compelling factors, and a list of measurable academic and professional/behavioral requirements the student must attain in the first calendar year of program enrollment or within a shorter timeframe specified by the program.
- UNC retains submitted transcripts, from institutions other than UNC, for admitted students for up to five years after graduation or date of last attendance at UNC. Transcripts provided by applicants who were not admitted, denied admission or did not complete their application are destroyed after one (1) year. If a student reapplies, Graduate Admissions will make every attempt to use previously-submitted transcripts if they are within these time frames. However, if Graduate Admissions cannot locate previously submitted transcripts, the transcripts fall outside the time frames listed above, or they are considered illegible, applicants must provide new transcripts.
- If an applicant’s transcripts come from outside of the United States of America, the applicant would be required to provide proof of English Proficiency following the guidelines outlined below:
To submit proof of English proficiency, please submit one of the following documents:
A. Your English Proficiency Standard will be marked “met” if you meet one of the following. Please send an email to International@unco.edu if you believe this applies to you:
- You have taken four years of college Preparatory English and graduated from a high school with a 2.5+ GPA in a qualifying English Exemption region or any US Accredited School.
- You have earned a B or better in College English Composition 1 and 2 and earned 24 or more credit hours towards a degree at an institution in a qualifying region.
- You have completed the full IB diploma program with English HL of 5 or higher.
- You have an Associate’s degree with a 2.5+ GPA from a U.S. accredited post-secondary college.
- You have a Bachelor’s Degree from a US accredited University. - You have a Conferred Master’s Degree from an accredited U.S. University.
B. English Proficiency Tests: You may schedule yourself for a test of English proficiency. You will need to submit those scores to us showing you meet the minimum requirements as listed below. You can email your results page to International@unco.edu as a PDF attachment. If your test scores meet the minimum, no further action is needed on your part if you are admitted to UNC.
Michigan English Test Minimum Scores:
Graduate , Overall score: 64 , Listening: 64 Reading: 64 Speaking: 64 Writing: 64
Cambridge English: B2 First Test Minimum Scores:
Graduate , Overall score: 176 , Reading: 169 Use of English: 162 Writing: 169 Listening: 169 Speaking: 169
TOEFL Graduate , IBT 80 , Reading: 16 Listening: 16 Speaking: 20 Writing: 22
IELTS Graduate , Overall: 6.5 , No score lower than 6
English3 Proficiency Test
Graduate , ESPT 67 , With no scores lower than 16.5
NECO or WASSCE (Country specific) B3 or higher in English Language
C. You can apply for and attend UNC’s Intensive English Program.
- If you do not meet minimum test scores or have the qualifications as listed in #1 above, you can still be provisionally admitted to the University but will need to attend our Intensive English Program. You must apply for that program separately at the time you are applying for your degree program. Here is more information on that program: Intensive English Program - University of Northern Colorado (unco.edu). Please navigate to that page and click on “apply now” if you are interested in this option.
Items that are NOT accepted to waive the English Proficiency Requirement:
- Duolingo certificates
- Letters of English Instruction from previous institutions
- Transcripts of English Certificates or Programs from other universities
Master’s, License/Endorsements, Certificate Admission
The application processes listed above must be followed to apply for admission to the Master’s, License/Endorsements, or Certificate programs.
Specialist Admission
In addition to the application processes listed above, each applicant for the specialist degree must have an adequate academic background in the proposed area of specialization as defined by the program. Some specialist programs require a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university for admission.
Doctoral Admission
In addition to the requirements above, each applicant for the doctoral degree must:
- Possess a baccalaureate degree and/or master's degree, depending on the program, from a regionally accredited college or university.
- Request three letters of recommendation, confirming that the applicant has the ability to do doctoral work in the proposed discipline(s).
- GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on their master's degree or baccalaureate degree depending on the program.
- GRE scores are not generally required for admission to the Graduate School. However, individual programs may require GRE scores. Contact the program of interest to ascertain whether GRE scores are required for admission.
If required, submit GRE scores electronically through Educational Testing Service (ETS). The testing date must be less than five years from the date the application is submitted. UNC's institutional code is 4074. Please note, UNC does not accept GRE Subject Test Scores.
Doctoral programs at UNC do not utilize quantitative rating systems and standard criteria weightings as sole determining factors for decisions concerning the acceptance of doctoral applicants. Quantitative information such as GPA or GRE scores is considered in combination with qualitative information derived from letters of recommendation, applicant goal statements, as well as past academic and professional accomplishments. Because of the specialized nature of doctoral work, it is incumbent on the faculty to utilize their professional judgment in determining to what extent a student is qualified for entry into a particular program. The information requested by each school or department upon which their decision is to be based, gives the faculty the opportunity to thoroughly and carefully evaluate the strengths and potential of each applicant.