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 institutionally 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 institutionally 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.admissions@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:
Demonstration of English Proficiency
Succeeding academically at UNC requires strong academic English skills prior to enrollment. To support student success, UNC requires applicants whose native language is not English, or who were educated in a language other than English, to demonstrate their English proficiency in one of the following ways.
The criteria below are solely for the demonstration of English proficiency. Meeting the demonstration of English proficiency requirements does not guarantee admission to the University. Some academic programs may have program-specific admission requirements regarding English Proficiency. Please visit the program catalog page and website for additional information.
UNC reserves the right to request demonstration of English proficiency for any applicant during the reviewing of an application to support the applicant’s academic success at UNC. Should you encounter challenges with English proficiency after enrolling, UNC may recommend or require supplementary English coursework to support your academic success.
- Verified scores from one of the following tests which meet overall and sub-score requirements in the table below. Tests must be taken within two years of application to UNC, and results must be sent directly from the testing organization to UNC.
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Minimum Scores by Section
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Listening (16), Reading (16), Speaking (20), and Writing (22)
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Listening (6), Reading (6), Writing (6), and Speaking (6)
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Speaking (16.5), Reading (16.5), Listening (16.5), and Writing (16.5)
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Use of English (162), Reading (169), Writing (169), Listening (162), and Speaking (169)
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Listening (64), Reading (64), Speaking (64), and Writing (64)
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Speaking (405), Reading (405), Listening (405), and Writing (405)
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- Earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher, or will have one conferred prior to initial enrollment term at UNC, from a regionally accredited (or equivalent) United States (or qualifying country*) post-secondary college or university with a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Degree conferral date must be within 5 years of UNC graduate application.
- Earned at least 12 graduate-level semester hours of university credit from a regionally accredited (or equivalent) United States (or qualifying country*) post-secondary college or university with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Coursework must be within 5 years of UNC application.
- Successful completion of Level 7 in UNC’s IEP program. Program completion date must be within 5 years of UNC graduate application.
Qualifying Countries (language of instruction must be English):
Australia
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Ireland
Canada (excluding Quebec)
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 institutionally 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 an institutionally 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.