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 the graduate school to confirm. If you received a degree from UNC, you do not need to request a transcript from UNC. The Graduate School & International Admissions Office 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.
- 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
501 20th Street
Campus Box 10
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 and International 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. Once documents are submitted to the application, if you wish to make changes to the documents or to the application itself, please contact the graduate school for assistance.
- 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.
- 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, the Graduate School will make every attempt to use previously-submitted transcripts if they are within these time frames. However, if the Graduate School cannot locate previously submitted transcripts, the transcripts fall outside the time frames listed above, or they are considered illegible, applicants must provide new transcripts.
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).
- Have a minimum level of achievement combining GPA and GRE performance.
- 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.