Applying for Admission: Bachelor's Degree Programs

When to Apply

Freshman and transfer applications for admission to a bachelor's degree program are due on July 1 for fall semester and Nov. 1 for spring semester.

High school students may apply as early as the first semester of their senior year if providing a listing of course work in progress. Transfer students should apply at least three to four months before the beginning of the semester in which they plan to enroll.

How to Apply

You may apply to a baccalaureate degree program online at www.uaf.edu/admissions/. You can also apply by printing an application from the above website or requesting an application from the Office of Admissions. Before your application can be reviewed, the Office of Admissions must receive:

  • Application for Admission
    Your application must be received before the published deadlines, along with a $50 nonrefundable fee.
  • Transcripts
    High school transcripts — Applicants with fewer than 30 transferable semester credit hours of college credit must also submit official high school transcripts.
    College transcripts — Applicants who have attended postsecondary institutions must arrange for those institutions to send official college or university transcripts to UAF. Transcripts must arrive in sealed envelopes from each institution attended.
    International — International applicants must present an evaluation of all required academic transcripts compiled by an independent academic credential evaluation provider. UAF requires that all applicants use one of the providers listed at www.uaf.edu/admissions/undergrad/international/ for this service. Please make note of the following:
    • Transcripts/credentials from Canadian institutions are exempt from this requirement; they may be sent directly to UAF from the issuing institution (this excludes institutions in the Province of Quebec).
    • You do not need to have any documents sent from your international institution to UAF. Your documents should be sent to the credentialing agency directly. UAF will receive a copy of the original documents along with the evaluation from the agency.
    • You must request the Comprehensive Course-by-Course Report of your credentials.
    • Undergraduate students seeking to transfer credits to UAF must send course descriptions or course catalogs (in English) directly to the UAF Office of Admissions.
  • Test Results
    Freshman and transfer applicants with fewer than 30 semester credit hours must submit the results of either the ACT (preferred) or the SAT examination. Test results must be less than two years old. These test scores are used to help place the student in English, mathematics and other first year courses.
    Contact Testing Services at 907-474-5277 or your high school for information concerning the ACT or SAT. Please note, the ACCUPLACER, ASSET or other placement tests do not satisfy this requirement.
  • International Students
    See Special Instructions for International Students for additional information.

Admission Requirements

For admission to baccalaureate level programs, you must:

  1. have a high school diploma*, AND
  2. pass the 16-credit high school core curriculum with a GPA of at least 2.5, AND
  3. submit results of the ACT (preferred) or SAT taken within the last two years, AND
  • have an overall high school GPA of at least 3.0, OR
  • have an overall high school GPA of at least 2.5 AND ACT composite score of at least 18 or SAT total score of at least 1290 (including writing skills section).

Admission to a specific baccalaureate degree program is based on a combination of your high school GPA and completion of specific high school courses. See table for entrance requirements to specific colleges and schools within the university.

Test results from the ACT (preferred) or SAT must be received before you can be admitted, and test results must be less than two years old. This requirement will be waived if you have successfully completed, with a grade of C or better, the equivalent of 3 credits of 100-level math and 100-level English composition from a regionally accredited institution of higher education within the last two years.

* To earn a high school diploma in Alaska, you must fulfill all curriculum requirements and satisfactorily complete all three competency areas of the High School Qualifying Exam.

High School Entrance Requirements for all Bachelor's Degree Programs
English Math Social Sciences Natural/Physical Sciences
High School Core Curriculum—Required for all freshmen; 2.50 GPA in core; 16 credits total, which must include:
4 cr 3 cr in college preparatory mathematics (selected from Algebra I, II, geometry, trigonometry, elementary functions, precalculus or calculus) 3 cr 3 cr (includes 1 cr lab science course in biology, chemistry or physics)
College of Engineering and Mines • College of Natural Science and Mathematics •
School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences • School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences
4 cr Algebra-2 cr; Geometry-1 cr; Trigonometry-½ cr; At least an additional ½ cr of advanced math is recommended for computer science, mathematics, physics, statistics, and engineering. 3 cr Physics or Chemistry-1 cr; Natural Sciences-1 cr; Elective-1cr Both physics and chemistry are strongly recommended for engineering.
College of Liberal Arts • School of Management • College of Rural and Community Development • General Studies (undecided or exploratory)
4 cr Same as high school core; School of Management students should be well prepared in mathematics with at least Algebra II, but precalculus or higher preferred. 3 cr Same as high school core

Pre-Major

If you do not meet the minimum requirements for admission to a baccalaureate degree program, you will be admitted to pre-major status within the department of your choice.

Students will be changed to major status when their admissions file is complete and if they are in good standing and have completed 14 credits at the 100-level or above with a C grade average (2.0) or higher, of which 9 credits must satisfy baccalaureate core requirements.

General Studies

Students accepted to baccalaureate-level programs who do not select a major will be admitted as general studies students. This program is administered by the assistant provost for general studies. General studies students with 75 or more earned credits are required to declare a major prior to registration. Students participating in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program cannot be admitted into general studies.

Transfer Students

A transfer student is defined as someone coming into the university with at least 30 transferable semester credits. You are eligible for admission to a baccalaureate program if you have a 2.0 GPA in your previous course work and left your previous institutions in good standing. If you are applying to a technical or scientific program, you may need to present a higher grade average and proof that you've completed appropriate background courses before you will be admitted to the program. If you are transferring into a baccalaureate degree program with fewer than 30 semester hours of transferable credit, you must also meet the freshman admission requirements listed in A through E above. Admission status for students who have attended an unaccredited postsecondary institution will be determined on an individual basis. See Transferring Credits for more information.

Probational Acceptance

Applicants with previous college course work may be admitted with probationary status if their cumulative or most recent term grade point average is less than C (2.0).

High School Students

High school students may take classes at UAF. One program, Alaska Higher Education Admission Decision (AHEAD), requires formal admittance to UAF. The other two enrollment options, Secondary Student Enrollment and TECH PREP, have specific requirements but do not call for admission to UAF. See the registration section for description of non-admission opportunities.

AHEAD Program
The Alaska Higher Education Admission Decision (AHEAD) program allows qualified high school students to be formally admitted to UAF. AHEAD students are assigned an academic advisor and are given priority registration. To qualify, students must have completed three-fourths of their high school core curriculum and have a 3.0 GPA or higher. Students who wish to apply to the AHEAD program may pick up a program application and a UAF undergraduate application for admission from their high school counseling office, or from the UAF Office of Admissions.

Home-Schooled Students

Home-schooled students who have gone through a state-recognized program and have a valid high school diploma may be admitted to a baccalaureate program according to UAF admission standards. See Admission Requirements for more information.

For home-schooled students who have not gone through a state-recognized program, admission to a baccalaureate degree is through an individual review by the director of admissions (or a designee). You will be required to submit scores from either the SAT or ACT prior to an admission review. Additional supporting documentation, such as letters of recommendation, may be requested for review by the director of admissions. In some cases, your files will be shared with department chairs or faculty for further review.

If you do not meet the minimum requirements for admission to a baccalaureate degree program, you may be admitted to pre-major status within the department of your choice. Once you have satisfied the requirements for admission to a bachelor's degree program, you will be admitted to the program of your choice if you are in good standing and have completed 14 credits at the 100 level or above with a C (2.0) grade average or higher, of which 9 credits must satisfy core baccalaureate degree requirements. The university will notify you when you have met these requirements and have been admitted to your bachelor's program.

It is especially critical that home-schooled applicants request admission to a baccalaureate program if they anticipate receiving scholarships that require enrollment in a four-year degree program.

After Acceptance

Conditional and Final Acceptance

Once the Office of Admissions receives and evaluates application materials, UAF will mail a letter of acceptance to qualified applicants. This letter will list any conditions under which the student is being admitted. Qualified applicants who are in their last year of high school or who are attending another college will receive conditional acceptance. Acceptance becomes final when the Office of Admissions receives official transcripts showing the student has satisfactorily completed all work in progress and that high school seniors have graduated. Acceptance to UAF is final only when the Office of Admissions has accepted all necessary credentials.

Request to Postpone

Your offer of admission to UAF is valid for the semester for which you applied. Requests to postpone admission until a later semester may be made to the Office of Admissions. Your enrollment may be postponed for up to one calendar year. You are required to notify the Office of Admissions if you are attending another school outside the University of Alaska Statewide System in the meantime.

Applying for a Second Bachelor's Degree

A student who has already earned a bachelor's degree at another institution and wants to complete a second bachelor's degree must apply for admission as an undergraduate transfer student. Upon official acceptance to a UAF undergraduate degree program, a student who earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution will be considered to have completed the equivalent of the UAF baccalaureate core.

Readmission of Former Degree-seeking Students

If you're an undergraduate degree student and you choose not to enroll for a semester or more, you may be eligible to re-enroll in your degree program without reapplying for admission.

You remain eligible to register for classes in your degree program if:

  • you are continuing with the same degree program as before,
  • you have not been academically disqualified,
  • you have not attended a non-UA institution since you were last enrolled at UAF, and
  • your lapse in enrollment is less than two years.

If you meet all the above requirements, you need only consult with your advisor and register for classes. If you do not meet all these requirements, you will need to submit a regular undergraduate application for admission along with the $50 processing fee and transcripts of any non-UA course work.

  • Fresh Start for Returning Students
    Fresh Start can offer a new beginning for students who performed poorly at UAF when enrolled at least two years ago. Those who withdrew from school or were dismissed for academic reasons may apply for readmission and request that their entire prior academic record be disregarded. Students who qualify for Fresh Start begin their college study anew with no credits attempted or earned, and no quality points reflected in future GPA calculations. Fresh Start can be used only once.
    At least two years must have elapsed since the beginning of the last semester the applicant attended UAF. The applicant may be asked to present evidence that the conditions which resulted in poor academic performance have changed enough so there is a reasonable expectation that the student can perform satisfactorily if permitted to resume college study.
    All prior course work will remain part of the student's overall academic record and appear on transcripts, but none of the previously earned credits can be used in a new program. These credits will be included only in GPA computations for graduation with honors (see Graduation with Honors). A student admitted under Fresh Start may be allowed advanced standing or a waiver of requirements just as any other student, but will not be allowed credit by exam for courses lost in Fresh Start.
  • Readmission of Servicemembers
    The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 requires that students who left school to serve in the uniformed services be readmitted into the same program with the same standing they had when they left. UAF allows for special readmission of these students. More information is available at www.uaf.edu/admissions/undergrad/military/.

Where to Get More Information

Office of Admissions
University of Alaska Fairbanks
215 Signers' Hall
P.O. Box 757480
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7480
E-mail: uaf-admissions@alaska.edu
Online: www.uaf.edu/admissions/
Telephone: 907-474-7500
Toll-free: 1-800-478-1823