(for International Applicants)

We welcome your non-degree application to the University of Alabama Graduate School!

Individuals who are interested in earning graduate credit, but who are not applicants for a graduate degree at the University of Alabama, may be admitted for nondegree studies with the approval of the department or program in which the course is offered. Applicants holding bachelor degrees from regionally accredited institutions or foreign equivalents of a four-year bachelors degree, or who are graduate students in good standing at another graduate school are eligible to apply. The list below contains some suggestions and other information about applying to our Graduate School.

1. The graduate degree programs of the University of Alabama are described in the Graduate Catalog. Not all programs will allow nondegree admission. Before completing a nondegree application, please contact the Program Director for the area in which you wish to take a course to determine if the department allows nondegree students.
2. Please review the academic policies regarding nondegree admission before completing an application.
   • A maximum of 12 semester hours of graduate work may be taken as a nondegree student and applied to the credit-hour requirements for a degree if the student is later admitted to a degree program. Individuals enrolled as nondegree students cannot register for more than 12 hours without providing written verification to the Graduate School that they do not plan to pursue graduate degrees at the University. No more than 12 semester hours of this nondegree coursework can be evaluated for degree credit.
   • Application of any nondegree credit toward an advanced degree will be contingent upon an evaluation made after the student has been admitted to the Graduate School to pursue a degree program.
   • Responsibility rests with the student to observe the limitations imposed on credit hours, coursework and transfer of credit.
   • Students who have had an application to a degree program formally rejected are not eligible for nondegree status.
3. You may elect to use our Online Nondegree Application if you are seeking nondegree admission to the University of Alabama or you may request a printed nondegree application from the Graduate School or download forms form this page.
4. Nondegree applications for admission to the Graduate School at The University Alabama are valid for a period of one year. In some departments, students must seek pre-approval if they wish to change the entrance date initially requested on their applications. All materials submitted in support of an application become the property of the Graduate School and cannot be returned, copied or transferred to a third party.
5. You will need to submit items A - F from the list below to complete your application:
   1. Nondegree Application Form « click here
      In order for the application to be processed, please complete each field/portion of this form. Applicants may elect to print and mail in their nondegree applications. Or, you may request printed nondegree application materials form the Graduate School. You may submit the completed form electronically, print and mail or request a printed form from the Graduate School.
   2. Application Fee
      If you are a first time graduate applicant to The University of Alabama, after your online submission of the Electronic Nondegree Application Form, you will be instructed to submit your credit card information online or mail the completed Application Fee Form to pay the non-refundable/non-waiveable application fee of U.S. $30.00 (U.S. $35.00 for paper applications). If you choose to use the printed application, mail your application fee to the Graduate School with the nondegree application form. The application process will not begin until your fee is received.
   3. Transcripts & Diploma
      Two copies of transcripts and diploma(s), where appropriate, from each institution of higher education attended, including The University of Alabama are required. Copies of these original documents must be certified by a university official. All documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
   4. Admission Examinations
      All applicants whose first language is not English must submit an official TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Testing System) score report. The minimum score for nondegree admission is 550 or the equivalent on the computerized TOEFL and 6.5 for the IELTS. Submitted TOEFL or IELTS scores must be less than two years old. Applicants who have completed a degree program in the United States within the past three years may waive the TOEFL and IELTS. Examinees copies are not considered official and are not acceptable. Test scores must be sent directly to the Graduate School from the testing service.
   5. Immigration and Visa Information Form << click here
      This information is needed in order to execute the U.S. government form required for
      • visa issuance and U.S. entry, or
      • transfer form from another school in the U.S., if you are already in this country.
   6. Financial Documents
      Please read the Financial Admission Requirements and the Instructions for Completion of the Certification of Finances form and Supporting Documents. Applicants must verify the availability of funding by submitting an original bank letter and a Certification of Finances form that has been signed and notarized. The University will not issue official letters of admission nor immigration documents until satisfactory proof of the student's funding has been received. See also the Estimated Cost of Attendance. International nondegree applicants must meet any and all requirements dictated by immigration regulations.
   7. Submission Dates
      See Application Deadlines page.

      The student whose nondegree application is completed well in advance of our deadlines will be more likely to be admitted and to receive his or her admission and immigration materials in time for visa and travel arrangements to be made.

The University of Alabama
Graduate School
P.O. Box 870118
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0118

For express or courier mail services, use the physical address:

• Fill out the Electronic Nondegree Application
• Download and request printed nondegree application materials

Questions about applications should be sent to:

• usgradapply@aalan.ua.edu (for US Citizens or Permanent Residents)
• intergradapply@aalan.ua.edu (for International Applicants)
• or by phone: (205) 348-5921

NOTE: All application materials and records, including academic records from other institutions, become the property of The University of Alabama and may not be returned to the applicant or forwarded to other institutions.

The University of Alabama complies with applicable laws prohibiting discrimination, including Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Executive Order 11246, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veterans Adjustment Assistance Act, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability or veteran status in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs or services. Inquiries and concerns regarding equal opportunity and compliance may be directed to Gwendolyn Hood, University Compliance Officer, 171 Rose Administration Building, Box 870300, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 35487-5855, (Voice/TDD)

Application Center | Graduate School | The University of Alabama | Site Map | Search | Contact | Last updated: 02/26/2008