We welcome your application to the University of Alabama Graduate School! Listed below are some suggestions and other information about applying to our Graduate School.

International applicants must have completed a four-year bachelor's degree (or the foreign equivalent) or completed a Master's degree from an accredited or recognized university. International applicants may apply for any term in which a program is admitting students but initial summer enrollment is strongly discouraged.

1. The graduate Degree Programs of the University of Alabama are described in the Graduate Catalog. You may want to contact the Program Director for the degree in which you are interested and get more information about program activities.
2. Please review the admission criteria for the Graduate School and the requirements for individual departments in the Graduate Catalog before completing an application. NOTE: Application to two programs is allowed provided that the applicant submits two separate and complete applications.
3. You may elect to use our Electronic Application if you are seeking regular admission or non-degree admission to a graduate degree program at The University of Alabama or you may request printed application materials from the Graduate School or download from the web. Please, do not use the electronic application if you are a University of Alabama senior wanting to use an expedited application, or University of Alabama graduate student wanting to use an expedited application. Please, contact the Graduate School if you require these special application materials.
4. Application for admission to the Graduate School at The University of Alabama are valid for a period of one year. 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 complete the following materials for your application:

In order for the application to be processed, please complete each field/portion of the Electronic Application Form. Applicants who elect to print and mail in their applications should provide three (3) copies of this completed application form. Or, you may request printed application materials from the Graduate School.

After your online submission of the Electronic Application Form, you will be instructed to submit your credit card information online or to 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 elect to use printed application materials, mail your application fee to the Graduate School with your other materials. The application process will not begin until your fee is received.

This (HTML, .PDF) assessment of your potentials a graduate student and of your aims and aspirations as they relate to graduate study is one of the most important parts of your application. Departmental and Graduate School admissions directors read this statement with care and regard it as a self-evaluation and formal example of your writing skills that may say a lot about your potential for success in a program. Make the statement of purpose a detailed and carefully edited document that shows you at your best.

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. Applicants who wish to be considered during their last year of a degree program must provide a minimum of six (6) semesters of completed course work.

All applicants whose first language is not English must submit an official TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score report. 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 or IELTS. In addition, applicants to the Graduate School of Business must submit an official GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) score report. Applicants to all other schools and colleges must submit an official GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score report as required by the department to which application is made.  Examinees copies are not considered official and are not acceptable. Refer to program descriptions in the Graduate Catalog for acceptable examinations. Individual departments may recommend the Test of Spoken English (TSE) for students who wish to be considered for teaching assistantships.  Test scores must be sent directly to the Graduate School from the testing services (ETS:GRE, PearsonVue:GMAT, Harcourt:MAT). Test scores must be no more than five (5) years old.  Remember that admission decisions are based on a composite of information. While test scores are useful for comparing students from different colleges - who took different courses from different professors, have different people recommending them, and are applying to different graduate programs - test scores are not the sole basis of admission. Each application is evaluated as a whole.

Provisional Language Admission:

If you wish to be considered for this you must CLEARLY INDICATE this on your APPLICATION.

An international graduate applicant to the University of Alabama may be considered for "provisional language admission" if he or she does not meet the minimum TOEFL score requirement of 550 or minimum IELTS requirement of 6.5 (i.e., he or she has a lower TOEFL or IELTS score or has not taken either test). The applicant must meet all other admissions criteria, as stated for regular or conditional admission on pages 90-91 of the Graduate Catalog, meet all financial and immigration requirements, and be recommended by the individual University of Alabama graduate department to receive provisional language admission. Students who have provisional language admission are accepted to the Graduate School, but must attend full-time intensive English language instruction at the English Language Institute (ELI). The student must complete the ELI's Intensive English Program with a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the advanced levels (Levels 4, 5, and 6) or earn a score of at least 550 on the TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS before he or she will be allowed to enroll in graduate courses and/or be awarded a graduate assistantship.* When a student with provisional language admission begins enrollment in graduate courses, he or she must meet all other requirements for conditional admission, as stated on page 85 of the Graduate Catalog.

*In special circumstances, the Graduate School, department, and ELI may grant permission for a student who has completed Level 4 or higher of the ELI with a 3.5 GPA to enroll in one graduate course per semester while completing the remaining levels of the ELI. The specific course must be approved by the instructor and department prior to enrollment.

Every graduate program tries to review an application as a totality. Applicants are more than bundles of data; they are complex, multifaceted persons. Letters of recommendation are carefully reviewed by admission committees and directors as important sources of detailed personal information. Therefore, make sure your supporting letters are written by appropriate people who take them seriously. Generally, letters should come from individuals, especially professors, who have direct and detailed knowledge of your academic abilities. It can be helpful if the writers also know you personally. On the other hand, purely personal references are not particularly desirable and are regarded as supplemental to other information at hand. Choose people willing to write the kind of recommendation required.

Applicants must submit three (3) Letters of Recommendation.

See, instructions for preparing Letter of Recommendation and how to have recommenders submit their letters.

Please, see immigration related in forms for applicants page. 

Please mail a resume to the Graduate School, Box 870118,Tuscaloosa, AL 65487 or email your resume as a Word Document to usgradapply@aalan.ua.edu .

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. Financial aid from the University is extremely limited and is awarded on the basis of merit, not need. No student should expect financial assistance without an official award notification. 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.

Some departments require additional application materials. See the Graduate Catalog or consult with the department or program to which you have applied and inquire about additional application requirements and departmental financial assistance forms.

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.

• Please, check the application deadlines here.

The student whose 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.

Many types of financial support are available, including Graduate Council Fellowships, Graduate Council Research Fellowships, departmental teaching assistantships, and departmental research assistantships. Please contact the department in which you are interested to obtain information and application procedures for assistantships and fellowships. Applicants who are admitted and receive departmental assistantships may be required to attend the International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP). Information for financial assistance for minority students is available through the Graduate School Office of Minority Student Assistance, Box 870118, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0118. Applications for loans and workstudy assignments must be made through the Office of Student Financial Aid, Box 870162, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0162. Additional information about financial support for Graduate School can be found in our Financial Assistance Handbook or through our links to other financial assistance sites.

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

The University of Alabama
Office of The Graduate School
801 University Blvd

102 Rose Administration
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0118

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

Application Center | Graduate School | The University of Alabama | Site Map | Search | Contact | Last updated: 02/22/2008