Opportunities for advanced study are provided to qualified students seeking graduate education and/or degrees provided under the supervision of the Office of the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and individual colleges. Students must first be admitted into the graduate school in addition to being admitted into a degree program. Admission to a degree program is not guaranteed until the applicant receives official notification from the college in which the degree is offered. The student may not enroll in any graduate course until this official notification is received. Failure to adhere to this policy will nullify any graduate level coursework undertaken by the student.
Admission Requirements
Each applicant must satisfy the minimum admission requirements of the Office of Graduate Studies as well as any additional requirements specified by the individual graduate program. All applications and required materials must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies.
The minimum admission requirements are as follows:
- An earned bachelor’s degree from a United States regionally accredited college or university.
- A completed application for admission and required materials submitted by published deadlines. (See Graduate Studies website for application deadlines and any additional deadlines/ requirements of specific degree programs.)
- Official final transcript(s) from all colleges and universities attended. Transcripts must be submitted in an official, sealed, school envelope or sent electronically from the individual institution(s).
- A nonrefundable graduate application fee.
- Letters of recommendation may be required by the individual programs. (See degree program for specific requirements.)
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale for the undergraduate degree. Degree programs may require a higher GPA. (See degree program for specific requirements.)
- Appropriate graduate admission test scores. Individual degree programs will specify required exams (GRE, MAT, GMAT, etc.) and minimum required scores. Graduate exam scores may not be more than five years old at time of application.
- Selective service: all applicants are required to be registered with, or exempt from, the Selective Service System in accordance with the Military Selective Service Act, 50 U.S.C. App451 et seq., as specified in Act 228 of the 1997 Acts of the Arkansas General Assembly.
- Additional admission requirements as specified by individual programs (See degree program for specific requirements.)
Required admission documents are kept for one full year. If the student does not enroll after one year, all documents are purged.
Admission of International Students
International students must meet the admission requirements stated above. If the international applicant does not have a bachelor degree earned from a United States regionally accredited college or university, they must possess an equivalent degree.
- Official final transcripts are required from all foreign and domestic colleges and universities attended. Educational systems that cannot be compared to the United States must be evaluated course by course by an academic credential evaluation service before admission can be finalized. World Education Services (WES) is recommended for this service. Course descriptions and/ or syllabi in English may be required for graduate-level courses evaluated for transfer.
- Applicants from countries in which English is not the primary spoken language and the medium of instruction, must provide required TOEFL or IELTS scores. The minimum TOEFL score is 79 on the IBT (internet based test), 550 on PBT (paper based test), or the IELTS score of 6.5. Scores may not be more than two years old at time of application. Any international student who graduated from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States is exempt from the TOEFL or IELTS language requirement.
The Master of Science in Healthcare Administration (Online Program) is not available for F1 international students living within the United States. Online programs will not satisfy visa requirements. International students may apply for the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration (Online Program) if they are completing this program while living outside the United States.
Application
Applications for admission can be obtained from individual UAFS graduate program web pages, or students may apply online at uafs.edu/apply. For admission and general information, email graduate-studies@uafs.edu or call 479-788-7518.
To ensure that the application is processed in a timely manner, submit all application materials by published deadlines. Admission application and required documents must be sent to:
OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS - FORT SMITH
5210 GRAND AVE.
P.O. BOX 3649
FORT SMITH, AR 72913
Transcript Note
- If mailing official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, they must be in official, sealed, school envelopes that have been sent to the student. Do not open the envelopes, as transcripts not in the original, sealed envelopes, will not be considered official.
- Transcripts may be sent by mail or electronically to the UAFS Records Office from the individual institution(s).
- Transcripts are not required for coursework completed at UAFS.
Transfer Credit
Graduate credit from a regionally accredited institution may be accepted if the course(s) are appropriate for the student’s curriculum, grades of B or better have been earned, and if the courses were completed within the previous six years. Transfer credit must be approved by the program director for the program of study. Prior transfer work will be evaluated through the admission process. Once the student has begun studies at UAFS, he or she must obtain prior approval from the program director to take any graduate course at another institution. Students must complete 80 percent of the program requirements in residence.
Provisional Student Admission
A person failing to meet one or more of the standards required for admission as a regular student may be eligible for admission if space is available and under specified conditions. These conditions will be determined at the time of admission by the appropriate college and the Office of Graduate Studies.
Non-Degree Student Admission
A student who has a bachelor’s degree, minimum GPA of 3.0, and who wishes to enroll in a maximum of six credit hours in introductory graduate courses without qualifying for a degree program can be admitted as a non-degree student. A non-degree student is not eligible for financial aid. Elevation to degree status must be approved by the appropriate college and the Office of the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. The student must satisfy all admission requirements.
Offers of Admission
Upon receipt and review of the complete set of admission materials, students may receive an acceptance letter, dependent on each graduate program’s capacity. If the student is admitted provisionally, the offer letter will specify the conditions of enrollment expected of the student with a deadline for compliance. If the specified conditions are met by the time identified in the offer, the student status will change to that of a regularly admitted student. Failure to meet the conditions specified will result a change in status, up to and including termination from the program.
If the student is admitted as a non-degree student, he or she will be limited to a maximum of six credit hours of graduate courses. No additional hours in a program will be permitted unless the student proceeds through the admission process.
Students must reply to the admissions acceptance letter by the deadline date for receipt of all admission materials. The student may not enroll in any graduate course until this official notification is received by the university. Offers of admission are valid for one year from the date of the initial application period.
Denial of Admission
If a student is denied admission and feels he or she has additional information to share in the evaluation process, the student may submit an admission appeal to the Office of Graduate Studies.
Citizenship
Students who do not have United States citizenship, legal residency, or an appropriate visa will be charged out-of-state tuition and are not eligible for state or federal financial aid.
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