Domestic Applicants

Key Information

• "Domestic Applicants"  are US Citizens and Permanent Residents.
• Applications are completed on-line.
• You muct complete all parts of the application.
• Have 3 reference letters uploaded as part of your on-line application.
• Have 1 "official" copy of  your transcript from each previous school attended "issued to"  the Department of Geography or the University of Colorado-Boulder.  Transcripts should be sent to the address listed below.
• Have GRE scores sent to the University of Colorado-Boulder (codes are listed below)
• Pay application fee on-line.
• APPLICATION DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 15 every year.  You must submit your application by this date.   Your recommenders are contacted only after you "submit" your application and pay the application fee.  We expect your recommendation letters, transcripts and perhaps GRE scores to arrive after you submit your application.   All materials should be received by the end of December.   Please be sure to complete your application by this deadline.
• Let us know immediately if your email address changes; we use it to communicate with you.

Online Application:

Graduate Admissions

Mailing address for all documents related to your application:

For overnight or express mail send to:

Graduate Admissions
University of Colorado Boulder
3100 Marine St Bldg RL3
Ste A122
Boulder CO 80303-1058
 

Inform us if your address changes

We use email whenever possible to communicate with applicants, so it is VITAL for the Geography department to have your current email address.  It is also important that we have your most current mailing address too.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to update your on-line application with any address or email address changes. Please keep us informed of any changes.

If you would like to review a copy of the University of Colorado-Boulder catalog on line or to purchase a copy, please go to the following website -                   http://www.colorado.edu/catalog

Complete Your Application, Which Must Contain the Following

(all of these application materials are part of the on-line application).

1) Application fee: $50, nonrefundable.

You will be able to pay the application fee online as part of the application process.

2) Application for Graduate Admission.

The criminal history question on Part 1 of the application MUST be answered. Failure to answer this question will STOP ALL PROCESSING of your application. If you answer yes or if you leave it blank, you must complete the additional steps you will find as part of the on-line application process.

Pay special attention to your Statement of Intent (or Statement of Purpose). It is important to write a careful one to three page statement on what your research interests are, why you have chosen this particular program, and what you hope to do afterwards.

Please indicate your "area of specialty" from the list you will see as you complete the online application.  Later on in the process, applications will be sorted into these different "areas."

If you would like to request to be included in the funding pool for departmental financial aid, please include a separate, short sentence/paragraph at the beginning of your Statement of Intent, since there is not a separate form for this. Please include the title for your paragraph as shown below so it is easy to find.

EXAMPLE: 
Request for Departmental  Funding:
Please include me in the pool for all departmental funding.

4) Recommendations

Three (3) recommendations are required. Request professors and/or other professionals familiar with your research potential to upload their recommendation letter. Use the procedures that are part of the on-line application process and encourage your recommenders to up-load their letter within a few days of the time you submit your application.

You may see instructions on other parts of the CU website (such as the Graduate School page) directing you to send in four (4) recommendations. These are general instructions that apply to all departments on campus since some departments do require four (4) recommendation letters.  The Department of Geography only requires three (3) recommendation letters.

5) One Official Transcript

All applicants must submit one “official” copy of  their transcript for each school attended. The transcript should show all degrees awarded, courses taken, grades, and grade point averages. A minimum of 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 system is required by the Graduate School for regular admission. The Department minimum GPA is 3.0. 

Transcripts are only considered “official” if they are sent directly from one university to another. Please be sure each transcript is “issued to”  the Department of Geography or the University of Colorado-Boulder.  Have transcripts sent to the address above. 

Please do not send copies of transcripts issued to/given to a student.  Transcripts issued to a student are not considered official even if they are in a sealed envelope and/or stamped "official."  The transcript must not be in the possession of the student at any time if it is to be considered "official."

6) Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

US citizens and permanent residents (and foreign students studying in North American universities at the time of application) are required to submit GRE scores for the Analytical, Verbal, and Quantitative sections of the test. If you have not done so, arrange to take the GREs as soon as possible. When applying to take the GREs, request that scores be sent to the University of Colorado at Boulder. When you have received your scores, you can also mail or fax a photocopy to the Department to avoid delays. It is important that GREs be taken early enough for scores to reach the Department prior to the December 15 deadline for application.

GRE Institution Code:        4841
GRE Department Code:    2203

All materials are due 15 December

No application will be considered complete without all of the above-listed materials. December 15 is the deadline for receipt of all application materials for Fall admissions. We do not have a regular Spring admission. You can begin the admissions process on August 1 of the year prior to the fall semester that you want to start your graduate program. Allow at least 3 months after the application deadline to receive notification about your application status.