Grad
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 reveiw 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
Certification of first-class standing or the equivalent of at least a “B” average in all examinations.
Certification of adequate command of spoken and written English to insure that the student can satisfactorily pursue his studies at a U.S. university. A score of at least 500 (paper based), 173 (computer based), or 61 (internet based) on the TOEFL examination will be required or a score of 6.0 on the IELTS examination.
Certification from a financial institution or sponsor that adequate funds are available to meet all your expenses for the entire period of your residence at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The estimated expenses for a non-resident student to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder are listed on the required “Financial Statement” form for each academic year. The figure includes room and board, tuition and fees. Summer tuition, transportation and incidental costs should be added to this.
We follow the policy of the Office of Admission in not waiving the application fee for international applicants. Please pay the application fee as part of the online application. The Office of Admission will only begin processing applications when it has received the application fee. It will not allow students to temporarily waive the fee until the student is enrolled.
(all of these application materials are part of the on-line application).
You can pay on-line as part of the application process.
The criminal history question on 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.
Also, please note that our departmental funding is very limited. The Department will not be able to provide you with enough guaranteed funding to meet the University requirement that you must show you already have adequate funding (Financial Statement section) to study in the US.
Please Note: The Department of Geography will review your application and make a decision about admitting you to our program even if you do not submit this form. However, the University of Colorado International Admissions office will not consider your application complete and will not process your application unless this form is filled out and shows proof that you have the financial resources to study in the United States. You will not be admitted to this University without this form being properly and completely filled out.
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.
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.
All applicants must submit one “official” copy of the 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. Equivalent standing, e.g., an upper second-class degree in the British system, is required of foreign students. 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:
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 should not be in the possession of the student at any time if it is to be considered "official."
However, the University of Colorado does recognize that these requirements may present a problem in some cases. For example, there are some foreign universities that issue only one original transcript to the student for the student's entire lifetime. If the transcript requirement presents a problem for you, you may contact the International Admissions Office to discuss your circumstances and for instructions on what to do. You may send an email to: jeannine.bell@colorado.edu
The GRE test is not required for foreign students. All foreign students are strongly encouraged to take the GRE test if possible. A photocopy of your official test results is acceptable if the scores cannot be ordered from ETS. Have all test scores sent to the University of Colorado at Boulder.
GRE Institution Code: 4841
GRE Department Code: 2203
A TOEFL or IELTS test is normally required by the University for all international applicants. The minimum required TOEFL scores are: Paper based test – 500, Computer based test – 173, Internet based test- 61.
The following information and table are from the Graduate School Prospective Student web page. Please review the this web site for complete information:
www.colorado.edu/prospective
click on the Apply tab and choose Graduate.
You are not required to submit a score for the TOEFL or IELTS if,
| Minimum IELTS Scores Required | ||
| Graduate Programs | ||
| All majors | 6.0 | |
| TOEFL or IELTS Not Required | ||
| Countries | ||
| Australia | Ireland | |
| Belize | New Zealand | |
| Botswana | Nigeria | |
| Canada (except Quebec) | Scotland | |
| Commonwealth Caribbean | Singapore | |
| Ghana | South Africa | |
| Great Britain | Zimbabwe | |
| India | ||
No application will be considered complete without all of the above-listed materials. December 1 is the deadline for receipt of all application materials for Fall admissions. We do not have a regular Spring admission. Applications will be reviewed by the Department of Geography after January 15. Allow at least 3 months after January 15 to receive notification about your application status.
 |
Karen Weingarten Graduate Secretary |
 |
Timothy Oakes Associate Chair, Graduate Studies |
 |
Eric Reiff Environment-Society |
 |
Amelia Schubert Human Geography |
 |
Jochen Wendel GIScience |
 |
Alana Wilson Physical Geography |
