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Graduate Students

As a Carnegie 'high research activity' institution, Nevada's offerings to graduate students are impressive

With a surprisingly high-caliber faculty, quality facilities and an unparalleled environment, the university has a lot to offer students seeking advanced degrees.

At Nevada's Graduate School, students enjoy educational opportunities typically associated with private, rather than public, education. Nevada provides intimate classroom settings that enable students to actively participate in discussions, form meaningful relationships and receive personalized attention from instructors.

Explore Nevada's graduate degree programs >>

Graduate Admissions Process
Graduate Assistantship Funding
Graduate International Students

Graduate Admissions Process

Applying to Nevada’s Graduate School is a dual process. You must meet both program and university requirements before you are officially admitted as a graduate student.

This page describes the application procedures for domestic students only. International student will find the application procedures in the international student section.

The minimal university requirements include the completion of a baccalaureate degree, a minimum total undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 for a Masters program and 3.0 for a Doctoral program and completion of all required prerequisite course work. A break down of the specific university requirements can be found in the Graduate School section of the current University catalog or in the Graduate Catalog.

Many programs have additional requirements that must be fulfilled before the application is reviewed. These may include letters of recommendation, specific minimum GPA requirements or personal responses. It is your responsibility to contact the program directly for information regarding these additional stipulations.

The Graduate School requires the following items at the deadlines specified by the program of interest:

1. Completed Application to the Graduate School: Application fee: $60, nonrefundable; $40 for returning students and Nevada alumni. If applying to more than one graduate program, a fee for each additional application is $40 for all applicants. Make check or money order payable to the "Board of Regents." Submit application materials and fee payment directly to: Graduate Admissions, Graduate School/326, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557-0326.
2. Request one official transcripts from the Registrar’s Office at EVERY post-secondary school you’ve attended (community college, university, etc.) be sent directly to the Graduate School at Nevada. Official transcripts are those sent directly from the institution attended to the Graduate School: personal copies or “issued to student” are not acceptable even if they are in sealed envelopes.
3. Contact your intended graduate program to determine if test scores are required. If required, request that Educational Testing Service forward official standardized test scores — Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), etc. — to the Graduate School.
4. Contact your intended graduate program at Nevada to determine if any additional admissions material is required. Such items as a written statement of purpose, biography, writing sample, letters of recommendation, etc., if required, are sent directly to the intended graduate program. Do not send these items to the Graduate School.
5. When your application for admission is received by the Graduate School, you will be notified of its receipt and whether or not there are any items missing from your application (transcripts, test scores, etc.)
6. ALL admissions materials such as transcripts, test scores, application fee, etc. must be received by the Graduate School before an admissions package can be forwarded to your intended graduate program. When all materials for admission are received, an admission package is forwarded to your intended graduate program.

Delays in processing your application due to missing required materials can range from days to weeks. The Graduate School does not accept ANY handwritten forms, including applications. All forms on the Graduate School website are interactive. You can fill them out online, then print out to sign them. If a handwritten application is submitted, it will be returned and will delay the application process.

Graduate programs differ in their process for reviewing and approving applications for admission. The time it takes for them to reach an admissions decision may vary from a few days to several weeks. When an admission decision has been reached, the program then returns the admissions package to the Graduate School for final approval and formal admission processing. This will generally be completed within a few workdays. You will then receive a letter from the Graduate School notifying you of the final admissions decision.

Graduate Assistantship Funding

A variety of research and teaching assistantships are available at Nevada to help fund your education, in addition to fellowships, grants, loans and other forms of support. Teaching assistantships are funded by the state and provide excellent benefits in addition to salary, including course fees, automatic in-state tuition and health insurance. Research assistantships are grant funded.

For information on assistantships, contact the graduate program director for your area of interest. Assistantship applications are handled directly by the departments.

Fellowship information is available from online resources, or through the academic departments. Information on grants, loans and scholarships is available from Nevada's Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.

A strong Graduate Student Association is well funded, and provides travel and research grants and a household items program, among other benefits.

Need guidance? Call us at (775) 784-6869 or email gradadmissions@unr.edu.

International Students

International students at Nevada join a growing community of friendship and support. More than 10 percent of graduate students come to Nevada from 80 countries around the world, including the largest numbers from Japan, China, India, South Korea and Turkey. Eighty-one percent of international students receive graduate assistantships to help provide financial support for their education.

This page describes the application procedures for both International students who do not hold a bachelor's degree from the United States and International students holding a baccalaureate degree from a United States post-secondary institution. All international students must also follow the same application procedures

International Student Status Defined: Students who plan to attend the University of Nevada, Reno on an F1 or J1 student visa.

In addition to an online application and any test required by the program you’d like to enter, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) is required for admission.