Application Information

  • Students must have a 2.75 GPA for regular admission.  Under special circumstances, a student with less than a 2.75 may be admitted provisionally, but they must earn at least a 3.0 GPA in their first semester to remain in the program.
     
  • Students may be admitted during the fall or spring semester.  There is no deadline for turning in admittance paperwork for either semester.
     
  • Applicants wishing to be considered for an assistantship for the fall semester must submit completed assistantship and tuition scholarship applications by February 1 of each year. 
     
  • Graduate scholarships and assistantship are awarded to the best qualified applicants on a competitive basis. Funding awards consist of two parts: a stipend earned by working as a graduate assistant for a faculty member or department; and a tuition scholarship. These may be awarded together or separately.
     
  • Although students may begin the program in the fall or in the spring semester, assistantships are generally awarded on an academic year basis only. Typically, students beginning the program in the spring semester would only be given consideration for an assistantship for the following fall and not the spring semester.
     
The following supportive documents are required elements of the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Application: 
  • Statement of Purpose (2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced)
  • Sample of Scholarly Writing authored by the applicant only 
  • 2 Letters of Recommendation 

These documents will be downloaded and submitted within your electronic application. 

Women's & Gender Studies
Application Process (U.S. Citizens)

Please note: the entire UNI graduate application is now completed electronically. If you have questions about this process, please e-mail wgs@uni.edu.

  1. Print the WGS Application checklist, found here: Checklist for Completing Your Application (Domestic).
     
  2. Complete the UNI Graduate Application Form and submit online. All supporting documents (Statement of Purpose, Sample of Scholarly Writing, Letters of Recommendation) will be downloaded and submitted through this application in pdf form. (Click here to see what this submission page will look like.) If you are not a UNI undergraduate, you will also need to pay a $60 application fee. (More information about the non-refundable application fee is available on the graduate application.)
     
  3. If you are applying for funding, complete the application forms for Graduate Assistantships and Tuition Scholarships. These forms must be submitted by by February 1st.
     
  4. Official transcripts must be mailed DIRECTLY to UNI by the issuing institution. If YOU mail the transcripts, even in sealed envelopes stamped by the school, they will NOT be considered official. Faxes, sealed copies of personal, or "issued to student" transcripts are also considered unofficial and will not be used to evaluate your transfer work. Request that official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended be sent directly from these institutions to:Office of Admissions, 002 Gilchrist Hall, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0018, USA

*Please note that transcripts sent to the Women's & Gender Studies office or submitted by the student will not be accepted*

Application Process (International Students)

International students can submit their UNI Graduate Application electronically or by mail. More information on either of those avenues can be found here: Office of International Admissions. 

The application process for International Students can feel complicated. A Step by Step Guide from the Office of International Admissions. 

  1. Print the WGS Application Checklist, which can be found by clicking on: Checklist for Completing Your International Application.
     
  2. Complete the UNI Graduate Application Form online or print the form and mail it to the Office of Admissions, GIL 002, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0018. Please note submitting all forms electronically is the best way to submit documents. If applying electronically, all supporting documents (Statement of Purpose, Sample of Scholarly Writing, Letters of Recommendation) will be downloaded and submitted through this application in pdf form. (Click here to see what this submission page will look like.) If you are not a UNI undergraduate, you will also need to pay a $75 application fee either by credit card or mail. (More information about the non-refundable application fee is available on the graduate application.)
     
  3. If you are applying for funding, complete the application forms for Graduate Assistantships and Tuition Scholarships. These forms must be submitted by by February 1st.
     
  4. Official transcripts must be mailed DIRECTLY to UNI by the issuing institution. If YOU mail the transcripts, even in sealed envelopes stamped by the school, they will NOT be considered official. Faxes, sealed copies of personal, or "issued to student" transcripts are also considered unofficial and will not be used to evaluate your transfer work. Request that official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended be sent directly from these institutions to:Office of Admissions, 002 Gilchrist Hall, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0018, USA

    *Please note that transcripts sent to the Women's & Gender Studies office or submitted by the student will not be accepted*
     
  5. For students whose first language is not English, an English Language proficiency test score is required. For the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), students need an 80 or more on the Internet Based Test with individual sections no less than 20, and for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), students need a 7 or more with no individual section below 7. Scores must be current, that is within 2 years of the applied semester.

    The minimum IBT-internet based TOEFL score is 80. The minimum IELTS score is 7.
     
  6. If submitting application by mail, ensure that your supporting documents (Statement of Purpose, Sample of Scholarly Writing, Letters of Recommendation, TOEFL score, and international service forms) are also sent.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail them to wgs@uni.edu.

For UNI's Career Center's web site, visit: careerservices.uni.edu.