Application Process and Requirements
The application for the Fall 2024 admission cycle will become available during the first week in October 2023. The application deadline is December 26, 2023.
For the Fall 2024 admission cycle, please prepare:
- Assess your interest in our professors. While completing the online application, you will select up to three Earth Science professors whose research is of particular interest to you. To help with this process, please look over their websites to learn about their research interests and read some of their publications. Check out our faculty and their research areas.
- Plan to verify English-speaking ability (international applicants only). International students must meet the Division of Graduate Study’s English requirement. Find out more.
- Unsure about how applying for graduate school works? You might find these presentation slides from our IgDEAS group helpful.
Required Application Materials:
- Complete the Online Application. You do not have to complete the application in one sitting. You can continue to work on your application until your payment is made or the December 26th deadline passes. When you submit the application, a non-refundable application fee is typically required (credit, debit, or e-check), but the Division of Graduate Study offers fee waivers and discounts for applicants who satisfy the conditions described on the Division of Graduate Studies website. As of Fall 2020, the application fee is $70 for domestic students and $90 for international students. After submitting, you are able return to your application to view the receipt status of your letters of recommendation. Please allow 4 business days after submission of your application for the department to process it. Receipt of exam scores or transcripts cannot be tracked in the University’s systems until after your application has been submitted.
- Personal Statement. Upload a 1-page statement in which you describe your objectives in applying to the graduate program in Earth Sciences at the UO, your preparation and skills, your personal and academic accomplishments, your scientific interests, and your goals for the future. The statement provides the opportunity for you to inform the admissions committee about any intangibles not represented elsewhere in your application. If there are specific faculty that you are interested in working with, you are encouraged to identify them in the statement.
- Transcripts. Upload as a PDF degree transcripts from all colleges/universities where you have studied.
- Should you receive an offer of admisson and accept, you will need to send official degree transcripts from all colleges/universities where you received a bachelor’s degree and any subsequent degrees. These should be final transcripts, so if you are completing your degree in the spring or summer, wait until your degree is conferred.
- Three letters of recommendation. The online application requests contact information for each reference (name, position, institution, email). References will receive an email from us inviting them to fill out our online reference form and upload their letter of recommendation. Throughout the application process, you can return to your application to view which letters have arrived. It is up to you to remind your references to complete this step.
- Verify English language proficiency (international applicants only). See the Division of Graduate Study webpages for requirements.
Further questions? Take a look at some FAQs or contact graduate coordinator, Marla Trox.