Application Materials

Applications for admission to the Graduate School at The University of Kentucky are accepted as on-line applications only, no paper applications are accepted. To access the on-line application form, please visit our Application Portal.

For domestic applicants the Graduate School requires applications to be submitted no later than one month prior to the start of the term the applicant intends to begin graduate work. For international applicants, a separate set of deadlines for Spring and Fall admission apply (international students are not admitted for summer sessions).  Please refer to the Academic Calendar for these deadlines.

Note: some programs have earlier deadlines than those specified above, and some restrict admission to specific semesters. Graduate program deadlines are available here.  Graduate certificate deadlines are available here.

The University of Kentucky Graduate School requires the following application materials:

• Official Transcript
  • Students seeking admission to the Graduate School must have obtained a baccalaureate degree, prior to the start of the term for which s/he is admitted, from a fully accredited U.S. institution of higher learning or from a recognized foreign institution. An accredited U.S. institution is one that is accredited by one of the six regional academic accrediting associations (Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern or Western Association of Colleges and Schools). A recognized foreign institution is an institution that is recognized by that nation's Ministry of Education or similar authority as a postsecondary, academic degree-granting institution.
  • Students will be asked to upload copies of transcripts from all higher education institutions attended and, in the case of domestic students, to self-report cumulative GPA’s for each institution. For degree-seeking students, the Graduate School requires an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75 and 3.00 on all graduate work; individual programs may have higher requirements. Students who wish to calculate their GPAs for self-reporting may wish to use https://www.scholaro.com/.  If you are offered admission and decide to enroll you will then be required to submit official transcripts to the Graduate School.

• Official GRE Scores

  • In most cases an official test score (either GRE or GMAT) is required for admission. (Exceptions are listed here.) You will be asked to self-report these scores on the application (you can also supply a future date for taking the test). We will however also require official scores from the reporting agency.

  • GRE scores should be sent directly to us from Educational Testing Service (ETS); the Institution Code for the GRE for UK Graduate School is 1837

  • Scores for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) should be sent directly to us from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC); the UK Graduate School code is 1837.

  • These scores will be incorporated into your application and compared against self-reported scores to ensure consistency. The Graduate School sets no minimum score for the GRE or GMAT; individual programs may however have specific requirements and it is recommended that you contact them directly for more specific information.

  • GRE scores expire after five years. Please report your official test scores before they expire. 

• Official TOEFL or IELTS scores

  • All applicants whose native language is not English will be asked to self-report one of these scores on the application. As for GRE or GMAT scores, we also require official language scores be sent to us directly from the reporting agency.

  • TOEFL scores should be sent directly to us from Educational Testing Service (ETS); the Institution Code for the TOEFL for UK Graduate School is 1837.

  • IELTS scores should be sent directly to us from the International English Language Testing Service specifying the University of Kentucky Graduate School, Lexington, Kentucky as the recipient institution.

  • For the Graduate School, the minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 550 (paper-based) , 213 (computer-based), or 79 (internet-based). The minimum IELTS score is 6.5; individual programs may however have higher requirements. 

  • Submitted scores must be no more than two years old.

  • Please report your official test scores before they expire. 

• The application fee 

  • The current application fees are:

    • $65 domestic applicants

    • $75 international applicants

  • Please note that the application cannot be submitted without payment of this fee.

NOTE: Many graduate programs at the University of Kentucky require additional information from applicants. This may include a curriculum vita, personal statement, writing sample or an assistantship application. The documents required by your program of interest must also be uploaded to the application; you can review those requirements for degree programs here and for certificates here.