The University of Texas at Arlington

How to Apply

You will find complete information about How To Apply and Admissions Requirements and Procedures on the Graduate School website.

In case your questions is not answered on this page, please contact the adminitrative assistant, Mr. Jacob A Mckeever <jacobm@uta.edu>.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What are the Graduate Admissions Requirements and Procedures for the University of Texas at Arlington?
    Please click on the following link and read for details:
    www.uta.edu/gradcatalog/admission_reqs#admission
  2. What are the formal application requirements for the UTA Graduate School?
    Please see the link to the Graduate School Website below. Once there please click on the How To Apply link that should outline them:
    grad.pci.uta.edu/prospective/apply
  3. What are the deadlines for the formal application and admissions process?
    For admission in Fall, the department will give full consideration to completed formal applications received by March 1st (submitted through the Graduate School on-line system; beginning in 2012). Applications received beyond that date and intended for Fall admission may not be given full considerations due to limitation in space and available assistantships.
    The department offers Spring admission only in rare cases – please inquire beforehand through a preliminary application. We do not offer admission for Summer terms. 
    Please go to the following link for the most recent deadlines:grad.uta.edu/prospective/apply/before/#deadlines 
    The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department accepts inquiries and preliminary applications year-round but only admits students in the Spring and Fall semesters.  
  4. What is the address to send application materials to?
    Office of Graduate Studies
    701 S Nedderman Drive
    Davis Hall, Room 333
    UT Arlington Box 19167
    Arlington Texas 76019-0167
    USA
  5. What is the preliminary application used for?
    It gives the Chemistry Department’s Recruiting Committee a rough and unofficial idea of your credentials, background, test scores, degrees, universities attended, GPA’s, and the courses you have taken. It also helps us make a decision whether or not we should encourage you to formally apply. Its benefit to you is we can see whether or not you are a competitive candidate, and you can save money on the application fee if and until we ask you to formally apply.
  6. Can the preliminary application be used as my official application to the University of Texas at Arlington?
    No, you must formally apply with the Graduate School by the admissions deadline and pay an application fee to be formally considered.
  7. Is there an application fee with the preliminary application?
    No, it is free.
  8. Is there an application fee to formally apply with the Graduate School?
    Yes, and the amounts are as follows:
    • $40 for all U.S. citizen and U.S. resident alien applicants WITH NO foreign college or university work
    • $70 for U.S. citizen and U.S. resident alien applicants WITH foreign college or university work
    • $70 for ALL international students
  9. Can I be admitted early? / What is the Chemistry Department’s early admission policy?
    Yes. / Exceptional applicants will be considered for early admission and financial support in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) or Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA).
  10. Why are the admission deadlines for international students so far in advance of U.S. domestic applicants?
    It is due to the fact that not only does UTA have to process the admission, but it takes 6-8 weeks after formal admittance is granted for most countries to process the I-20 Visa form, and to award an applicant a student Visa. Plus international students must attend a special international student orientation session a week or two before classes begin, so they have to be here.
  11. What materials does the Office of Graduate Studies require by the deadline?
    • Application
    • Application Fee (see questions 7 for amount)
    • Info can be found at grad.uta.edu/prospective/apply
    • However, the longer it takes for your “official” transcripts, certificates, and exam scores to arrive the harder it is for you to be offered admittance and still have time for all other processing. (This is especially critical for international students I-20 and Visa processing.)
  12. What should be sent in by the deadline to better the chances of being admitted?
    • Application
    • Application Fee (see question 7 for amount)
    • Official Transcripts
    • Official GRE scores submitted from ETS
    • If applicable Official TOEFL scores submitted from ETS.
    • 3 Letters of Recommendation from professors or industry employers. The following recommendation form should be returned filled out by the reference along with each of the letters: grad.uta.edu/resources/pdf/Request_Recommendation.pdf.
  13. What are the Chemistry Department’s admission requirements?
    Requirements for admission to the Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Program include the GRE exam and, if you are an international student, the TOEFL exam. The scores on these exams will be used in the decision to admit a candidate along with your GPA, institutions attended, transcripts/mark sheets, and three letters of recommendation. The Recruiting Committee looks at an applicant’s entire package.
    The department is interested to enroll graduate students with a strong record in academic performance. The average combined verbal and quantitative GRE scores of accepted students over the last three years are 310 (old score: 1230), with an average above 155 (old score: 715) in the quantitative portion. We succeeded in attracting student with significantly higher scores and strive to continue this trend. Taking a subject GRE is strongly encouraged, as it will provide evidence of competitiveness and determination to engage in graduate studies. 
  14. The required minimum score for the TOEFL iBT is 80 with a 23 or higher in the speaking section, or if the IELTS is taken instead of the TOEFL iBT, then a required minimum score of 7.0 must be attained. If your scores are borderline or significantly lower and you want to be seriously considered for the Chemistry Graduate Program as well as the Assistantship, you will benefit from retaking the relevant test. Most of our graduate students achieve scores much higher than these stated minimums.
  15. We are seeking students who have achieved at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. If your GPA is given as a percentage, the Office of Graduate Studies is be able to calculate what percentages are comparatively acceptable when transcripts or mark sheets are submitted. Again, we prefer to use as many variables as possible in evaluating your compatibility as we consider you as a candidate for our Graduate Program. The GPA is an excellent measure for comparison, and an official transcript will be required from your current and past educational institutions.
  16. Can the TOEFL exam be waived?
    This exam is required for all applicants whose native language is not English. Hence, TOEFL can't be waived. Please see questions below for more information.
  17. What are the TOEFL, TSE, TOEFL iBT and IELTS test score minimum requirements for the Graduate School admission at the University of Texas Arlington?
    An applicant whose native language is not English must demonstrate a sufficient level of skill with the English language to assure success in graduate studies. Applicants must submit a score of at least 550 on the paper-based TOEFL, a score of at least 213 on the computer-based TOEFL, a minimum score of 40 on the TSE, a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS, or a minimum TOEFL iBT total score of 79 with sectional scores that meet or exceed 22 for the writing section, 21 for the speaking section, 20 for the reading section, and 16 for the listening section to meet this requirement.
    An applicant holding either a bachelor's or a master's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university is not required to submit a TOEFL, TOEFL iBT, TSE or IELTS score for admission purposes. Any other waivers of the score requirements must be recommended by the applicant's Graduate Advisor and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. (Admission Requirements and Procedures – 2008-2009 Graduate Catalog)
  18. What are the English Proficiency Requirements for persons holding a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) upon entering the Chemistry Department?
    A student whose native language is not English and who is the recipient of a GTA must demonstrate acceptable skill in spoken English. Such students must achieve a score of at least 23 on the TOEFL speaking subtest or a score of at least 7 on the speaking section of the IELTS. Students who have not satisfied this requirement before arriving on campus must either take the TOEFL or IELTS at a local testing center and achieve the required minimum score or take and successfully pass the UTA Developmental English course. (Revised English Proficiency Policy for GTA’s - March 2009)
    Students who do not achieve scores on the TOEFL iBT, or IELTS high enough to satisfy the English proficiency requirements for graduate teaching assistants must enroll in the Developmental English Program and be certified for English proficiency. This 10-week program offered by the UT Arlington English Language Institute emphasizes accent reduction and oral presentation skills needed by teaching assistants. Tuition costs associated with this class must be covered by the student. Contact the English Language Institute at 817.272.2730 or visit their Web site at iep.uta.edu for details, including current class schedule and charges. (General Graduate School Regulations and Information – 2008-2009 Graduate Catalog)

    Holding a degree(s) from a U.S. college or university does not exempt from this requirement, assistantship applicants who are non-native speakers of English. (General Graduate School Regulations and Information – 2008-2009 Graduate Catalog)

    Current information about TOEFL iBT test dates, locations and registration procedures are published by ETS at www.ets.org. Current information about IELTS test dates, locations and registration procedures are published by IELTS at www.ielts.org. Official test score reports for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are issued by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and sent by ETS directly to the Graduate School. Official test scores for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are reported on an IELTS issued Test Report Form (TRF) and sent directly to the Graduate School from IELTS. (Admission Requirements and Procedures – 2008-2009 Graduate Catalog)
  19. What is the University of Texas at Arlington’s ETS school code where official tests scores must be sent?
    It is 6013.
  20. Are scanned images of the test scores emailed to the Chemistry Department or copies of the originals that are mailed considered official?
    No, they are not. ETS must formally submit them to the Graduate School.
  21. What kind of financial support does the Chemistry Department offer?
    Students earning a PhD (admitted in the BS-PhD track) typically receive financial support in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) or Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) which currently starts at $19,000 USD per year. Most such students will also qualify for a STEM fellowship which covers most of the tuition expenses. Health insurance is also given to all supported students for a fee.
    Students earning a MS degree (admitted in the BS-MS track) are also eligible for a GRA or GTA but not for a STEM fellowship.
    GRA and GTA stipends increase as you progress through the program with students in their third year and beyond having stipends on the order of $21,000 USD/yr.
    The department cannot guarantee financial support for a student's entire course of graduate study – as financial circumstances may change beyond our control. However, we note that in our history we have yet to have such dire financial circumstances arise and we have supported all our PhD students (who remain in good standing academically) for a minimum of 4 years in the past.
  22. What are the various statistics on the number of offers of assistantships you make each semester?
    Currently the department has ~75 graduate students. We typically admit 10-20 BS-PhD track students with support each Fall semester.
  23. Can I as an international student go to the U.S. for only a couple of classes?
    No, international applicants cannot apply for non-degree seeking status.
  24. Does a 3 year BSc degree from a university in another country qualify an applicant to apply for the MS or PhD programs in Chemistry at UTA?
    No, a 3-year BS degree is not equivalent to a 4-year BS degree in the U.S., unless however, the applicant’s 3-year degree is from a university in Germany. Therefore to apply for our graduate program an applicant with a 3-year BS degree must either attain a 2-year masters degree or apply here as an undergraduate.
  25. Do I need to commit to a specific field before I go to UTA?
    No. We ask this only because we try to balance the incoming applicants between fields (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical). We prefer that when you answer the area of study question in the preliminary application that you choose your top three preferences in order.
  26. Are permanent residents and/or Resident Aliens considered domestic or international applicants?
    They are considered their own category, but they have the same application deadline as international applicants.

Related Information

Administrative Assistant
Jacob A Mckeever
SH 300
817-272-9685
Email: jacobm@uta.edu

Chair of Admission Committee
Professor Kevin Schug
CPB 358
817-272-3541
Email: kschug@uta.edu

 

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

The University of Texas at Arlington · Arlington, Texas 76019-0065 USA

Phone: 817-272-3171 | Fax: 817-272-3808

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