Apply to the UNH Graduate School

1. Create Your Account: First go to the Online Application web page. Click on "First time user account creation." Once you have created your Login and Pin you can begin your application.
   1. Macintosh and Non-Internet Explorer Users: Be sure to read the instructions on the apply online web page on using non-Internet Explorer web browsers.
2. Complete the Form: Fill in all of the required information to the best of your ability.  A red star indicates the field is required before you can continue.  If at any time you want to stop you can simply click on the "Finish Later" button at the bottom of the page and your application will be saved for you.  When you want to return you can use your Login ID and Pin to pick up where you left off.
   1. Social Security Numbers: The University of New Hampshire is requesting your Social Security number (SSN) to comply with federal and state reporting requirements regarding students attending the institution. You must provide your SSN if you are applying for financial aid. The institution is required by the Internal Revenue Code and other federal laws to report names and SSN's of students who receive financial aid. The institution will not disclose an applicant's SSN to anyone outside the institution except as mandated by law or institutional policy.
      1. Your UNH Student ID: We will not use your SSN as your UNH Student ID.  Instead you will be assigned a random 9 digit ID that we will email to you once we process your submitted application.
   2. Residency: If you wish to claim in-state residence you will need to mail in the proof of residence form. If you are eligible for the New England Regional Tuition break please answer "yes" to the question asking if you are applying to the NER program.
3. Submit Your Application: Once you have completed all sections of the application you can submit it to our office by clicking on the "Application is Complete" button. You MUST click this button or the application will NOT reach our office. Once the application is submitted you will NOT be able to edit it. If you need to edit something after the application is submitted please email our office at grad.school@unh.edu.
4. Pay the Application Fee: Once you have submitted your application you will immediately be required to pay the non-refundable $65 application fee by credit card (the fee is $25 if applying to a certificate program). The form will accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover. If you have problems paying after submitting you can go to this fee payment link to pay it later.  However, applications submitted without the fee will NOT be processed until the fee is received.  This applies to both US and International applicants. Note: If unable to pay by credit card you can mail (or drop off) a check or money order, drawn on a US bank, to our office made out to "UNH". 
   1. Fees are not refundable. The fee pays for the processing of your application regardless of the final outcome of any decisions.
5. Submit Supplemental Documents:  Gather all additional documents for your application (for complete requirements see the "Deadlines and Required Documents" section below) and submit them to our office.  This includes official documents (such as transcripts and letters of reference) and personal documents (such as personal statements, resumes, and writing samples).
   1. Electronic Submission of Documents: Certain documents may be submitted electronically. See the "Deadlines and Required Documents" section below for details.
6. Monitor Your Status:  You will be able to monitor the status of your application online. For detailed instructions on how do this please see the application status instructions page.

General Requirements

The UNH Graduate School application is self-administered, meaning the applicant is responsible for submitting the online application as well as all required supporting materials. Submit all materials directly to the UNH Graduate School office in Thompson Hall; do not send or address any materials to the department. Applications will be reviewed by departments when all required information is received by the Graduate School.

• Properly Identify Yourself: Include your full name on all documents submitted to minimize the possibility of items becoming lost. If you have used any previous last names be sure to include those as well. 
• Access to Your Documents: All application materials become the property of the University of New Hampshire and will not be returned, duplicated, or forwarded to a third party at any time.
• Application Status and Incomplete Applications:  It is the responsibility of the applicant to monitor the status of their application to make sure it is complete. If your application indicates it is incomplete you need to send in any missing items. Should you have any questions about your status please contact our office directly.
• Application Fee: The application fee is $65 for all applicants, regardless of residency or citizenship, and is required when you submit your application.  The online fee payment form only accepts credit cards. If you are unable to pay using the online form please mail us a check.
  • McNair Applicants:  McNair applicants have the fee waived upon receipt of the McNair Application Form and do not have to pay the fee online. To expediate this process please indicate you are a McNair applicant in the general comment section of the online application.
• Transcripts: Request one official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended for at least one year (for UNH transcripts - see below). International transcripts must be translated into English. You may send transcripts yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.
  • UNH Transcripts: If you attended UNH after September 1st, 1991 then you do not need to submit a UNH transcript (but if you attended prior to 9/1991 then you will need to request one from the Registrar's Office). As long as you indicate you attended UNH on your application (along with dates and degrees, if any) our office will generate a copy of your academic records for internal review purposes. This includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester and UNH Non-Degree work. However if you attended GSC, Keene or Plymouth then you must submit those transcripts yourself.
  • Students applying to the Nursing Direct Entry program must supply an official transcript, even if from a school they attended for less than one year, for any course work taken that meets a prerequisite on admissions. No admission decisions will be approved by the department until proof of pre-requisite coursework has been provided. Visit the Nursing Department website or contact the department directly for more information
• Letters of Reference: Request three recommendations using our electronic letter of reference form, following the instructions carefully. Letters from relatives/friends are not acceptable. Placement credentials over three years old may be accepted as one letter of recommendation.
  • Requirements for Letters of Reference:
    • Emailed letters or faxed letters of reference must come directly from the referee.
    • If the applicant has waived their right to see the letter, or the letter is from a non-UNH faculty member, then it must be accompanied with our official letter of reference form, with the referee contact information filled out at the bottom.
    • The recommendations and reference form are to be emailed to grad.lor@unh.edu by the referee only.
    • Paper Recommendations: Should you have any trouble using the electronic recommendation process you may do them on paper by following the letter of reference instructions on our forms page. Paper recommendations can sent by the referee, or collected by the applicant and forwarded as long as they remain sealed in the original envelope.
    • Some programs have special requirements for their letters - see the chart below for details.
• Test Scores (CEEB Code 003918): Request official test scores, if required, be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service. Test scores more than five years old may not be acceptable. Student copies and photo copies of scores are not considered official.
• Residency and Statement of Residence Form: New Hampshire residents, wishing to claim in-state residency, must submit this form with their application materials. Until you have proven your in-state residency you will be considered out of state. Note: If you live in New England you may be eligible for the New England Regional (NER) tuition discount program.
• Personal Statement: We encourage applicants to submit their personal statement/essay online, to speed up processing. When submitting your personal statement/essay online we recommend that you write them in a word processing program (with no special formatting as any special formats will be stripped off when submitted) and then cut and paste them into the online web application essay field.  If you do not wish to submit them online you may mail us a copy or email them to us using our document submission email account. 
  
  • The general personal statement* asks that you prepare a brief but careful statement regarding: 1) reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives, and 2) your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field. 
    
    *Some programs require applicants to submit a special personal statement/essay, either in lieu of the standard statement, or in addition to the standard statement. See the chart below for details.
    
• Additional Documents: Provide any documents or items required specifically by your department (writing sample, resume, art work, music, etc.) using the chart below.
• Electronic Submission of Personal Documents: Personal documents are documents that do not need to be officially authenticated and cover such items as writing samples, personal statements, essays, and resumes.  Personal documents can be sent as MS Word or PDF attachments by emailing them to grad.docs@unh.edu with the subject line indicating the type of document you are sending, e.g. SUBJECT:  Personal Statement for Joe Smith.
  1. In the body of the email include your full name, the program and semester you are applying to, and either the year of your birth or the last four digits of your UNH assigned ID.  This information is used to identify your application records. Documents without proper identification will not be processed.
  2. You will get a canned email response from our office, usually within a few minutes, if your email was received correctly.  If you get no response that means we did not receive your documents.  Either try again or contact our office directly.
  3. Transcripts (unless they are official e-transcripts provided directly from the institution) and test scores may not be emailed . These must be sent via post mail directly to our office.
  4. This email account (grad.docs@unh.edu) is only used for sending us attached files.  If you have questions for our office use our general account (grad.school@unh.edu)
  5. Important: If you email us your documents DO NOT send a duplicate copy by the post office. We only need one copy - either electronically or by post but not both.

Deadlines and Program Specific Requirements Chart

The chart below outlines our various programs, the semesters they consider applications for, deadlines, test score requirements, and any special requirements or notes.  Check with the department directly for the most current and up-to-date information.

Any program with an * next to it indicates that program is also offered through our Graduate School Manchester Campus and may have special terms and deadlines associated with just the GSMC program.  For information on whether a program is part of the New England Regional (NER) reduced tuition plan visit our NER page.

* Indicates the program is also offered through our Graduate School Manchester Campus.

• Official Letters of Admission Status (admit or deny):  All official letters will come from the Graduate School office.  Statements about admission - verbal or written - from other sources, including the department, are NOT official. 
  
• Letters of Admission will be Emailed:  Once a decision is made on your application an official letter will be emailed to you (as a PDF file) with that decision.  The email will go to your UNH email address, if it exists, otherwise it will go to the email address you provided on your application.  Please keep your email address up to date with our office!
  
• Assistantships: Offers of assistantships will come directly from the department.
  
• Responding to an Offer of Admission:  If you are admitted you can then respond to that offer of admission online using your Blackboard/MyUNH account.  The online form will let you accept, reject or defer your offer of admission.  You cannot use this form until you have been officially admitted.