College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Prospective Student FAQ
Q: When is the application deadline?
A: You must have all of your materials submitted by February 1 (for fall admission).
Q: Do you admit graduate students in the spring semester?
A: Yes, but typically students will not receive a teaching assistantship. The application deadline for the Spring semester is October 1. You can apply for spring semester consideration and change your session of enrollment to the following fall if you do not receive an offer.
Q: Is the GRE required for admission?
A: GRE exam for admission requirements will be waived this year due to COVID hardships
Q: Can the application processing fee be waived?
A: The application processing fee cannot be waived ($60 for domestic students and $100 for international students). This non-refundable fee is required of all applicants and must accompany your application in order for your request for admission to be considered. The fee is payable by Mastercard, Visa, or Discover.
Q: Will I have health insurance?
A: The University contributes toward health and dental benefits for graduate assistants and their dependents. Health and dental insurance information can be obtained from the University Benefits Office at the following link: http://hr.uiowa.edu/benefits/health-insurance-graduate-students.
Q: What is the Institution Code for GRE and TOEFL scores?
A: The University of Iowa Institution Code is 6681.
Q: If I’m from a different state, do I have to pay non-resident tuition?
A: The university will classify you as a resident for tuition purposes during the semesters you hold a teaching or research assistant appointment of 25% time (10 hours/week) or greater. However, your classification with the University as a whole will remain unchanged if you are a non-resident; you will only be considered a resident for tuition purposes.
Q: How many hours per week must I work as a TA?
A: Graduate teaching assistantships at ¼-time effort will require 10 hours/week of effort while ½ time graduate teaching appointments will require 20 hours/week of effort. Most graduate students in our department receive ½ time appointments.
Q: Will my teaching assistant appointment be automatically renewed each semester?
A: Renewal of your appointment is contingent upon satisfactory academic and teaching performance and department teaching needs. Both teaching expectations and performance are reviewed between the student and the course director each semester.
Q: When do I choose a research advisor and begin research?
A: Each graduate student should choose a research advisor before the end of their first semester and students typically begin research in the second semester. Students are encouraged to explore our faculty research websites to identify an area of interest. The selected area does not need to reflect the area of interest stated on the student's application for admission. Prior to selecting an advisor, the student is encouraged to interview with as many faculty members as possible.