How to apply

Applications are invited from candidates who intend to pursue a MS or PhD degree.

Apply online via the UI Graduate and Professional Admissions website.

After you submit your application, you will receive email instructions on how to establish your HawkID and password in order to access your Admissions Profile on MyUI, our online portal for students. All supporting materials can and should be uploaded through your Admissions Profile. If your academic program requires letters of recommendation, you will be asked to provide the contact information of your recommenders on your profile. The recommender will then receive an email from the Office of Admissions instructing them on how to upload a recommendation letter and/or recommendation form.

Applicants for admission to the graduate program must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College and the department offering the degree program (review the General Catalog for departmental requirements). See the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College on the Graduate College website for additional information.

Application deadlines

Feb. 1 for fall admission

  • Admission is competitive, applications will be processed and decisions will be sent out on or around March 1.
  • Applicants who receive offers for fall admission must notify the department of their decision by April 15.

Oct. 1 for spring admission

  • Applications will be processed and decisions will be sent out on or around December 1.
  • Students who receive an offer for spring admission should notify the department of their decision by January 1.

 

Requirements for admission

The application fee is $60, or $100 for international applicants.

All applicants must submit:

  • U.S. bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or an equivalent degree from another country as determined by the Office of Admissions
  • Minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00, or foreign equivalent as determined by the Office of Admissions
  • Personal statement- In your personal statement, please tell us about how your past experiences have prepared you to pursue a graduate degree in HHP and how pursing graduate education in HHP will contribute to your long-term goals. Include information on potential research mentors in your personal statement, if applicable.
  • Transcript
  • Curriculum vita or resume
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Set of questions about specific program interests 

Official GRE scores are not required for our MS and PhD degrees.

For international applicants: International student applicants whose native language is not English must take and pass either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), unless they have received a degree from an accredited college or university in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada (except Quebec), Australia, or New Zealand. In addition, a non-native speaker who seeks employment as graduate teaching assistant must pass a test of spoken English proficiency. Once recommended for admission, international students must send a Financial Statement.

A minimum TOEFL score of 81 on the Internet-based test (iBT) or 550 on the paper-based test (PBT); an IELTS score of 7.0 with no section score lower than 6.0; or a minimum DuoLingo (DET) score of 105.

  • The on-campus English Proficiency Evaluation (EPE) will be required unless you submit a TOEFL overall score of 100 or higher, or an IELTS overall score of 8.0 or higher.
  • All students admitted using DuoLingo (DET) test scores will be required to take the EPE when they arrive on campus.

Frequently asked questions

During the application process and after the process has closed, you can always log on to your MyUI account to see the status of your application. You will be able to see what materials have been uploaded and what you still need to submit. All updates and materials are processed through MyUI, if you can see it there, we can also!

 

Once your application is complete and the application process ends, the department will begin their review of all applications. This process takes time, however you can expect communication sometime after March 1st

You must have all of your materials submitted by Feb. 1 for fall admission and Oct. 1 for spring admission.

The admissions committee begins reviewing applications for the Fall semester after the February 1 deadline. Applicants can expect to hear about the status of their application in early March. 

Yes, but typically students will not receive a teaching assistantship. You can apply for spring semester consideration and change your session of enrollment to the following fall if you do not receive an offer.

GRE exam for admission requirements will be waived this year due to COVID-19 hardships.

The application processing fee cannot be waived. This fee is $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.

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.

The University of Iowa Institution Code is 6681.

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 per 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.

Graduate teaching assistantships at quarter-time effort will require 10 hours per week of effort while half-time graduate teaching appointments will require 20 hours per week of effort. Most graduate students in our department receive half-time appointments.

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.

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.