How to apply

The application deadline for financial support starting in the Fall of 2008 is February 1, 2008. We recommend, however, that students complete their applications by January 15, 2008 in order to be fully considered for all forms of financial support.

Applications submitted later than February 1, 2008 may be considered, depending upon space and/or funding availability.

Applications for admission to the Graduate College are to be submitted on-line. Be sure to review the Application Checklist. Also note that international students must send in a Financial Resource Certificationform; the second page of this form should be left blank if the student does not have a financial sponsor.

Send these items

All students must include

• Application (online)
• $45
• Two (2) official transcripts

International students must include also

• Official TOEFL Score (sent from ETS)
• Financial Resource Certification form
• GRE scores (required for International applicants). Please note that UNL's institutional code is 6877.

To this address

Send these items

• Three Letters of Recommendation
• GRE scores (optional)
• Statement of Purpose (strongly recommended). The statement of purpose should be a brief (typically 1 page or less) statement indicating why you wish to pursue graduate study, and why UNL is a good fit for you.
• Resume/Vitæ (optional)

To this address

Applications from international students must include TOEFL scores. (The minimum score for admission is 550-paper/213-computer, but students obtaining financial support usually have TOEFL scores well above 600-paper/250-computer.) The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required for international applicants.

There is no separate Departmental Application. Also, there is no separate application for financial aid: Just check the appropriate box on the Application Form.

Rough Timeline

Here is a very rough timeline of what happens once you send in your application materials. Time is in weeks.

• t = 0: All of your official documents have arrived in the Graduate Studies Office. Once they are satisfied that the application is complete they send the Department an F-2 Form, which asks the Department to make a recommendation (yes or no) regarding admission.
• t = 3: The Department receives the F-2 Form.
• t = 4: The Department returns the F-2 Form to the Graduate Studies Office, recommending for or against admission. (While formally the decision to admit or not is up to the Dean of the Graduate College, in practice the Dean always follows the recommendation of the Department.)
• t = 6: If admission is recommended for a domestic student, or for an international student who is being offered financial aid, the official Certificate of Admission is issued, and copies are sent to the student and to the Department.
• t = 6: If admission is recommended for an international student but financial aid is not offered, and if the Financial Resource Certification form does not indicate sufficient funds, you will get a strange letter saying something like "Congratulations, you have met the academic requirements for admission. But you can't come, because you don't have enough money." If you have applied early and get a letter like this before the middle of March, this is not necessarily a final decision. The Department starts making GTA offers in early March, and you may still be in line for financial aid. As soon as an offer is made, the Graduate Studies Office will be notified and will issue the Certificate of Admission.

Masters or Ph.D.?

Many students are unsure whether to apply to the Masters or Ph.D. program. If you have a relatively strong background, with eight or more one-semester courses in the mathematical sciences beyond calculus, we encourage you to apply for the Ph.D. program. Administratively, it makes little difference. Students in the Masters program can easily move to the Ph.D. program after obtaining the Masters Degree, and students in the Ph.D. program can pick up a Masters Degree without making an academic detour. The reason we encourage strong students to apply for the Ph.D. program is that the University has several fellowships that can be used to recruit top applicants, and these are available only to those who have been admitted to the Ph.D. program.

Special Fellowships

The University has several special fellowships for new students, including the Othmer Graduate Fellowships, which pay $7500 per year beyond the GTA stipend for up to three years. The first round of fellowship offers will be in February, and students who have completed their applications by February 1 will receive full consideration for fellowships.

Acceptance Rates

We are frequently asked about the acceptance rates of applicants for financial support in our graduate program. In 2005, the department received about 64 applications for Teaching Assistantships from domestic students and about 23 such applications from foreign students. Of the 64 domestic applicants, 33 were offered Teaching Assistantships, and of the 23 foreign applicants, 5 were offered Teaching Assistantships. Ultimately, 19 domestic and 3 foreign students accepted offers of Teaching Assistantships in our graduate program.

Note: International students requiring financial aid must begin their studies in the Fall Semester. (The next paragraph clarifies the reason for this policy.)

In order to be allowed to teach, a student from a non-English-speaking country must attend the Institute for International Teaching Assistants, an intensive three-week program running from late July to mid-August, annually. (In order to be admitted to the ITA, the student must score at least 45 on a SPEAK test.) At the end of the ITA, the student must pass a final panel. An international student who does not pass the final panel of the ITA will be hired as a grader at a substantially lower salary than the GTA stipend (though still enough to live on comfortably).

For more information, please contact our graduate chair at gc@math.unl.edu.