Please read fully and follow these guidelines to avoid delay in application review.

Please read and follow these guidelines to avoid delay in the review of your application. We strongly encourage electronic submission of materials when possible. If you mail application materials, please do not bind or staple documents. Bound documents must be separated in order to scan into an electronic format.  To be in funding competition, your file must be complete in the Department of Geography by December 1 (ex:  if you wish to enter Fall 2013, file must be complete by December 1, 2012).

Send the following materials directly to the Department of Geography

1. Three letters of recommendation. List the names and e-mail addresses of individuals submitting letters in the appropriate fields on your Graduate School application. The individuals will receive an e-mail with a link to a secure web page where they can submit your recommendation. Some writers are less inclined to provide thorough letters of recommendation when submitting electronically. Therefore, you may elect to have your letters of recommendation mailed to the graduate coordinator at the department postal address below. If your letters of recommendation are submitted online, please ask your writers to provide a narrative in the space provided in addition to responding to the objective questions. Recommendations should come from professors who know you well. Letters from employers, attorneys, and non-academic individuals are not recommended. 
2. Statement of purpose. Please submit your statement of purpose as an e-mail attachment to geoggrad@uga.edu in Word format. There are no strict guidelines for this narrative, but it should include a clear indication of your interests and objectives related to obtaining a graduate degree in geography. If you are applying to the Ph.D. program, you must indicate a faculty member whom you would prefer to serve as your advisor. We strongly advise applicants to our Ph.D. program to correspond with the faculty member(s) with whom they want to work prior to writing a statement of purpose.
3. Resume or Curriculum Vitae. Please submit your resume or c.v. as an e-mail attachment to geoggrad@uga.edu in  Word format.
4. Assistantship Application Form, only if you are requesting an assistantship. To be considered for a departmental teaching assistantship, international applicants must have obtained a minimum score of 26 on the speaking portion of the IBT TOEFL.

Department postal address
Graduate Coordinator
Department of Geography
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-2502

Send the following materials to the Office of Graduate Admissions

1. Graduate School application form. (If, after repeated attempts, you have difficulty applying online, please contact gradadm@uga.edu.) Learn more
   An application must be accompanied by the application-processing fee. The fee is non-refundable and cannot be deferred or credited toward tuition. It must be paid online at the time the application is submitted using a credit card or electronic check, drawn on a U.S. bank account. Applications submitted without the fee will not be processed.
   • Domestic applicants must pay $75 for the first major, $40 for the second major, and $30 for the third major.
   • International applicants must pay $100 for the first major, $40 for the second major, and $30 for the third major.
   • Former UGA graduate students returning within four terms of their last registration pay a reduced rate of $25.
2. Two official transcripts in sealed envelopes from each institution of higher education attended, including institutions where you did not earn a degree, except the University of Georgia. Transcripts from institutions other than the University of Georgia must be submitted by the application deadline. University of Georgia transcripts are on file. Ask institutional representatives to submit transcripts directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions at the postal address below. Note: We will accept, for informal review only, unofficial copies transcripts sent directly to the department as an attachment to geoggrad@uga.edu. Please also send official transcripts to the Graduate School as directed. Transfer credit posted on the records of other institutions, including the University of Georgia, is not accepted in lieu of transcripts from the original institutions. Official transcripts for these credits must be submitted. This pertains also to study abroad credit that is posted as transfer credit to other institutions.
3. Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores sent by Educational Testing Services. Note: we will accept, for informal review only, unofficial copies of test scores sent directly to the department as an attachment to geoggrad@uga.edu. Please also send official test scores to the Graduate School as directed.
4. Application for Georgia residency status, only if claiming legal residence in Georgia. Learn more

Office of Graduate Admissions postal address
University of Georgia
Office of Graduate Admissions
320 E. Clayton Street, Suite 400
Athens, GA 30602-4401

International applicants must submit the following additional materials to the Office of Graduate Admissions

1. Official TOEFL scores sent by Educational Testing Services.
2. Certificate of Finances form. Learn more
3. Visa documentation. Learn more

Important notes

1. You must send official transcripts and GRE and TOEFL scores to Graduate Admissions. No photocopies will be used to formally review applications or to make formal recommendations regarding admission or funding. Photocopies sent to the department only will be used for a preliminary, informal review.
2. Admissions decisions will be made only on complete files.
3. Only complete files can be considered for funding competitions.