A transcript is a document issued by the
university that awarded the Bachelor’s degree which lists all
completed courses with their corresponding grades. For a transcript to
be considered official, it must be printed on official paper
and be sealed and/or signed by the Registrar of the issuing
institution. Official documents must arrive at the Graduate Studies
Office in an envelope sealed by the university. If the institution
hands the transcripts to the student, the student must deliver it to
the Graduate Studies Office in the same sealed envelope in which it was
received.
Universities generally issue official transcripts in
their native language. If the transcript is not in English or Spanish,
the applicant must submit an exact, clear, legible and precise
translation of the document in English, in conjunction with the
official transcript in its original language. To obtain an English
translation please contact University Language Services, Inc. (ULS) through the Internet at (http://www.alsintl.com/university.htm) or call 1-800-419-4601 (outside of the US call 212-766-4111).
Degree Certificate
If the transcript does not include the awarded degree, the applicant must also submit a degree certificate (that
is, an official document confirming that the applicant has fulfilled
all academic requirements and has been awarded the degree or title).
The transcript or degree certificate must indicate the
applicant’s academic average (a final numerical average
calculated by the university that awarded the degree based on all the
grades obtained by the candidate). If an applicant submits an
application during his/her final semester of undergraduate studies,
conditional admittance may be awarded on the condition that final
evidence that the degree was completed is presented. We recommend that
international students apply for admission after completing their
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent studies.
Letters of Recommendation
Every graduate program requires a number of letters of
recommendation as part of the documents required for admission. The
link for the electronic letter of recommendation is
http://grad.uprm.edu/recommendation.php.
The letters of recommendation can also be submitted through paper
form. It is very important that the applicant confirms with the
person who will provide the letter of recommendation the choice of
format (electronic or paper form) that will be used for this
purpose.
Deadlines
The deadline to apply for graduate studies beginning in
August is February 15 of the same year. September 15 is the
deadline for admission to begin graduate studies in January of the
following year. Applications may be accepted up to three weeks
late (for entrance in January) and up to four weeks late (for entrance
in August) by paying a late application fee of US $10.00.
Some departments may accept applications after these
dates. For further information, the applicant must contact the Director
or Graduate Program Coordinator of the relevant department and ensure
the Graduate Studies Office is aware the department is willing to
accept a late application. At the bottom of this page you will find a
table with the names and e-mail addresses of the contact personnel in
each of the programs.
Application Status
The two most common reasons applications are not
processed in time are that a required document (official transcript,
degree certificate, letter of recommendation, entrance exam, course
schedule, etc.) was not received by the Graduate Studies Office or the
payment of application fees were not completed.
Each complete application (see “General Admission
Requirements”) is submitted to the Graduate Committee of the
relevant department for evaluation. Once the Departmental Committee
reaches a final decision, the Graduate Studies Office sends a
corresponding official acceptance or rejection letter to the applicant
via electronic mail. For more detailed information on the
criteria used by each department to evaluate candidates, as well as
information on financial aid, the applicant must contact the
administrative staff listed in the following table.
Frequently
Asked Questions about the Admissions Process
1. What is the deadline to apply for Graduate
Studies? February 15th (for
entrance in August) and September 15 (for entrance in January).
2. Can I apply after the deadline?
Applications may be accepted up to three weeks late (for entrance in
January) and up to four weeks late (for entrance in August) by
paying a late application fee of US $10.00. Some departments may
accept applications after these dates. For further information, the
applicant must contact the Director or Graduate Program Coordinator
of the relevant department.
3. Can I send the application form and letters of
recommendation by regular mail? No,
the application form and letters of recommendation must be submitted
electronically. The only documents accepted by regular mail are
those sent directly by the applicant's university.
4. Can I apply before completing my degree?
Students pursuing undergraduate studies at the UPRM, or other local
university, can apply for admission during their last semester of
studies. International applicants must complete their undergraduate
studies first.
5. Do I need an electronic address?
Yes, all communication with the applicant takes place through
e-mail. It is the applicant's responsibility to check e-mail
frequently, and ensure their account is configured to properly
accept messages from our office, so they are not deposited in junk
mail.
6. Is there a difference between the terms city,
state, country and postal city, postal state, postal country?
The first terms apply to the applicant's physical address, where
they reside. The second term refers to the address where they
receive their mail. In most cases, both addresses are the same, but
in some cases people live in one place and receive mail somewhere
else, such as the home of a family member. Residents of Puerto Rico
and the
US will not
received correspondence by regular mail. International applicants
will only receive documents required to process their visa
applications.
7. What documents do I need to submit in addition to
the application form? Two official
university transcripts that include all completed university-level
courses must be submitted. A transcript is a document issued
by the university that awarded the Bachelor's degree which lists all
completed courses with their corresponding grades. If the
transcript does not include the awarded degree, the applicant must
also submit a degree certificate. The transcript or degree
certificate must include a grade point average.
8. What is a degree certificate?
An official document confirming that the applicant has fulfilled all
academic requirements and has been awarded the degree or title.
9. What is the academic index or grade point average?
The final numerical average calculated by the university that
awarded the degree based on all the grades obtained by the
applicant.
10. The minimum grade point average for admission to
UPRM is 2.5, but a different grade point scale is used in my
country. How is this evaluated? The
Graduate Studies Office will evaluate the grade point average of
transcripts from universities using equivalency reference tables
prepared by recognized institutions, such as World Education
Services. Equivalencies are not calculated by arithmetic
proportion.
11. What is an "official" document or copy?
Official copies or documents must be printed on official
paper and be sealed and/or signed by the Registrar of the issuing
institution. Official documents must arrive at the Graduate Studies
Office in an envelope sealed by the university. If the institution
hands the transcripts to the student, the student must deliver it to
the Graduate Studies Office in the same sealed envelope in which it
was received.
12. Must I submit an English translation of my
official transcript? Universities
generally issue official transcripts in their native language. If
the transcript is not in English or Spanish, the applicant must
submit an exact, clear, legible and precise translation of the
document in English, in conjunction with the official transcript in
its original language. To obtain an English translation please
contact University Language Services, Inc. (ULS) (http://www.alsintl.com/university.htm)
or call 1-800-419-4601 (outside of the
US
call 212-766-4111). This information is included for your
convenience. All arrangements must be made through ULS according to
the services required.
13. Must I take special exams before applying for
admission? The application form
includes a list of departments that require special exams.
Applicants must become aware of the dates exams are offered to
ensure results will be available to the Graduate Studies Office on
or before the application submission deadline.
14. What is the minimum score to pass these exams?
Minimum scores, if applicable, are determined by each graduate
program. The university does not set an overall minimum score.
15. How many letters of recommendation are required
and how are they submitted? Three
letters of recommendation are required from professors and/or
professionals who know the applicant's character, academic training
and professional achievements. The fourth page of the application
form provides a link to the reference form applicants must send each
of their references. Each reference will access the web page,
complete the reference form and submit it electronically.
16. How do I pay the application fee?
The fastest and most efficient method of payment is by credit card
as deposits are made instantly and the applicant receives a receipt
immediately. Payment is the last step in the application process,
and can only be done once the application is completed. Payments can
also be made directly on campus at the Finance Office, in which case
the applicant or his/her representative must take the receipt of
payment to the Graduate Studies Office.
17. What are the most common reasons my application
will not be considered on time? The
two most common reasons applications are not processed in time are
that a required document (official transcript, degree certificate,
letter of recommendation, entrance exam, course schedule, etc.) was
not received by the Graduate Studies Office and the graduate program
was unable to evaluate the application within the established time
frame.
18. Can I recover the documents I submitted and the
application fee if my application is denied?
No. Documents submitted during the application process belong to the
University of
Puerto Rico at
Mayagüez and will not be returned. The application fee is also not
refundable.
19. How do I apply for a student assistantship at
UPRM? Assistantships are requested by
filling in the appropriate box during the application process. The
department will evaluate your application and determine if an
assistantship will be awarded.
20. How can I obtain more information on programs I
am interested in? Click on the link
on the right side of this page for access to the various
departments. You can also consult the graduate catalogue.
21. Can another person act on my behalf at the
Graduate Studies Office? Yes, as long
as we receive a letter identifying this person and authorizing them
to represent you at the university. However, we cannot send them
immigration forms or transcripts.
22. What happens after I submit my application?
Once an application is submitted, the Graduate Studies Office waits
for your three letters of recommendation and transcripts to arrive.
Each complete application is then submitted to the relevant
department for evaluation. Once the department reaches a final
decision, the Graduate Studies Office informs the applicant via
electronic mail.
23. How can I monitor the status of
my application?
The Graduate Studies Office sends the applicant an electronic
message regarding the complete or incomplete status of their
application to graduate studies. The applicant will be notified via
email of the relevant department's decision. Our office cannot
provide information on the status of the applicant's evaluation, the
criteria used by each department or the offer of financial
assistance.
24. Who awards admissions and assistantships?
Decisions are made by each department. The Graduate Studies Office
does not interfere in this process.
25. Can I postpone my admission?
Yes, the admission to graduate
studies can be deferred to the following semester. You will need to
petition the Department in which you were
accepted. It is not necessary to reapply to graduate studies. Please
view the
Certification Number 26 (2003-04) of the UPR Board of Syndicates.
26. If my application is denied, can I apply to have
the decision reconsidered? No, you
will have to reapply. If the application is denied again you will
have to wait two years to reapply.
27. Can international students receive admission
documents and I-20 forms after the established deadline?
For each application period the Graduate Studies Office establishes
a deadline to send I-20 forms and admission documents to the
applicant's home. The Graduate Studies Office will not send these
documents after the deadline. The applicant will have to reapply for
admission the following semester and pay the applicable fees.
Transcripts, letters of recommendation and other documents that were
included in the first application will be transferred to the new
application. Any changes to documents previously submitted to the
Graduate Studies Office must be notified in writing.
