Graduate Student Admissions
Entrance Requirements & Guidelines
Completion of a four-year baccalaureate degree, or its equivalent from a non-U.S. institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4-point scale, are part of the basic admission requirements at the university. Competitive applicants to our Master of Science programs typically have completed coursework in:
- economics through both intermediate microeconomic and intermediate macroeconomic theory
- at least one course in statistics
- one course in calculus
- one course completion in linear algebra is suggested
- GRE is not required; for those interested in submitting their scores, 70th percentile GRE Quantitative Reasoning score reflects the test taker's level of knowledge and is a strong signal of their future success in this program.
You must meet the following admissions requirements, in addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements:
- Unofficial transcripts in English submitted through the Graduate College online application, in PDF format. Official transcripts will be requested if your admission is offered and accepted.
- Three letters of recommendation submitted through the Graduate College online application.
- Do not request/submit additional letters — only the first three will be used if more are submitted.
- At least two letter writers should be faculty members. The third can be from a supervisor at a recent employer if you cannot obtain it from a third faculty member.
- Statement of purpose/personal statement-submitted through Graduate College online application. There are no specific questions for this document. You may include:
- Why you're interested in the program, future goals, interests for assistantship teaching or research or both.
- Faculty members who align with the your areas of interest
- Clarification regarding any deficiencies of admission requirements, as well as anecdotes regarding GPA, work history, and academic history.
- 3.0 minimum undergraduate GPA on a 4.0 scale or 3.0 GPA within a minimum of 12 units of graduate level coursework.
- GRE completion and score submission is optional. For those that complete GRE, official GRE score goal: 70th percentile or better in the quantitative portion is recommended. The institution code is 4832 for the University of Arizona and 0101 for the department. Submit officially from ETS. In the online application, you may enter your scores, but official scores must be submitted by ETS to the University of Arizona, for those that complete GRE and submit it for review within GradApp. See the percentiles and related scores from the ETS website.
How to Apply
- Submit your application for fall admission by the priority deadline (February 1) for the best chance of securing a Graduate Assistantship (GA) and admission.
- Submitted applications require the payment of the application fee. This fee cannot be waived nor rolled into tuition, and is due at the time of the application submission.
- Only submitted and completed applications will be reviewed for admission and for eligible GAs.
- The final deadline to submit your application is May 15 for both domestic and international students.
- Applications received after the priority deadline will still be considered, but with lower chances for GA funding.
Costs & Fees
The cost of your graduate education depends on everything from tuition and books to cost of living. Visit the Graduate College and estimate your cost of attendance.
Learn about funding like graduate assistantships and research positions available to students in the M.S. programs at the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics.
International students
You're considered an international student applicant if you’re not a U.S. citizen, you don't yet hold U.S. permanent resident status or you've submitted residency application documents to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, but haven't yet received formal verification that you've become a permanent U.S. resident.
The requirements you’ll need to meet vary depending on your high school and college experience and the academic requirements of your home country at the time your application is submitted. You may also need to submit proof of English proficiency if your primary language is not English, or you attended school in a non-English speaking country.
Recognized domestic degrees: A four-year undergraduate bachelor degree issued from a regionally accredited institution.
Comparable international degrees: Check the link for country-specific degree requirements.
International applicants must apply at least five months prior to the beginning of the semester in which they wish to begin for those programs that accept applications on a rolling basis. This is to ensure enough time for evaluating the application and processing visa paperwork. Therefore, recommended deadlines for options with rolling admissions are August 1 for the spring semester and March 1 for the fall semester.
Official documents must be an original or a certified copy that's issued by the university or college. Each page must contain the original stamp or seal of the institution, the original signature of the appropriate school authority, and the date of issuance.
The transcript must be a comprehensive record of all study completed, detailing courses studied and the grades (marks ) received.
Degree or diploma certificates are required if the degree is not officially posted on the transcript. Degree or diploma certificates must indicate the type of degree awarded and the date of the award.
Transcripts and degree certificates/diplomas must be submitted in the original native language and must be accompanied by an officially verified English translation issued by the university or college.
E-Transcripts are considered official if sent directly from the institution or transcript service to either University of Arizona department personnel or the Graduate College transcripts inbox at transcripts@grad.arizona.edu. PDF is the required delivery format. Electronic transcripts that require the use of an .exe file to open will not be accepted and an alternate delivery method must be chosen.
For those individuals whose university issues only one set of official documents, please be prepared to present those documents to the Graduate Admissions office for viewing after arrival and enrollment.
The Graduate Admissions office performs all international credentials evaluations in-house and does not accept evaluations from private credentials evaluation services in lieu of the original transcripts and/or diploma from the issuing institution.
International students need to submit proof of English proficiency if your primary language is not English, or you attended school in a non-English speaking country:
- Minimum TOEFL (Paper-based) Score: 550
- Minimum TOEFL (Internet-based) Score: 80
- Minimum IELTS (overall band score): 7
- For official TOEFL Scores: One of the options for students from countries where the native language is not English. The institution code is 4832 for the University of Arizona and 99 for the Department. Submitted officially.