If this is your first visit, please read all the information below before applying.
When you are ready to apply you can go directly to the
Apply Online web site.
Prerequisites for admission
The prerequisites for admission to the graduate program in mathematics at KU are an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution with a program of study in mathematics and a record of achievements that shows strong promise of success in graduate school. In particular, a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in undergraduate studies and a 3.0 GPA in mathematics are required for admission. A prospective student should have taken courses in mathematics at the undergraduate level in abstract algebra, linear algebra, and advanced calculus or introduction to analysis. Such courses should be comparable to our courses numbered 500, 558, and 590 (see Math courses for details). It is also very beneficial to the students if they have some minimum preparation in probability/statistics or numerical analysis (like our courses 627/628 and/or 581). Although not required, we also recommend that you take introductory courses in complex analysis, differential equations, and/or topology before considering graduate work in mathematics in our program (see for example our courses numbered 646, 647)
In addition, international students need to fulfill some English language requirements described below.
Altough currently the GRE is not required by our department, we suggest that you take the test since it is used by the Graduate School and other university units in evaluating students for
certain very competitive internal fellowships. (See the page about
Fellowships on this site.) .
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Application forms and application materials
There are different application forms for domestic and international students. Both are available online and in paper form. Links to them can be found by visiting the
Graduate Application Processing Center, where there is additional information for prospective students that we suggest you to read before applying.
If you are interested in applying for admission to our graduate program, you have to filled the application form on-line found HERE, and you must submit to the Department of Mathematics the following materials:
- one official transcript from each college or university you have attended,
- your resume/curriculum vitae,
- a list of the textbooks you used in mathematics courses beyond the calculus level, and
- a statement of purpose indicating your mathematical preferences and interests.
Finally, you should arrange to have
- three letters of recommendation sent directly to the Department of Mathematics too.
All the above application materials should be sent to:
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Graduate Admissions Director
Department of Mathematics
University of Kansas
405 Snow Hall
1460 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7523
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If the on-line application form is not accessible to you, please complete the paper version available at http://www.graduate.ku.edu/apply/paper_app.shtml and mail it to: Graduate Application Processing Center,
University of Kansas, Strong Hall, Room 313, 1450 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045. We strongly urge you to use the on-line application form if at all possible.
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Application fee
For domestic students, the fee is $45 if they apply online and $55 otherwise. For international students, the fees are $55 (online) and $60 otherwise.
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Admission process
Normally, most our students are admitted in the fall semester and our program and course sequences are designed with that in mind.
The Graduate Committee of the Department of Mathematics evaluates the candidates and makes recommendations to the Graduate School regarding admission. The number of students admitted into the program changes from year to year and admissions are made on a competitive basis. We consider candidates only after all application materials have been received.
There are no additional application forms for financial support; students are considered for support based on merit.
Most of the students accepted in the program receive an offer of financial support in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA). Nevertheless, the number of GTAs available is limited and sometimes we cannot offer GTAs to all the students we admit.
Although the admission process continues until the deadlines stated below we start making GTA offers by early February.
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Admission for the spring semester
Under special circumstances, a few students are admitted in the spring semester
(because most beginning graduate courses offered in the spring are continuation of courses offered in the fall). The admission procedure is the same as for the fall semester. The main difference, however, is that it is much more difficult to get a GTA in the spring semester, since most are awarded in the fall.
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Admission as a provisional student
Ocassionally, students with promising academic records who have not completed a full undergraduate mathematics major (e.g., engineers) are admitted provisionally and given a semester to make up courses, after which their status is changed from "provisional" to "regular".
Provisional graduate students are not eligible for financial support from the Department of Mathematics.
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Deadlines for applications
The deadlines for domestic and international students are different due to the time required to process visa applications. Although we can admit domestic students for the fall semester until August 4 and international students until May 2, we recommend that you send all the application materials before the end of January so that you can receive full consideration for financial support. (See also the deadlines for some particular university fellowships.)
For the spring semester the deadlines are January 4 for domestic students
and October 15 for international ones.
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Financal support
As already mentioned, most of our graduate students have teaching assistantships. These are half-time (20 hours/week) positions. Most GTAs teach calculus; some teach pre-calculus. A GTA position includes tuition and fees, and an initial nine-month salary of about $17,600.
International students must meet additional English language requirements to qualify for GTA positions; see below.
Students who have passed the Ph.D. qualifying exams will normally receive additional summer fellowships. Other graduate students in good academic standing may be able to teach in the summer.
Research assistantships (RAs)
are very limited and usually attached to externally funded
research projects of faculty members in the department. RAs are generally awarded to Ph.D. candidates who are ready to be involved in research work.
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GPA for international students with a different grade system
If you are an international student from a country with a grade/point system
different from the one used in the US, we will do our best to interpret the grades in your transcripts in the context of your country. In this regard, it will help us if some of your letters of recommendations are from individuals who are familiar with the grade systems in both the US and your country, and if they address this issue in their letters.
Roughly, you can translate your grades to the 0-4 point system according to the following
conversion table:
| A grade that represents a score of | --- | should be converted into
|
| 90% or more | | 4 points
|
| 80% or more but less than 90% | | 3 points
|
| 70% or more but less than 80% | | 2 points
|
| 60% or more but less than 70% | | 1 point
|
| less than 60% | | 0 points
|
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All international students from non English-speaking countries must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This also applies to US citizens and permanent residents who are not native speakers of English. In either case this requirement can be waived if the student graduated with a baccalaureate degree or higher
from an institution in an English-speaking country. Under special circumstances, a student
from a non English-speaking country who has received his/her education from an
institution whose medium of instruction is English may apply to waive this requirement too
(this situation, however, needs to be properly documented).
For admission to graduate study as a regular student all part scores on the TOEFL exam must be at least 57 for the paper-based exam, or at least 23 for the computer-based exam. The Test of Written English (TWE) score must be 4.0 or better.
As an alternative, The Graduate School accepts now the Cambridge IELTS exam: students must achieve a minimum overall score of 6.5 on this test, with no part score less than 6.0.
Students who score below these levels may be considered for admission on a provisional basis.
Further information about the required minimum TOEFL scores can be found at
http://www.oip.ku.edu/~oip/students/mepr/
Only official scores will be accepted and they should be sent to the Department of Mathematics. If you are asked to provide Institutional and Departmental codes, the KU Institutional code is 6871, and the Department code is 0703. (You can send copies to let us know in advance about your scores, but they will not be accepted by the university.)
Please note that there are additional English requirements to be eligible for a GTA position:
International students whose native language is not English and are interested in a teaching assistantship must also achieve a score of at least 50 points on the Test of Spoken English (TSE). This requirement can also be met by taking the iBT TOEFL with a Speaking component and achieving a score of at least 26 in that part. The Department of Mathematics cannot waive this requirement. It is a requirement of the State Board of Regents and applies even if you have already been teaching
at a university in another state. This requirement has to be fulfilled before we can make you a GTA offer. If you fulfill the TOEFL requirements but not the TSE ones, you could be admitted as a student but not as GTA.
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Visas
Once we have your completed (satisfactory) application, including your TOEFL and TSE scores, and a recommendation for admission as student is made, the department will determine whether we can also offer you a GTA position. If so, the University will then mail you a letter confirming your admission to graduate study, and the Mathematics Department will send you separately an I-20 (immigration) form confirming your GTA appointment and your ability to support yourself financially in the United States.
If the Mathematics Department cannot offer you a GTA position, and you still want to come, you must provide proof (in the form of certified bank statements) of your ability to support yourself financially for a full year in order to obtain an I-20 form.
Once you receive your I-20, contact the nearest US Embassy or Consulate to apply for the visa and to arrange an interview. In most cases, you will be granted an F-1 visa at the interview. If something goes wrong, get in touch with us immediately and we will try to help.
The University of Kansas does not have any restrictions on the number of students who can be admitted from any particular country
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Housing, health insurance, introductory orientation, etc...
You can either live on or off campus. For first year international students, it is probably easier to live on campus. Check the Department of Student Housing web site.
Information about health insurance can be found at http://www2.ku.edu/~issfacts/insurance/index.shtml.
The Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) maintains a comprehensive web site. You will find therein further instructions about the different types of visas and other matters of interest to
international students.
ISSS also runs
a 5-day orientation the week before classes start for the fall semester. This is an excellent way to become familiar with how things work in the US. The Mathematics Department strongly encourages you to attend this session, and will pay your registration and housing fees during the period of the orientation.
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For additional information, please contact:
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Graduate Admissions
Department of Mathematics
University of Kansas
1460 Jayhawk Blvd
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7523
USA
E-mail: admissions AT math.ku.edu
Phone: (785) 864-3651
Fax: (785) 864-5255
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