Admissions

Students wishing to receive full consideration for financial support from the Department of Earth Sciences (departmental scholarships, Teaching Assistantships, and Research Assistantships) are advised to submit their online application (including recommendation letters) by December 1 for the following fall semester and November 1 for the following spring semester. 

Applications submitted after these deadlines are reviewed on a rolling basis. Please contact us if you have special circumstances. Applications received at any time are considered for financial support if funds are available. 

For exceptional PhD applicants wishing to be considered for the UB Presidential Fellowship or Schomburg Fellowship, and for full consideration for teaching assistantships, application submission by December 1 is required.

• University at Buffalo Online Application: Please submit the online application for review. If you do not wish to complete the entire application at this time, you may create and save a partial application for completion at a later date. We offer a self-managed, paperless, application process.
  • On your application, you will identify and list faculty you would be interested in serving as your mentor. A complete list of faculty available for mentoring can be found on our website. It is expected that you reach out to faculty who you are interested in studying and research alongside during the application process.
• Personal Statement: As part of the online application, we require a brief statement of your research interests and experienc, as well as your educational goals and career objectives.
• Application Fee: Once you have submitted your online application for Formal Review, you will be prompted to pay the application fee by credit card or E-check. The $75 application fee is non-refundable.
• Transcripts: We require official or unofficial transcripts from every institution previously attended. You must upload transcripts yourself. Only after acceptance to the University at Buffalo will we request official transcripts.
• Letters of Recommendation: We require three (3) letters of recommendation from former or present professors who can speak to your capabilities for graduate work. Enter the contact information for your referees in the recommendation section of the online application. After you submit your application, your referees will receive e-mail information prompting them to submit online recommendations.

With questions about the graduate application process, please contact Daniel Hamner, Graduate Coordinator.