Admissions
Our next admissions process will begin November 15, 2009 for the 2010 cohorts. The deadline is February 1st.
Thank you for your interest in the Student Affairs
Administration (SAA) program at UW-La Crosse. Please read all
the information regarding our
Graduate Studies guidelines and
the SAA application requirements before you apply. Please note
that the admissions process for the 2009 Online program (starts
in May) and the 2009 On-Campus program (starts in fall) is
closed so you will need to wait until November to apply for
2010.
To qualify for unconditional admission to graduate study at
UW-La Crosse, you must have:
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.
- An overall undergraduate grade point average of at least
2.85 on a 4.00 scale, or
An average of at least 3.00 in the last half of all undergraduate work, or
An average of at least 3.00 for no less than 12 semester credits of graduate study at another accredited graduate school. - Departmental (SAA) or school/college approval to enter the graduate program chosen.
- The SAA program does not require the GRE or other tests for admission to the program.
If you have an undergraduate grade point average between 2.50
and 2.84 and are otherwise qualified, you may be admitted to
graduate programs on probation if there is evidence of your
ability to do satisfactory graduate work.
If you have earned at least six credits in an accredited
graduate school with grades of "A" or "B," you may be admitted
on probation if you meet all other requirements. If your
undergraduate grade point average is below 2.50, you may be
allowed to take six semester credits of advanced undergraduate
or graduate course work (specified by the appropriate program
director). If you earn a "B" or better in each course, you may
be granted admission on probation, however, these credits will
not apply to a graduate degree.
If you entered on probation, after completing nine graduate
semester credits with a cumulative graduate grade point average
of 3.00 or better, you will be removed from probation. If you
haven’t attained the required 3.00 or better, you will be
dismissed.
Application Requirements
Your application will be considered "complete" when all of the
following materials have been received by the SAA program:
- The Graduate Studies electronic application (the Admissions Offices forwards a copy to SAA after they approve it) -- make sure you send ALL transcripts from every institution ever attended to the Admissions Office per the Graduate Studies application instructions or your application will be held up in the Admissions Office. Note: not receiving all transcripts is the #1 reason for application delays and/or incomplete applications so take care of this promptly. If you have only taken one class at another university/college (including international), you must have those transcripts sent.
- The SAA electronic application(On-Campus or Online) .
- Your resume.
- A writing sample.
- Two letters of recommendation.
- The names and contact information for two additional references.
Complete the application process as instructed in the "Apply Now"
section. Please note that all the application processes are
completed electronically -- either online or via email. Our
Admissions Coordinator, Teresa, would really appreciate it if
you would follow the application directions to a "t" since it
definitely helps her with organizing all the incoming materials.
After the deadline dates pass, only complete
applications will be considered by the SAA Admissions Committee.
Late "complete" applications will only be considered if there
are spots available. Thus, make sure to meet the deadline if you
want your application to be considered promptly after the
deadline.
The SAA Admissions Committee will consider all aspects of your
application materials including your academic history, campus
involvements, and work experiences. For On-Campus applicants,
interviews will be conducted as part of the application and
graduate assistantship process. You interview separately for the
SAA program and then meet with graduate assistantship
supervisors individually to interview for their open positions
(these usually last about 30 minutes). For
Online applicants, interviews will be conducted as needed and
preference is given to those currently working in higher
education or who have comparable work experience.
The SAA faculty seek students with diverse backgrounds and
interests. Students admitted to the program have a variety of
academic backgrounds (no particular major is required) and
experiences. Multi-cultural experiences (both academic and
work/personal) are valued and encouraged.
Enrollment Targets
We anticipate enrolling 15-17 students in the next Online
cohort and 15 students in the On-Campus cohort (2009-11). It's
difficult to predict how many students will apply to the Online
program and we generally anticipate 40-60 complete applications
for the On-Campus program although that can vary from year to
year as well.
The Application Timeline/Process
The SAA Admissions timeline is as follows:
November 15th -- applications will begin to be accepted per the
directions in the "Apply Now" section. All communication
regarding your application status is done via email. The SAA
Admissions Committee will not look at the applications until
after the application deadline and once they are officially
informed that you meet the graduate school requirements. You
will receive an email to notify you that your application is
complete. We appreciate early applications (to help us stay
organized) but please note that there is no priority given to
early applications. However, it is very important that your
application is completed (ALL your materials have been received)
by the deadline so you can receive full consideration at the
beginning of the process -- the most common problems are either
late transcripts or reference letters.
February 1st -- the application deadline for the SAA Online
& On-Campus
Program; the SAA Admissions Committee will begin to review
completed applications after this date. Late applications
may be accepted if spots are still available. Thus, if you apply
after the deadline, please be aware that your application will
only be considered if spots are available after the first round
of interviews and/or offers have taken place. Check
the top of this page for updates.
3rd-4th week in February
-- Online candidates will be extended offers to join
the SAA program, be placed on the "wait" list, or will be
notified that they are no longer being considered for admittance
to the program. On-Campus candidates will be offered the
opportunity to interview (for the program and available graduate
assistantships), be placed on the "Wait" list, or will be
notified that they are no longer being considered for the SAA
program. In some cases, the Program Director (Dr. Jodie Rindt)
may need to contact applicants for more information before a
status decision is determined. Note: the On-Campus interview
process will be held on two weekends (dates to be determined).
Beginning in Mid-March through April 1st
-- offers to join the
SAA On-Campus Program with graduate assistantship assignments
(if available)
will be sent out via email.
April 1st -- final deadline to accept our offer to the Online
program or your "spot" will be offered to another applicant who
is on the "waiting list."
April 15th -- final deadline to accept our offer to the
On-Campus program or your "spot" will be offered to another
applicant who is on the "waiting list." This is a
national deadline for all on-campus student affairs-related
programs. If spots are still available after this deadline, the
Admissions Committee will contact candidates on the "Wait List"
for program interviews. All candidates on the Wait List should
receive an update within a week or two after this date.
May 15th -- all admissions decisions should be finalized.
2nd or 3rd week in May -- Online program begins.
Tuesday after Labor Day
-- On-Campus program begins (some
graduate assistantships start at the beginning of August).
Questions? Call 608.785.6869