Detailed information about the Department of Mathematics graduate programs are spelled out in the Mathematics Graduate Bulletin. You can find information in the Bulletin about satisfying the University of Utah's language requirements for non–native-English-speaking graduate students and the TOEFL tests.

Most mathematics graduate students are supported by Teaching Assistantships. Others may be supported by Fellowships or Research Assistantships, depending on the source of funding.

The Mathematics Department deadline for applications for financial aid to start the following fall semester is January 1st. Most financial aid is in the form of Teaching Assistantships during the fall and spring semesters. Alternative support from individual research grants, and additional support from summer teaching, may also be available. Financial aid is typically given only to students in the Ph.D. program.

Students are normally admitted at the beginning of the fall semester, and financial aid to new students is only offered at that time. It is desirable that applications for Teaching Assistantships be submitted as early as possible, but should be received by January 1st in order to receive full consideration. Applications received before March 15th may be considered for financial aid for the following fall semester if positions remain available.

The University application deadlines are November 1st for spring admission, March 15th for summer admission, and April 1st for fall admission.

Typically we only admit students to the PhD programin the fall semester of each year. If you are applying to the PhD program please only select the fall semester as your application term. If there is a strong reason that you need to apply for the PhD program in a different semester please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, listed at the top of this page.

Admission to graduate status in either a Master's or Ph.D. program requires that students hold a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics (or its equivalent), a grade point average of at least 3.0, and that they show promise of success in graduate work. The prerequisites for the various programs vary. For the Ph.D. and Master of Arts / Master of Science degrees, qualified applicants typically possess a Bachelor's or Master's degree in mathematics. In particular, Ph.D. students should be prepared to take the courses that directly lead to qualifying exams.

GRE Exams

While GRE general and mathematics subject test scores are not required for graduate admission application, we understand that some applicants may prefer to have test scores to be included in the evaluation. In this case you may submit the test scores, especially the mathematics subject test score if you are interested in pure mathematics areas, and we will take them into consideration. On the other hand, the omission of GRE test scores will not adversely impact your application.

English Tests

All applicants must meet the University of Utah's minimum requirements for English proficiency, CLICK HERE.

Additionally, successful applicants for Teaching Assistantships must be proficient in their spoken and listening English skills. Those skills are usually reflected in the submitted TOEFL scores (or equivalent). In most cases, for those subsections of the TOEFL, we look for scores of at least about 20, and optimally, of at least about 23.

For international applicants,the I-20 form cannot be processed until ALL documents and fees are submitted to the Office of Admissions, and the student has been admitted by the program.

AY Application
The Department of Mathematics deadline for applications for Teaching Assistantships of the next fall semester is January 1st. The deadlines for admission (without teaching assistantships) are November 1st for spring admission, March 15th for summer admission, and April 1st for fall admission. 

Line-By-Line Application Instructions:

• AY Application
  
  • Create an account
• Basic Information — All Applicants
  • Application Type
  • Program Information
    
    • Program of Interest
      • Campus:  Select Salt Lake City Campus
      • Intended graduate program and degree: Select one of Mathematics MA (Master of Arts in Mathematics), Mathematics MS (Master of Science in Mathematics), Mathematics MST (Master of Statistics-Mathematics), or Mathematics PhD (Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics).
        
        Students interested in Master of Mathematics (Teaching) should select Science Program for Secondary School Teachers MS and follow different instructions on the Master of Mathematics (Teaching) tab. 
      • Application Term and Year: Indicate the term for which you are applying. For most applicants to the mathematics programs this will be next year's Fall Semester. If you are applying to the PhD probram please only select the Fall semester, unless you have already discussed this with the Director of Graduate Studies. 
      • Additional Program Information
      • Area of Interest: Select your most likely area of studies in the Department of Mathematics. For example, if you are interested in geometric group theory, then please indicate "geometry/topology". If you are not sure about what your area will be, or if you do not see your interest listed, please check "undecided," and describe your emphasis in your "Statement of Purpose".
  • Personal Data
  • Contact Information
  • Permanent Address
  • Optional Biographical Information
  • Educational History
    • List your previous graduate study experiences including any study at the University of Utah. You will be asked to list all universities attended including all graduate programs with dates.
    • Colleges and Universities:  You will be asked to enter the colleges and universities you've attended and upload copies of transcripts. Please submit grades from the fall semester whenever possible. If they do not become available until after January 1st, please submit your application and then e-mail us with an updated copy that we will add to your file. 
  • Residency
  • Additional Information
    • Financial Support - Please indicate whether you are applying for financial support from the Department of Mathematics. Usually the financial support available to first year students consists of a teaching assistantship which pays a stipend and a tuition waiver. Teaching Assistants are assigned various duties including teaching classes, running recitation or lab sections and grading.
  • Additional Background Information
  • Voluntary Consent
  • GRE GMAT Score
    • While GRE general and mathematics subject test scores are not required for graduate admission application, we understand that some applicants may prefer to have test scores to be included in the evaluation. In this case you may submit the test scores, especially the mathematics subject test score if you are interested in pure mathematics areas, and we will take them into consideration. On the other hand, the omission of GRE test scores will not adversely impact your application.
  • Additional Test Score
  • Work/Professional Experience
  • Statement of Purpose
    • The Mathematics Department asks that you upload a Statement of Purpose in which you describe your educational and career objectives. We are more interested in hearing about your current interests in mathematics and why Utah is a good fit, rather than a lengthy description of why you decided to study mathematics. We especially like to read about:
      • any undergraduate (or graduate) research experiences/activities that you may have participated in
      • any prior roles as a teaching assistant or mathematics tutor
      • any prior participation in activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion
      • any circumstances which, in recent years, may have negatively affected your transcript
      • which research group in our department you may be interested in joining
      • any particular faculty member that you may want to work with (click on the tenure-line button after following that link)
      • if you are interested in participating in our Algebra, Geometry, and Topology RTG or our Applied Math RTG (note funding from these grants is only open to US citizens and permanent residents)
      • any of our current graduate student activities that you may be interested in participating in, like the Graduate Student Advisory Council, our chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics, or our chapter of the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics
      • any career ideas that you may have for your life after graduate school

      We understand that any statements about future research and career plans are only tentative, and we do not view them as ironclad commitments. In particular, you are certainly allowed to change your research focus after joining our program. 
      
      If you submitted your English proficiency scores through DuoLingo, please add a brief sentence indicating that in your statement. 
  • Post Submission
    • Curriculum Vita - Please upload your CV or resume.
    • Course Descriptions - You may choose to include a list of the mathematics courses (or related courses) that you have taken, along with a short description of the syllabus or course text. This is particularly useful if the Recruitment Committee is not familiar with your undergraduate institution. Here is a sample document.
• Important Links
  • Recommendations
    • For each person providing you a letter of recommendation, please enter their names and email contact information. AY will email your referees and ask them to upload their recommendation. The Department of Mathematics requires at least three letters of recommendation. The most valuable letters are from professors of your advanced mathematics classes and mentors of research projects.