Applying to graduate school is a process. As you prepare for this next step, it’s important to plan ahead.

This timeline is based on applying for a program that starts in the fall. Make sure to adjust the timeline if you’re applying for a program with a different start date.

• Junior Year
• Senior Year

Your Junior Year

April–May

• Begin researching graduate schools. Confirm which programs require specific entrance exams, such as the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT and what scores are required for admission. Take practice tests.

  This timeline uses the GRE as an example.

June

• Register for the GRE general test, if necessary. If you’re at the Eugene campus, you can register for the GRE at the UO Testing Center.

  To help you prepare, the UO’s Tutoring and Academic Engagement Center offers GRE resources and an MCAT workshop.

  If you’re not on campus, you can register to take the GRE general test at other locations.

July

• Reach out to former professors and advisors to reconnect and request recommendations.
• Contact schools that interest you, and request more information.
• Consider taking a GRE practice test. You can also take the GRE and other entrance exams more than once. 

August

• Begin drafting your personal statement, which serves as a sample of your writing. Some institutions will provide a specific prompt to follow. Research their program and answer as specifically as possible for each institution and program.

  If there is no prescribed topic, this statement can describe how an event, achievement, or academic or personal circumstance has shaped your experience and outlook. Tell aspects about yourself that are relevant to the degree program, your academic and professional goals, and your reasons for wanting to attend that school and degree program. Be specific: explain why you want them and why they should choose you. What do you offer to the program?

• Ask for feedback from those in the field—professors, graduate students, and other professionals— and those outside the field for a fresh perspective. Make an appointment with a career coach for one-on-one coaching as you prepare and finesse your personal statement. 
• Take the GRE general test. If you’re not happy with your scores, sign up to take it again.
• Confirm your recommenders. Share your draft personal statement with each of them.

Your Senior Year

September

• Register for the November GRE Subject Test, if necessary.
• Finalize your list of prospective schools, and familiarize yourself with the professors who share your research interests at each school.
• Keep polishing your personal statement. 

October

• Request your official UO transcripts from the Office of the Registrar and any other undergraduate institutions you have attended. 
• Contact students and professors at your prospective schools by reaching out to them via the department’s website. Find faculty members who are doing research you are passionate about, and ask current graduate students about their experience in the program.
• Arrange a campus visit if you can, or visit the campus virtually.

November

• Send your recommenders your finalized personal statement that they can use as a reference. Make sure your recommenders have at least a month before your deadline to write something thoughtful and ask any follow-up questions.
• Research potential funding for your graduate program by reviewing your eligibility for FAFSA, school-based funding or external scholarships, grants, military benefits, work opportunities, teaching or research, or tuition reimbursement from an employer. Note that some need-based financial aid and graduate scholarship applications are due at the same time or shortly after your graduate applications. Some funding sources may not be available for first-year graduate students but you can apply for subsequent terms.
• Take the GRE Subject Test, if necessary. Send your scores to your desired schools.

December

• Complete and submit all graduate school applications. Keep copies for your records. Confirm that your recommender will submit the recommendation on time.
• Confirm the due dates for your desired programs or schools, as their due dates may vary.