admissions

Graduate Non-Matriculated Status

Requirements and Policies

Taking a course as a graduate non-matriculated (GNM) student can be a useful way to make a more informed decision about going to graduate school. It also allows faculty in the Department of Communication to become more familiar with your interests and aptitude for graduate study. The department only grants GNM status on occasion and usually under special circumstances, as faculty focus their graduate teaching on the substantial population of matriculating graduate students in the department. In a typical year, there are only one or two GNM students in the department.

If you are interested in applying for GNM status, please note the following important deadlines and application information. If you are interested in applying to our degree programs, click here. If you have questions about this information, please e-mail Graduate Program Adviser Mary McGhee at cmuadv@uw.edu.

Purpose of GNM Status

Graduate Nonmatriculated (GNM) is a classification for postbaccalaureate students who are not seeking a graduate degree at the present time. As such, it is not available to international students or anyone who requires a student (F-1) visa. While you do not need to have GNM status to register for a graduate-level class, you must have it in order to apply the credits to a graduate degree at the University of Washington should you later be admitted as a graduate student. By contrast, courses taken either as a postbaccalaureate student (those seeking a second bachelor’s degree) or as a nonmatriculated undergraduate cannot be applied to graduate degree requirements.

The GNM application process is distinct from the regular graduate program application process and GNM status does not influence decisions about admission into the Department of Communication’s graduate program. A separate application package is required to be considered for admission into the graduate program, and you can access information and application forms for regular (matriculated or degree-seeking) graduate program admission here.

Limitations of GNM Status

A maximum of 12 GNM credits may be applied toward a graduate degree. In the Department of Communication, this is the equivalent of two 5-credit seminar courses. While a GNM student is permitted to take more than 12 credits, this is the maximum number of credits that may be later applied toward a graduate degree. GNM students are admitted to the Department of Communication for a maximum of three consecutive quarters of study.

GNM students are not permitted to enroll in the core sequence of courses (COM 500, COM 501, COM 502 and COM 507) or in any COM courses at the level of 590 or higher, with the exception of COM 597, the special topic seminars.

A list of courses is available here >>

Application Deadlines

Autumn and winter quarter entry
Those applying for autumn and winter quarter GNM status must have a complete GNM application in the department’s possession by May 15.

Spring quarter entry
Those applying for spring quarter GNM status must have a complete GNM application in the department’s possession by Nov. 15.

NOTE: These are departmental application deadlines and supersede any Graduate School application deadlines.

GNM Applicant Eligibility Requirements

• Minimum 3.0 or B grade point average over the two most recent years of study.
• Bachelor's degree.

GNM Application Contents

Materials sent to the Department of Communication:

You should send the following items to:

Graduate Admissions Committee
University of Washington
Department of Communication
Box 353740
Seattle, WA 98195-3740

• GNM application. There is no application fee for GNM status. Mail a copy of your application with your other materials.
• Official transcripts in sealed envelopes from the registrar.
• Letter of intent (2-3 pages) detailing educational and career goals. This letter should make it clear why you have chosen to apply for GNM status in the Department of Communication. State your academic goals so that the admissions committee may determine whether your goals could be met in our department and through GNM status.
• Two letters of recommendation (no forms provided). Letters of recommendation from professors are preferred, but if you have been out of school for many years or have another reason for using non-academic references, other professional recommendations are welcome. It is strongly recommended that each letter be on the letterhead of the writer's institution or organization and be submitted in sealed envelopes signed across the seal.
• Academic writing sample (roughly 10-30 pages). This is typically a paper you wrote for a college or university class, but it may also be a report you prepared for an employer or a paper you wrote at the conclusion of an internship. The admissions committee will read your paper to evaluate your writing competence, the clarity of your argument, and the depth of your analysis and insight.

Materials sent to Graduate Admissions:

GNM Office
301 Loew Hall, PO Box 84808
University Of Washington
Seattle, WA 98124-6108

• An additional complete set of official transcripts in sealed envelopes from the registrar.
• GRE scores are NOT required, but should be included in your application if they are available.