Become a Principal: Licensure-Only, or with an Educational Leadership Master's or Specialist Degree

MA Degree or Licensure-Only Applicants

• Possess (or be in the process of finishing) a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or a comparable degree from a foreign institution.

• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better (on a 4.00 point scale) for the most recent degree earned or current degree in progress.

  If you are still completing your bachelor's degree at the time you apply, admission will be based on your current cumulative GPA, and you will need to re-submit your official transcript (showing your conferred degree and final GPA) during your first semester. If your final GPA fell below 3.00, you will be given additional requirements as defined by the academic program that must be met within one calendar year to remain enrolled at UNC.

  If you have completed a master's degree, or at least 18 credit hours towards a master's degree, the GPA of your master's work will be used.

• Two years of experience in an educational setting.

• Note: the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is NOT required for this program.

EdS Degree Applicants

• Possess (or be in the process of finishing) a master's degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or a comparable degree from a foreign institution.

• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better (on a 4.00 point scale) for the most recent degree earned or current degree in progress. If you are still completing your master's degree at the time you apply, admission will be based on your current cumulative GPA, and you will need to re-submit your official transcript (showing your conferred degree and final GPA) during your first semester. If your final GPA fell below 3.00, you will be given additional requirements as defined by the academic program that must be met within one calendar year to remain enrolled at UNC.

• Adequate academic background and two years of experience related to educational leadership.

• Prerequisite: completion of SRM 600 Introduction to Graduate Research (3) or equivalent.

• Note: the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is NOT required for this program.

For Online Delivery Options

International students residing outside of the United States are eligible to apply to our online programs. Applicants for online programs must demonstrate English proficiency in order to be considered. Possible ways to demonstrate proficiency:

• Qualifying test scores: TOEFL iBT: 80, IELTS: 6.5, PTE: 60
• Completion of a degree in the U.S., or from an English speaking country (parts of Europe, Canada), within the last two years.

Students in completely online UNC programs are not required to come to the United States. You will not need student Visas or receive any immigration documentation, and do not need to provide financial documentation during the application process.

For Colorado Hybrid Delivery Options

Though international students can attend many UNC Extended Campus programs, this delivery of this program is not well-suited for international students due to U.S. immigration requirements concerning the ratio of credit hours that international students must take in the classroom setting compared to how many credits are taken in online courses (immigration counts partially online courses as online).

International students may also be interested in the on-campus delivery of these Educational Leadership degree and licensure options.

Master of Arts and Educational Specialist Students

Students who cannot pay for tuition alone are encouraged to apply for federal financial aid. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA priority filing date for each academic year (a Fall-Spring-Summer cycle which begins each August) is March 1, although the form is now available by October 1 of the previous year and requests tax information from the year prior. For example, the FAFSA form for aid for the 2020-21 school year is released on Oct. 1, 2019, and is based off of 2018 tax return information.

Late submissions of the FAFSA are still accepted throughout the school year but you may not be considered for the maximum amount of aid. If the March priority deadline has passed for the upcoming/current school year, we encourage you to apply for FAFSA consideration as soon as you enroll for your first courses. Depending on the time of year, you may be able to submit an application for the current academic year and an early/priority application for the following academic year.

Master's and Educational Specialist degree students must be enrolled in a minimum of 5 credits per academic term for financial aid eligibility. Full time enrollment is based on 9 credits per term.

To apply for federal financial aid assistance

Fill out the FAFSA form at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa

Licensure-Only Students

Licensure-only (non-degree seeking) students aren't eligible for aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Details about the federal aid program are available at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa. Your program coordinator may be aware of your eligibility for any discipline or campus-based aid if available.

All Students

For more specific help, Extended Campus degree-seeking students may contact Adrina Pawlak in Financial Aid at OFA.Extended@unco.edu, 970-351-4862, or via the UNC Financial Aid website.

Students can also find helpful information such as the Guide to Federal Student Aid at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/resources. Most of the resources are available in English, Spanish, and Braille.