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 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.
Graduate non-matriculated (GNM) is a classification for post-baccalaureate 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 post-baccalaureate student (those seeking a second bachelor’s degree) or as a non-matriculated 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 M.A./Ph.D. or Ph.D. graduate programs.
A maximum of 12 GNM credits may be applied toward a graduate degree at the University of Washington. In the Department of Communication, this is the equivalent of two 5-credit seminar courses.
GNM students are not permitted to enroll in the core sequence of courses (COM 500, COM 501) or in any COM courses at the level of 590 or higher, with the exception of COM 597, the special topic seminars.
| Entry Quarter | Application Deadline |
| Autumn | May 15 |
| Winter | November 15 |
| Spring | February 15 |
We do not accept GNM applications for summer quarter entry.
- Minimum 3.0 or B grade point average over the two most recent years of study (90 quarter or 60 semester credits).
- U.S. equivalent bachelor’s degree.
Submit the following in the online application:
- GNM application. Note that there is a $75 application fee for GNM status.
- Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded from each institution from which you received a degree of Bachelor or higher.
- Letter of intent (2-3 pages) detailing your 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.
- Three recommendations. Letters of recommendation from professors are strongly 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 acceptable. These recommendations are completed online and should not be mailed. The online recommendation includes a short questionnaire as well as the opportunity to paste or upload a letter. Please designate your recommenders within the online application early to allow enough time for them to submit their online recommendations by the deadline.
- Academic writing sample (roughly 10-30 pages). This is typically a paper you wrote for a college or university class, but it can also be a thesis chapter, a journal publication, or a seminar paper. 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.
- Resume or curriculum vitae. If you don’t have a vitae, don’t worry. A resume will do. If you do have a vitae, send it instead.
- GRE scores are NOT required, but should be included in your application if they are available. Official scores should be sent directly by the Educational Testing Service. GRE reporting code is 4854 (no department code).