Acceptance Rates  |  Application Instructions  |  Supporting Documentation

Application Deadline

Fall/Summer application portals will open in mid-September annually. 

Our final application deadline for Fall 2025 admission is August 1, 2025. 

Note: Applicants for the Early Intervention programs should apply for SUMMER admission and applicants to the K-12 programs should apply for Fall admission. Admitted students in Early Intervention will work with an advisor and can choose to shift to Fall term at a later time.

Apply now by completing the online Division of Graduate Studies Admission Application. 

American Indian/Alaska Native Applicants

American Indian/Alaska Native applicants to the Special Education master’s program qualify for the Sapsik'ʷałá program. Sapsik'ʷałá scholars do service payback by teaching for 2 years in schools with high Native American student populations. Candidates must complete an application for both the Special Education and Sapsik'ʷałá program by January 15, 2025.

Read about the Sapsik'ʷałá program

Acceptance Rates

We admit the following number of students to each of our master’s-level programs on average each year:

• Masters + Licensure Programs: 15–25 Students
• Master’s Only (Non-Licensure) Programs: 3–5 Students
• Added Endorsement (Non-Degree) Programs: 3–5 Students

Application Instructions

Complete the online Division of Graduate Studies Admission Application; select Special Education as your department within the College of Education.

Nonrefundable Application Fee: $70 (Domestic Students)/$90 (International Students), paid by credit card or eCheck. You will need to pay the application fee before you are able to submit the application.

• You do not need to complete the online application in one sitting.
• You will be able to log in and view/updated each section of your application until your payment is made.
• Once this fee is paid, your file is officially submitted to the department.

Within this online application, there are several sections to fill out including:

1. Personal information
2. Residency information
3. Educational information
4. Contact information for three people who will be providing letters of recommendation for you
5. Department application (which includes character questionnaire)

International Applicants seeking program nomination for an international application fee waiver must have a completed UO Division of Graduate Studies Online Graduate Application and then submit a request to the program via email no later than one month before the initial application deadline. At that time, the applicant must have all components of the application completed, uploaded, and ready to submit for the request to be considered. There are limited opportunities for this waiver. Applicants will be notified if their request is approved within 1 week of the deadline to request.

Supporting Documentation

In the application, you are required to upload:

Resume or Curriculum Vitae

Your resume or CV should include the following information, beginning with most recent education, including degree and institution (with dates of graduation):

Professional Goal Statement

Discuss your professional goals and why you feel our program can support you in meeting these goals.

Statement about Experiences with Individuals with Disabilities

Describe your experiences in working with individuals and/or families with disabilities.

Letters of Recommendation

You must provide the email contact information for three sources for letters of recommendation within the application. Please select individuals that can attest to your ability to be successful in a graduate program, your experience in schools, and/or leadership abilities in schools or community contexts. The individuals who provide recommendations should have come to know you through a professional relationship (e.g., supervisors, mentors) or academic relationship (e.g., instructor/professor, advisor). Letters from individuals who you supervise (e.g., an assistant in a classroom where you are the teacher), family/relatives, and peers (e.g., co-workers) will not be considered.

Each recommender will receive an automated email prompt, directing them to an online system for evaluating you on several different components as well as the option to upload a letter on your behalf.

Official Transcripts

Transcripts:

At the time of application, applicants must submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges or universities previously attended, including the University of Oregon. Unofficial transcripts are uploaded as part of the online application. Applicants who accept their offer of admission and matriculate must submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities from which they received a bachelor’s degree or higher. Detailed information about submitting official transcripts is available here.

English Language Proficiency:

All applicants for whom English is not a native/primary language must satisfy one of the following English Language Proficiency criteria in order to be eligible for admission.

Character Questionnaire—Licensure Applicants Only

The character questionnaire is filled out online as part of the admissions application.

The admissions committee does not have access to this the information until the time they are ready to make an admissions decision; it is used for advising purposes only.