Start your application at the Admissions website for the University of Peace

Apply   

Admission Criteria

As a minimum academic requirement, students will be expected to have an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline such as political science, economics, law, hydrology, engineering, geography or water resources. Prior professional experience will not be a requirement, but an excellent knowledge of and fluency in English is required (particularly because of the interactive elements of the course). Applicants will be carefully screened during the selection process to ensure they meet the requirements of the programme. 

Minimum Requirements

1. Baccalaureate degree or equivalent

First, applicants must have completed a baccalaureate degree (BA, BS) or equivalent from an accredited college or university to qualify. Because this Programme is an intensive course of study, demonstrated academic excellence is a must. Prospective applicants should have achieved a minimum GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 or the equivalent in their baccalaureate studies.

2. Proficiency in English

Since coursework will be conducted in the English language, applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English by achieving either a score of 90 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a score of 7.0 on the International English Language Test (IELTS).

3. Funding

For us to successfully assist with visa applications for entry into each country of the partner institutions, students must be able to demonstrate that they have sufficient funding to complete the Programme. Applicants must be able to provide either an affidavit of financial support from a sponsor or an affidavit demonstrating sufficient personal funds that would allow the student to complete the Programme. Some scholarship funding may be available. However, it will be allocated to students admitted to the program on a competitive basis.

4. Work experience

Finally, owing to the nature of the Programme, previous cross-cultural involvement and work experience in fields related to water resources and/or water cooperation are also desirable.

Costs

The costs of the Programme will vary based on whether a student chooses to complete the project-based option or the thesis-based option (and in this case on where the thesis is completed and which degrees are obtained). The table below lists the costs of tuition and fees of these different degree options for the 2016-2017 cohort.

In addition, the estimated cost of living for each stage in the Programme is provided; this is an estimate, and these living costs may vary. Note that the costs are expressed in dollars, using a conversion rate of at € 1.09 = $1.00 to estimate costs for study in the Netherlands.

Not included here are the costs for obtaining a student visa to attend university in each partner country or the costs of travel from the home of the student to the participating institutions, and between the partner institutions.

Table 1.  Projected costs for 2016-17 cohort for tuition and fees to complete either a project-based degree (by completing a collaborative group research project conducted at OSU), or a thesis–based degree at one of the partner institutions.* Cost of living and travel to study at each institution are not included here, and would thus be in addition to the cost below; these added costs would be expected to be about $25,000 over the course of the programme, but would, of course, vary depending on student choices of housing and costs of travel from various regions of the world to the partner universities.  All costs are estimated costs in dollars with the exchange rate at € 1.09 = $1.00 for study in the Netherlands.
 

Project-based option

Thesis at UPEACE

Thesis at IHE

Thesis at OSU

Tuition and fees

$34,600

$37,300

$41,400

$40,000

Application Materials

Applications are now open and will be accepted through March 31 each year for admission to the cohort that will begin the programme the following August. However, while applications will be accepted through March 31, to be considered for the broadest range of financial aid opportunities, students are encouraged to apply by the first Friday in January for admission as part of the cohort that will begin their studies at the University of Peace in August of that same year.

Please submit the following required application materials:

  1. English Proficiency Test Scores Report (TOEFL, IELTS)

  2. Statement of Purpose

  3. Letters of Recommendation

  4. Official Undergraduate Transcripts

  5. Copy of Undergraduate Diploma

  6. Curriculum Vitae or Résumé

  7. Financial Form**

  8. Copy of Passport

  9. If you have taken the GRE, please submit your GRE scores

**The financial forms required vary, depending on the source of your funding as follows:

  • If your sponsor is a company or an institute: submit a letter from your sponsor, in which they confirm that all costs as mentioned in the cost table will be covered;

  • If your sponsor is an individual (family member, friend): submit a letter from your sponsor, in which they confirms that all costs as mentioned in the cost table will be covered including proof of the funds being available (bank statement)

  • If you will be covering the costs yourself: submit a letter in which you confirm that all costs as mentioned in the cost table will be covered including proof of the funds being available (bank statement)

Admissions Procedure

Following initial review of application materials, applicants who are being considered for admission will be asked to participate in a brief interview with the Joint Management Committee of the Programme (JMC) before final selection to the Programme. These interviews will likely be scheduled in mid-June between 2:00 and 4:00 PM Greenwich Mean Time.

Students will receive notification of their admission by email the following week, followed by a signed letter of admission. The first classes in the joint Programme will be conducted at the University for Peace in Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica, starting in August each year (beginning with the UPEACE Foundations Course UPM 6001 – see the online course catalog at U Peace for specific details on start of term dates for the coming year).

Questions about the application process for the University of Peace should be directed to:

Antonela Alpizar at the University of Peace [email protected]

Questions specific to admission to Oregon State University for the US portion of the programme should be directed to:

Rosemary Garagnani, Registrar [email protected]

Questions about the course content or curriculum at each institution should be directed to the JMC member at that partner institution as follows: