Admission to the anthropology Ph.D. program is competitive and open to students with a bachelors or master's degree, a GPA of 3.2, GRE scores and/or TOEFL scores, positive letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose that indicates professional goals compatible with the research specialties of the faculty. There is no minimum GRE score, and GRE scores are only one measure used to assess an applicant's suitability for the program. Provisional admission may be offered for promising students who do not meet the GPA standards. If the student's bachelors degree is not in Anthropology, the student will work with their advisor to develop a course of instruction that includes developing a background in the four fields of Anthropology.
Applicants to the Ph.D. program should include a significant writing sample as part of their application. For students with a masters degree this should be their Masters level original work such as a thesis or professional paper. For students without a masters degree this should consists of a selection of term papers or research reports that they have completed.
Students in an M.A. or B.A./B.S. program (at University of Montana or another institution) may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program up to one year before completing the M.A. degree, but their admission to the program will be provisional, contingent upon finishing their M.A. or B.A./B.S. program.
Applicants scoring higher than 550 on the TOEFL PBT, 80 on the TOEFL IBT or 6.5 on the IELTS may be unconditionally admitted to a university graduate program, provided they meet that program's application standards.