Photo: Wonderlane (CC BY 2.0)
School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
The largest university in Alaska's system, based in Anchorage and serving the state's biggest city as both a commuter-heavy institution and the state's most comprehensive public university. UAA's mission is shaped directly by Alaska's geography and economy, with programs and research oriented toward the state's particular needs rather than mirroring a typical Lower 48 public university's offerings.
Academics
Health sciences, aviation, and engineering are established strengths, and the university has built out programs specifically tied to Arctic research and Alaska Native studies, areas where its location gives it a natural advantage few other universities can claim. Programs training nurses, teachers, and other professionals who plan to work within Alaska itself are a particular institutional priority, given the state's ongoing need for homegrown professionals in remote and rural areas.
Campus & student life
Many students commute, reflecting Anchorage's spread-out, car-dependent geography, and the campus functions differently than a traditional residential university as a result. The setting is genuinely wild by Lower 48 standards — moose on campus are a routine occurrence, not a novelty — and the university sits close to both mountains and coastline, giving students direct access to hiking, skiing, and other outdoor recreation without needing to travel far from class.
Getting in
Admission is accessible and credential-based, consistent with a public university serving a broad swath of the state's residents. UAA draws heavily from within Alaska itself, and its aviation, Arctic-focused, and Alaska Native studies programs attract some out-of-state and international applicants specifically interested in those niches.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying
uaa.alaska.edu ↗High school coursework
RequiredHigh school diploma or GED (no specific course pattern published; minimum high school GPA of 2.5 required for bachelor's-degree programs)
Your fit, with your own numbers
With a free Dorado account, this tab fills in from your own profile and course plan:
- A chance band (Far Reach to Likely) calibrated against real admitted-student data — published test-score ranges and, where a school reports them, Common Data Set GPA profiles — with plain-English reasons.
- A fit breakdown across testing, grades, course rigor, activities, and honors, side by side with the numbers the school publishes.
- Deadline countdowns where verified application dates are on file.
Creating an account is free and takes no card — college search, list tracking, and fit are all included.
Create your free account