Student Application
Welcome to the Graduate Field Course student application process!
We are excited you are considering applying to the JIRP Graduate Field Course. There is a lot of information on this page — we suggest you start by reading everything through before you begin. If you have questions about the application process or JIRP itself, please reach out to our staff at graduate.course@juneauicefield.org. We are excited to read your application.
Application Timeline
Application Opens
December 16
Applications (including transcripts and recommender contact information) due for priority consideration.*
*We continue to accept second-priority applications on a rolling basis. We will know if we have open spots for applicants in March at the earliest.
January 11 at midnight AKST
Recommendations due.
January 18 at midnight AKST
First round of student application decisions sent out.
Mid February
Enrollment Decisions due.
Health History forms due for enrolled participants.
Final enrollment approved by JIRP Medical Faculty.*
*All participants must go through a medical screening before their enrollment is accepted. We do not use medical decisions to determine acceptance, so in rare cases we must revoke enrollment due to recommendations from our medical faculty. Please review the Graduate Course Overview page for more information.
Late February
Application Components
The 2026 Graduate Field Course Application requires:
1. Transcript Submission
Submit your most recent transcript (unofficial transcripts are fine):
Undergraduates, post-baccalaureate, and first-year graduate students without graduate records should submit your undergraduate transcript.
Graduate students with graduate records should submit your graduate transcript.
There are no GPA requirements for JIRP. We seek academically diverse students across disciplines, and transcripts help us set the academic level of the cohort. Students who have struggled academically are welcome to apply if you demonstrate a strong motivation to learn.
If you also applied to the JIRP Undergraduate Program, you do not need to submit your transcripts again.
Submission instructions:
Electronic upload (preferred):
PDF format only
Naming: LastName-FirstInitial-transcript.pdf (e.g., Williams-S-transcript.pdf)
If your school must send directly: office@juneauicefield.org
Hard copy mailing address:
FGER/JIRP Attn: Student Applications
4616 25th Avenue NE, Suite 302
Seattle, WA 98105
2. Recommendations
Provide contact information for two recommenders who can speak to your readiness for the JIRP Graduate Field Course. One should be a recent academic adviser, professor, teacher, or academic/professional mentor. Other recommenders may include work supervisors, employers, community/faith leaders, elders, or coaches.
We will send your recommenders a form that will ask them to evaluate your:
ability to work collaboratively
ability to manage yourself under stressful conditions
ability to receive constructive feedback
motivation to understand Earth systems
experience working with incomplete and/or imperfect information
If you also applied to the JIRP Undergraduate Program, you do not need to submit your recommender contact information again.
Submit each recommender separately through our form (you'll complete it twice). Please provide as much advance notice to your recommenders as possible.
Deadlines:
Recommender contact information: January 11
Completed recommendation: January 18
3. Online Application
Submit through our secure portal. The application does NOT save progress. We recommend you draft your answers separately using the questions document linked below, then copy-paste them into the form before submitting. Long-answer questions are limited to 250 words.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the application process, the JIRP graduate program, or anything else, please email our staff at graduate.course@juneauicefield.org. For specific inquiries, visit the Contact Us page for guidance on where to direct your question.