How to Apply

• STEP 1: APPLICATION

  Complete the Online Application for graduate admission

• STEP 2: APPLICATION FEE

  The non-refundable application fee is $105. VISA or MasterCard are accepted. 
  Only U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents may request a waiver for the application fee. If you are currently in a graduate program or recently completed one and your graduate preparation program participation was from your undergraduate program, you are not eligible for a fee waiver. To access the waiver or to learn more, visit here.

• STEP 3: OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS

  The UCR campus is closed in response to COVID-19 and our staff are unable to access paper mail. While the campus is closed, upload UNOFFICIAL transcripts of all academic institutions you have attended after high school to your application or email to your department representative. Unofficial transcripts are required for the admission committee to review your application. Official transcripts will be required when applicants are admitted to the program and subsequently accept the offer.

  Applicants who attended an institution located outside the U.S., please visit the Required Academic Records from International Institutions page for detailed document requirements.

• STEP 4: Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

  Due to COVID-19, all engineering programs except Computer Science are not requiring the GRE for Fall’21 admissions. If you are applying to the Computer Science program, it is recommended that applicants reach out to graduate program coordinators or visit the program website to learn more about GRE requirements and potential waivers. Regardless of whether or not you receive a GRE waiver, applicants will be given full consideration for admission. 

  Students who have taken the GRE, can submit their scores. Contact your department representative to get the department code for which you are looking to apply.

  Educational Testing Service (ETS) (https://www.ets.org/)
  Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 9:45 p.m. EST
  Telephone: 609-771-7670

  The test must be taken within the last five (5) years before the desired date of admission. The minimum expected combined (verbal and quantitative) score is 300.

  Please allow a minimum of 3-4 weeks for a test score to be reported to our campus. Please note that the online application status for the GRE is updated automatically as the score is received electronically from ETS. The online application will only show a GRE score as 'received' if it has successfully transmitted electronically from ETS; this is done automatically at the Graduate Division level. If an applicant has ordered a GRE score to be sent to UCR and it is not yet reflected in the online application, ETS should be contacted to determine if all information entered by the applicant was correct (the score report may need to be sent again). To learn more about GRE test scores and submissions, please visit the UCR Graduate Division web page regarding test scores.

• STEP 5: TOEFL or IELTS Scores

  TOEFL or IELTS scores must be submitted by students whose native language is not English and who do not have a bachelor's or graduate degree from an institution where English is the exclusive language of instruction. For Fall’21 admissions, applicants who have been affected by COVID-19 and are unable to take the TOEFL or IELTS exams will have their TOEFL or IELTS requirement waived. These applicants need to submit a request for a TOEFL or IELTS waiver, along with a justification that briefly summarizes the circumstances preventing the applicant from taking the test. A request for the waiver should be uploaded as a separate document under the Additional Information section in the online application. These applicants will be given full consideration for admission.

  Students who have taken the TOEFL or IELTS exam, the requirements are listed below. The scores cannot be more than two years old from the date of matriculation.

  Minimum TOEFL Score
  Internet-Based (iBT): 80    
  Computer-Based (CBT): 213    
  Paper-Based (PBT): 550    

  Official score must be submitted directly from ETS to UCR. Request that ETS send your score electronically to UCR.

  The Educational Testing Service homepage is https://www.ets.org/
  Hours: Monday-Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m
  Telephone: 609-771-7100

  Please allow a minimum of 3-4 weeks for a test score to be reported to our campus. The online application status for the TOEFL is updated automatically as the score is received electronically from ETS. The online application will only show a TOEFL score as 'received' if it has successfully transmitted electronically from ETS; this is done automatically at the Graduate Division level. If an applicant has ordered a TOEFL score to be sent to UCR and it is not yet reflected in the online application, ETS should be contacted to determine if all information entered by the applicant was correct (the score may need to be sent again).

  Minimum IELTS score: 7 overall

  The minimum overall IELTS score is 7 with score no lower than 6 on any individual component. This exam must be taken within two years of the time you intend to enroll at UCR. Please request an official Test Report Form (TRF) of your IELTS. Remember to order the TRF from the test center where you took the test and ask the administrator to send the official TRF to:

  Graduate Admissions Office
  Graduate Division
  University Office Building
  University of California
  Riverside, CA 92521, USA

  For more information about registering for this exam or to locate the office of any test center, consult the IELTS website.

  Note: Before performing duties as a Teaching Assistant, any student whose native language is not English must pass an oral English language competency exam upon arrival at UCR. This includes not only international students but also any student whose first language is not English.

• STEP 6: Letters of Recommendation

  A minimum of three letters of recommendation are required for admission. At least two of these letters must be from professors in your major subject. If you have obtained a M.S. degree, one letter must be from your M.S. advisor. Recommender information are entered directly in the electronic application. All letters of recommendation must be received electronically so they are attached to the applicants file for review.

  Note: If you wish to waive your right to inspect the letters of recommendation, mark the appropriate box below the reference information. Only enrolled UCR students are permitted to inspect letters of recommendation for which they did not waive their right to access. Letters of recommendation cannot be released to the applicant and cannot be forwarded elsewhere.

  All electronic letters uploaded to an application MUST be from an official, company or university affiliated e-mail address. RECOMMENDER PERSONAL E-MAIL ACCOUNTS ARE NOT PERMITTED.

• STEP 7: Supplemental Fellowship Application

  All domestic applicants are encouraged to submit the Supplementary Fellowship information form in order to be considered for all awards for which they might qualify. This optional form is for domestic applicants who wish to be considered for merit-based diversity fellowships.

• STEP 8: Financial Support and Fees

  Fellowship packages are offered to PhD applicants only. For multiple year fellowship package, applicants must apply by January 5.

  Domestic student applications may be considered for fellowship opportunities after this deadline, pending funding availability but are encouraged to apply by this date. Current quarterly fees can be found here.

  Note: Received documents cannot be returned to applicants and become property of the university. Copies of received documents cannot be provided to applicants as well.

• STEP 9: Learn More about the Admission Process

  The primary objective of the admissions process is the selection of those students most likely to complete their chosen graduate programs with distinction. After consultation between the program and the Graduate Division, the final authority to admit rests with the Graduate Division Dean. Applicants are initially reviewed and rated based on their overall undergraduate and, where appropriate, post- baccalaureate GPAs. The evaluation process is intended to be flexible, and departments take a variety of other factors into consideration. General requirements are outlined below: 

  •  A bachelor's degree, or its equivalent, from an accredited institution. The degree must represent the completion of a program equivalent in subject matter and scholarship to that offered by the University of California. 
  • A minimum of a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or B-equivalent (if GPA is not on a 4.0 scale). We recommend that you check with the graduate program as they may have a higher standard for their GPA requirements. If your GPA is below this, follow up with the graduate program you are interested. Applications are reviewed in their entirety and the program can look at your other components and advise you on potential admission.

  Soon after the department forwards its recommendation to the Graduate Division, the applicant is notified in writing (first, via e-mail) of the Dean's decision. If admission is offered with work still in progress, official transcripts reflecting the satisfactory completion of this work and the awarding of the degree (where appropriate) must be submitted as soon as possible.

  For additional information, please check the Graduate Division website or contact your department representative.