Most departments and schools have deadlines in November and early December for the following Fall term (nearly a year in advance).

Be sure to consult Departmental Information for the specific deadline for your proposed major. Applications to some programs may be considered if received after a program's stated deadline, provided that the enrollment limitations have not been exceeded. Contact the program directly for further information if you are considering trying to apply after a deadline. Fellowships and other financial support depend on availability of funds.

The UCLA application for graduate admission should be used to apply for all programs with the exception of Medicine, Law, Dentistry, and MBA and MFE programs in the Anderson Graduate School of Management, which have separate admission application processes.

University regulations do not permit an applicant to apply to more than one major, with the exception of already-established concurrent or articulated degrees.

Please decide which of our programs is most appropriate for you prior to submitting an application. Only one application can be considered.

New

If you are applying to UCLA as a graduate student for the first time, or if you have applied before but were not admitted, complete all parts of the application. The $80.00 (for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents) or $100.00 (for all other applicants) application fee must be submitted online by credit or debit card before the application can be processed.

Renewal

If you filed an application for graduate admission at UCLA within the last year and were admitted but did not register, be sure to select Renewal from the dropdown menu at Application Type in the application.  Submit only the application, and any additional or updated information or records. One renewal of application is accepted without the application fee.

After the first renewal the application fee must be submitted with each subsequent application. If you applied and were admitted more than one year ago, you must submit a new application, the application fee, and all required materials.

Readmission

If you have ever registered as a graduate student at UCLA, whether you completed a graduate program or not, complete all parts of the application. The application fee must be submitted with the application.

Formal application for readmission is not required of a student returning from an official leave of absence, nor is formal application required of a currently enrolled UCLA graduate student changing from one major to another.

Application Fees

$80.00: U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents

$100.00: All other applicants

The application fee is devoted to the administrative cost of processing all applications received, and is not refundable under any circumstances, regardless of the outcome, the date of filing, time of review, or if, for whatever the reason, the application is withdrawn.

Fee Deferrals

Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program (PPIA) Applicants

Applicants who are sponsored by the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program are eligible for a deferral of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click PPIA in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying sponsorship.

Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) Applicants

Applicants who are sponsored by the Vietnam Education Foundation are eligible for a deferral of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click VEF in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the Foundation verifying sponsorship.

Fee Waivers

California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) Applicants

Applicants who participate in the California Alliance for Minority Participation are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click CAMP in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

California State University (CSU) Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program Applicants

Applicants who participate in the California State University Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click CSU Casanova Predoc in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

Florida A&M University Graduate Feeder Scholars Program (FAMU GFSP) Applicants

Applicants who participate in the Florida A&M University Graduate Feeder Program are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click FAMU GFSP in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

Gates Millennium Scholars

Applicants who are Gates Millennium Scholars are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click GMS in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Applicants

Applicants who participate in the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click LSAMP in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

McNair Scholars

Applicants who are McNair Scholars are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click McNair in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from your McNair director verifying participation.

Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Applicants

Applicants who participate in the Minority Access to Research Careers program are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click MARC in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) Applicants

Applicants who participate in the Minority Biomedical Research Support program are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click MBRS in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

Research Initiative for Science Enhancement (MBRS RISE) Applicants

Applicants who participate in the Research Initiative for Science Enhancement program are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click MBRS RISE in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) Applicants

Applicants who participate in the Graduate Division's Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click GRD SPUR in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

UC Leadership through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS) Applicants

Applicants who participate in UC Leadership through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS) are eligible for a waiver of the application fee. In the application, on the Plans for Graduate Study page, click UC LEADS in the drop down menu at Application Type. In the Supporting Documents Upload section of the application, upload a letter from the program officer verifying participation.

Need-based Fee Waivers

Waivers of UCLA's application fee are available for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents. To receive a need-based waiver, you must

Be currently enrolled in a college or university

and

Receive need-based financial aid

and

Submit a statement from your Financial Aid officer confirming all of the above and stating that payment of UCLA's $80.00 application fee would be a financial hardship.

If you meet all of these criteria, select Fee Waiver in the application, upload the statement from your Financial Aid officer and submit the application.

Don't submit income tax returns, unemployment documents, copies of your FAFSA Expected Family Contribution or other financial estimates; these cannot be accepted as documentation of eligibility for a fee waiver.

The faculty of each graduate program evaluate applicants who meet the minimum requirements and recommend a selection from among them. The number of qualified applicants to graduate programs at UCLA far exceeds the number of students who can be admitted.

The general requirement for admission for a U.S. student is a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, comparable in standard and content to a bachelor's degree from the University of California. A scholastic average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better is required or its equivalent if the letter grade system is not used—for the last 60 semester units or last 90 quarter units of undergraduate study and in any post-baccalaureate study.

Degrees which are not considered comparable include those granted on the basis of work completed at institutions which are not fully accredited and those granted on the basis of nonacademic prior learning, test scores, or other than organized supervised coursework in academic subjects.

An international student whose post-secondary education is completed outside of the U.S. is expected to hold a degree representing completion of at least four years of study with above average scholarship from a university or university-level institution.

Applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s or higher degree from a university located in the United States or in another country in which English is both the spoken language and the medium of instruction, or who have not completed at least two years of full-time study at such an institution, please consult English Requirements.

Please review:

• Materials to Be Sent to the Department/Program/School
  Transcripts, Statements, and Letters of Recommendation.
   
• Departmental Applications
   
• Requirements for International Applicants
  Includes English language requirements, required academic records, and visa procedures.

Submitted application materials are reviewed by faculty admissions committees in each major program who select the best qualified applicants. These admissions committees base recommendations for admission upon a careful comparison of applications, and this may take considerable time. Graduate Admissions/Student and Academic Affairs, therefore, cannot guarantee that the applicant will receive a response, favorable or unfavorable, on or before any specific date. The applicant, moreover, should not construe a lack of response as an intention to act favorably on the application.

Shortly after receiving your application, Graduate Admissions/Student and Academic Affairs sends an acknowledgment via email. Applicants should expect to receive an email acknowledgment within 72 hours of submitting the online application. 

If you do not receive an email acknowledgment within a reasonable amount of time (five to seven days), please review your online application to be sure the submission process was completed. Please also be sure to check your "junk" email box, in case UCLA's email was diverted there by your spam filter. If you still have not received the acknowledgment email, please contact onlineapphelp@grad.ucla.edu in case there is a minor problem with your application data.

When a decision is made, applicants receive an email, directing them to the Graduate Division's application site and the option Decision Status. Applicants sign in using the email address used to create their application account (not the User Name) and their application password to read the official decision letter.

If admitted, the conditions of admission and information and instructions concerning registration (via a link to the Statement of Intent to Register and a Statement of Legal Residence) will be included as part of the offer of admission letter, which can be printed out from the Graduate Division site. (International applicants: please read Visa Procedures/Financial Verification.)

Only official notification from the dean of the Graduate Division constitutes approval of admission.

Both the concurrent and articulated degree programs have the potential of allowing the student to acquire two degrees in less time than normally required if the courses of instruction are taken in sequence.

View a list of concurrent and articulated degree programs at UCLA.

• UCLA Fees and Living Expenses
  Sample budget for most programs, subject to change.