Admissions

Review and Notification

After receiving all application materials, the faculty in your intended program review the application and recommend to the Graduate Dean that you either be admitted or denied. Decisions are based on several factors, including the quality of your academic record as presented in the application and supporting documents, your preparation in the proposed field of study, work experience (if relevant), and the match between your goals and research interests of the program.

If your application or any supporting materials are received in the department after the deadline, your file will be made inactive.

Admissions Timeline

The admissions timeline varies among departments, and applicants are encouraged to contact departments directly for specific deadlines concerning the receipt and processing of applications. However, there are general deadlines and review periods that are common to most graduate departments and programs at UCSB. Listed below is a traditional timeline for general processing based on admission to fall quarter.

Checking the Status of Your Application

While the Graduate Division and the academic departments understand the urgency of verifying the status of an application, it is often difficult to immediately answer questions, especially on or near the application deadline when the volume of email is high. The Graduate Division asks for patience in receiving notification regarding the receipt of application materials.

In order to ensure that your application is ready for review on the department's deadline, the Graduate Division encourages you to complete and submit the application, along with the application fee, at least one month before the deadline. This will ensure that the application is processed on time.

Application Status, Fee Payment, and Test Scores

After submitting the application, you can check your application status by logging back into your application. The Application Status Page will allow you to view the status of your application, the date your application and fee were processed, and the date your GRE/MAT and TOEFL/ IETLS (if applicable) scores were received. You can also update test score information through the Application Status Page.

Supporting Materials

You can also check to see when your supporting materials were received through the Application Status Page. Confirmation of received materials is entered manually by departments; therefore, there may be delay in reporting when certain materials have arrived. Some departments may contact you several weeks after your application has been submitted to notify you of any materials still missing from your application. If you are concerned that the department may not have received your materials, please contact the academic department directly.

Managing Your Online Letters of Recommendation

On your Application Status Page, you can also manage your letters of recommendation. Here, you can:

• Add or replace a recommender
• Send a follow-up notification to each of your recommenders
• View the status of each letter

We suggest you always double check with your recommenders to ensure that letters of recommendation are submitted on time. Providing recommenders with an addressed and stamped envelope encourages timely submission. It is also wise to order transcripts and standardized test scores as early as possible.

Admissions Decisions

Departments begin notifying applicants of admissions decisions as early as January and continue to do so up until the department admissions review is completed. You will be notified by email to check the Application Status Page when a decision has been made. It is best to contact the department directly regarding your admissions status if you do not hear by early April.

If you are not admitted at UCSB, we hope that your graduate school application process has been broad enough to leave you with other options. If UCSB is your top choice and you are still interested in attending, you do have the option of reapplying. It is strongly advised that you take the time to discuss your initial application with your department. Try to get more details regarding the decision made on your file, and ask for tips on how to strengthen your next application.

To be considered for a later quarter, you must submit a new application and application fee. We do retain your old application for one admissions year, so we can use the supplemental materials you previously submitted. It is recommended, however, that you take the time to reread your statement of purpose and refine it, if necessary. It may also be necessary to retake the GRE if your scores were not competitive. Again, contacting the department will help you determine which materials need to be polished and/or re-submitted.

Admitted Students

Application Status Page

Applicants admitted to graduate study at UCSB will find the following information on their Application Status Page.

• Official letter of admission: Read this letter carefully to be sure you have been admitted to the program to which you applied. Also determine whether your admission is provisional in any way. "Provisional admission" is routine for graduating seniors or other students whose degree programs had not yet been complete at the time of application. If your admission is provisional, your letter will indicate the reason. Be sure to contact your department if you have any questions.
• Statement of Intent to Register (SIR): The SIR is the only formal and official way to accept or decline an offer of admission. It is also used administratively to move your status from "applicant" to "student." Please indicate your intention as soon as possible.
• Statement of Legal Residence (SLR): The SLR is used by the Office of the Registrar to determine California residency status, and whether resident or nonresident tuition will be assessed. The SLR is required for all newly admitted domestic and international students; those who fail to submit the SLR will automatically be assessed nonresident tuition. The SLR is available two to three business days after completion of the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR). If you attempt to access the SLR, and receive the "NO VALID QUARTER FOUND" message, please try again at a later date. Because there are numerous factors involved in determining residency, and because the financial implications are often high, we ask that applicants direct any questions to the Residence Deputy by email or at (805) 893-3033. Additional information can be found on the Office of the Registrar's web site under "Residency."
• Housing information: Because housing can be difficult to find, it is important to know the available options and act quickly to secure the kind of housing that will provide you with the best environment for graduate study. UCSB offers a variety of housing options for incoming graduate students, including the new single-student San Clemente Villages. For more information or to apply for housing online, see Housing and Residential Services.

Information for Newly Admitted Students

Academic departments may supplement the materials provided by the Graduate Division with information about fellowship support, course offerings/schedules, and department requirements. Certain provisions, such as the need to take a course before enrollment, will be communicated in a departmental letter.

For information on additional requirements for newly admitted international students, please visit the International Applicants information page and the Office of International Students and Scholars.

Additional information for new UCSB graduate students can be found by visiting the New Students information page.

The Registration Process

After you have been admitted and have completed the online Statement of Intent to Register (SIR), the Office of the Registrar will email registration information to both U.S. and international applicants. International applicants who do not receive an email with registration information must pick up the packet from UCSB's Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) upon their arrival in Santa Barbara.

New students normally begin the registration process in mid-September and have until the second day of classes to complete registration, so do not be alarmed if you have not received the email by early August.

If you do not receive the email by late August, you should contact the Office of the Registrar to verify that they have your correct email address.

For additional information about registration, please visit Getting Started at UC Santa Barbara.