Coronavirus Impacts

No. As admissions bodies review applications in future admissions cycles, we will respect decisions made by individual students and/or by their academic institutions with regard to the enrollment in or adoption of Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, Pass/No Record, Credit/No Credit, Pass/Fail and other similar grading options during the pandemic disruptions. You can read UCSB’s full statement here.

Many departments have opted not to require the GRE for 2023 applicants. Please see our Departments and Programs page to determine whether or not the exam is required for the program to which you are applying (if the GRE is not listed under "Requirements," then it is not required). If your program requires the GRE, you will need to take the exam and submit your scores in order to complete your application.

The following exams are accepted for meeting English Language Examination admissions requirements: TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS (Academic), IELTS Online (Academic), IELTS Indicator, and Duolingo English Test (DET). The following exams are not accepted: TOEFL ITP Plus, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS One Skill Retake, and other exams not specifically noted above. If you are unable to take a required language exam in time to meet your application deadline, please contact your department/program of interest directly for more information.

Programs and Application Deadlines

 A list of graduate programs offered is available on the Graduate Departments and Programs page.

The deadline varies by department. To determine the deadline for your department of interest, visit the Graduate Departments and Programs page. You are strongly advised to submit your online application and all required supporting materials well in advance of the official deadline.

Do not apply after the deadline unless you receive advance permission and instructions from the both the Graduate Division and the Staff Graduate Program Advisor (GPA) in the academic department. If you do not receive permission from the Graduate Division and department to apply after the deadline, do not apply. Your application fee will not be refunded, and your application will not be reviewed.

Only one application may be submitted per application quarter. Simultaneous applications are not accepted.

If you accidentally applied to multiple programs, you must choose the program to which you would like to apply and ask the Graduate Division (email us at gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu) to withdraw your application(s) to the other program(s). Also, please notify the academic departments of your decision. The application fee for your withdrawn application is non-refundable.

The UC Doctoral Program Statistics Infocenter provides annual campus-wide and department-specific admissions, enrollment, and alumni outcomes data. You may also contact your department/program of interest directly with specific questions. 

Completing your Application

Please visit the Online Graduate Application. A paper version of the application is not available. In order to ensure that your application is complete by the department's deadline, please (1) complete and submit your online graduate application, (2) pay the application fee, and (3) submit any additional materials required by the academic department.

Please submit the following materials in your online graduate application:

  1. Statement of Purpose;
  2. Personal History and Diversity Statement;
  3. Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV);
  4. Letters of Recommendation (referee information and waivers);
  5. Transcripts;
  6. Application payment, if paying by credit card;
  7. Any supplemental materials marked for online submission by your Department. See the Departments & Programs listing for details.

Please send to the Graduate Division:

  1. Application fee, if not already paid by credit card during application submission;
  2. Official GRE and TOEFL scores (if applicable), sent electronically from ETS. UCSB's institution code is 4835, and the department code should be left blank.
  3. Official IELTS scores (if applicable), sent in the mail or electronically.
  4. Official Duolingo English Test (DET) scores (if applicable), sent electronically.

Schools are listed alphabetically in the institution drop-down menu after you have selected the location. First, double-check that you have entered the correct location. Next, check to see if your school is listed under a common abbreviation (for example, a California State University may be listed under “CSU”). If you still cannot locate your school, select "Other" from the drop-down menu and then type the name of your school into the text box exactly as it appears on your transcripts. 

Your application status is available online using the email address you used and the password you created when you started your application.

Your password can be reset online. An email will be sent to the email account that you used to originally create your application. If you do not receive an email with an updated password, first check your junk or spam mail. If you still do not have access to your updated password, please contact Graduate Division Admissions.

You must check your Application Status and Application Sections online to determine which materials have been received. Contact your department/program of interest if you are not sure which materials are still needed. Application deadlines are typically strict, requiring that all materials, including test scores, be received by the application deadline. The Graduate Division Admissions staff can confirm whether your application fee, fee waiver, and test scores have been received (note: you can also check your Application Status Page for this information). Please contact the Staff Graduate Program Advisor in your academic department regarding all other application materials.

Please be patient. The departments are very busy and it can often take several business days to return either your email or phone call. Please make sure the information you are looking for cannot be accessed on the academic department or Graduate Division websites.

If your name or contact information has changed during the application process, email Graduate Division Admissions and the department Staff Graduate Program Advisor with your updated information. If you are updating a mailing or email address, include a date when the address will no longer be valid. If you need to change your personal information after completion of the online Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) and online Statement of Legal Residence (SLR), please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Application Requirements

To be considered for admission, you must have received a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited university prior to the quarter for which you seek admission, and have at least a B average (3.0 GPA) in your undergraduate coursework. Satisfaction of minimal standards does not, however, guarantee admission, since the number of qualified applicants far exceeds the number of spaces available. As a consequence, many well-qualified applicants cannot be accommodated.

Review the Statement of Purpose guidelines located on the How To Complete the Online Application page. The length of your Statement of Purpose can depend on the individual departmental requirements, though approximately two pages or more is typically recommended. For additional information about the Statement of Purpose, speak to the Staff Graduate Program Advisor Graduate in the academic department to which you are applying or click here.

In addition to the Statement of Purpose, applicants are also required to submit a (1) Personal History and Diversity Statement and a (2) Resume or Curriculum Vitae. Instructions for each document are located in the Statements and Supplemental Documents section of the online application and on the Graduate Division’s How to Complete the Online Application page. Note that applicants are required to respond to different prompts/questions for each statement and that statements must be written in essay format.

No, you may upload an unofficial UCSB transcript to your application for review. If you are admitted, the Graduate Division will verify your coursework and degree(s) completed. However, the UCSB Graduate Division reserves the right to require official transcripts at any time during the admissions process, and rescind any offer of admission made if discrepancies between uploaded and official transcript(s) are found.

Graduate Application Fee

The non-refundable graduate application fee is $135.00 for US citizens and Permanent Residents; and $155.00 for all others, paid in US dollars by check, money order, or credit card. Please make checks and money orders payable to UC Regents. Checks and money orders must be drawn on a bank that has a branch in the United States and mailed to the Graduate Division with the Check/Money Order Submission form found on the final page of your Online Graduate Application. Applicants may also pay using a Visa or MasterCard, but only at the point of submission. Cash is not accepted.

A limited number of fee waivers are available for qualified US citizens and permanent residents. McNair Scholars and California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) applicants are among those eligible. Fee waivers are not available to international applicants.

You may apply for a fee waiver within the online application.  Within your application click on the Payment Information tab and scroll down to the fee waiver information. Submit your request online by selecting the option relevant to you and uploading your supporting documentation. You must submit your fee waiver request at least two weeks before the application deadline. Do not submit a fee waiver request the day before the application deadline; it will not be processed and your application will not be reviewed. 

You will receive an email once a decision about your fee waiver has been made. You can also check the Application Info box, located at the top of your online application, to view your fee waiver status. If your fee waiver has been approved please complete your online application and submit your application on or before the application deadline. If your fee waiver is denied you will receive an email with information as to why it was denied. If you believe you qualify for a fee waiver under a different option, or made an error in your first request, you may submit another request. If you do not qualify for a fee waiver you must pay by credit card or check/money order on or before the application deadline. Do not submit a fee waiver request the day before the application deadline, it will not be processed and your application will not be reviewed.

Letters of Recommendation

Once you submit the required electronic waiver, our system will automatically email your recommender a request for a letter of recommendation. Once you finish the online application, you will be able to log back into the Application Status page at your convenience to send a new request to your recommender if you wish to do so.

 If you have already completed a mandatory waiver and your recommenders still have not received a message, please ask your recommenders to set their email accounts to allow messages from Graduate Division, app@graddiv.ucsb.edu and gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu. It is possible that the messages we sent were filtered out by your recommenders' email spam settings.

You may prompt the electronic system to send new emails to your recommenders. To do so: 

  1. Please log in to your electronic application and go to your Application Sections page.

  2. In the Letters of Recommendation section, hit click on the Edit button.

  3. To generate a new request for a recommender, click on the Resend button next to their name.

Note: A new email will generate a new link for your recommender, invalidating the link in the original email. Your recommender should refer to the most recent email received when submitting your letter.

To add or edit recommender information, complete the following steps:

  1. Log in to your electronic application and go to your Application Sections page.
  2. Click on the Edit button next to the recommender for whom you wish to modify information.
  3. You may add up to four recommenders in the Letters of Recommendation section. If you have already input three recommenders, you may click the link to add a fourth.
  4. You may replace a recommender with someone new if they have not yet submitted a letter of recommendation. To do so, click on the Delete button next to the recommender you wish to remove. Then, use the Add Recommender button to add a new recommender. If you replace a recommender, please notify them personally, as they will no longer be able to upload a letter per the instructions UCSB has provided them via email.

You may use a Letter Service to submit your letters of recommendation. Letter Services may submit letters via mail or online. Even if a Letter Service is submitting letters on behalf of a recommender, you still must enter the recommender name, email address, and institution into the online application. You must fill out an electronic waiver for the recommender. You may then identify that the letter will come from a Service. You may also indicate whether the Letter Service will send the letter electronically or in hard copy.

No. Our electronic application will only accept four letters of recommendation electronically per applicant. If you have more than four recommenders, additional recommenders must submit hard copy letters of recommendation via mail to the department to which you are applying. Coversheets are required for hard-copy letter of recommendation submissions.  Please also contact your department to determine whether or not more than four letters of recommendation can be reviewed with your application.

Exam Scores

The GRE is required for some of our graduate degree programs, but not all of them. Be sure to review the complete list of application requirements on our Department and Programs page to determine whether or not the program to which you are applying requires the General GRE (if the program requires the GRE, it will be listed in the Requirements section of the page). Some departments also require applicants to take the Advanced GRE Subject Area tests; check with the academic department for specific requirements.

Once you ask ETS, IETLS, or Duolingo to send score reports to UCSB, please allow up to three to four weeks for processing. Please also be sure to report your exam information by completing the Exam Scores section of your application. Once your scores have arrived, the status of your scores in this section of your eApp will be updated accordingly. If you have not self-reported your scores in your online application, we will not be able to locate your official scores from ETS. Please note that the Graduate Division will not supply test score reports to applicants, outside persons, or other institutions.

If you have specific questions about the status of your scores, please login to your account portal or contact the exam administering organization directly. If you have additional questions after doing so, you may contact UCSB Graduate Admissions at gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu. All inquiries regarding IELTS scores must include your Test Report Form (TRF) number.

When ordering your GRE scores or sitting for the exam, if you listed UCSB only as your Undergraduate Institution (UI) and not as a Graduate Institution (GI), we will not receive them. You will need to reorder your scores through ETS. UCSB must be listed under "Graduate Institutions" in the "Designated Score Recipients" section of your score report. If you ordered your GRE scores to be sent to the GI, waited 3-4 weeks for processing, and checked your status via your online application, you may e-mail gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu to inquire about the status of your scores. Please attach a copy of your score report.

Contact the department if the scores will arrive after the deadline. A delay in your test scores could make your application incomplete and ineligible for application review.

No, all exam score reports become property of UCSB Graduate Division Admissions and cannot be reprinted or recreated for applicants, outside persons, or other institutions.

You can request the new scores be sent to UCSB. For admissions purposes, UCSB reviews the most recent and complete set of scores reported. It is not possible to mix-and-match the best scores (TOEFL MyBest® and IELTS One Skill Retake scores are not accepted). If you want to improve your test scores, you need to retake the entire test. If you have already submitted your online application with complete scores and wish to replace them, please first notify the department and the Graduate Division.

The Graduate Division does not set minimum score requirements for the GRE. Some academic departments do have certain exam standards and you should contact the department directly. GRE scores must be valid within the five years after your exam administration date. If you are not sure when your scores expire, please contact ETS directly to inquire.

For nonnative English speakers who are required to take the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test (DET) the minimum score requirements can be found here. Please note that some departments or programs may also require higher minimum scores. TOEFL, IELTS, and DET scores can be no more than two years old at the time of application.

No. The Graduate Division requires official scores, submitted directly from ETS, Duolingo, or the International English Language Testing System. GRE scores are valid for five years after your test administration date. If you are not sure when your scores expire, please contact ETS directly to inquire. Please do not send your original paper score report since you may not be able to obtain another copy and the Graduate Division is unable to release the original copy back to you or another university.

The following exams are accepted for meeting English Language Examination admissions requirements: TOEFL iBT, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS (Academic), IELTS Online (Academic), IELTS Indicator, and Duolingo English Test (DET). The following exams are not accepted: TOEFL ITP Plus, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS One Skill Retake, and other exams not specifically noted above. If you are unable to take a required language exam in time to meet your application deadline, please contact your department/program of interest directly. Or see the How to Apply Guide for more information.

Exemptions from the English language admissions requirements are permitted for applicants who have completed an undergraduate (bachelor's or equivalent) or graduate (master's, doctoral, or equivalent) degree at an institution where the verified sole official language of instruction is English. Refer to the How to Apply page for complete details on how to qualify for an exemption.

Gender, Pronouns, and Sexuality Application Questions

On October 8, 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 620, which includes a request that UC provide the opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to report their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression on any forms used to collect demographic data. 

In 2012, then UC President Mark Yudof created and charged the Task Force & Implementation Team on LGBT Climate and Inclusion (LGBT Task Force) with developing priorities, strategies, and expected resource requirements to advance recommendations submitted by the LGBT Working Group of the President’s Advisory Council on Campus Climate and Inclusion. On May 30, 2014, the LGBT Task Force presented a report to UC President Janet Napolitano with a recommendation to implement AB 620. 

In September 2014, UC President Janet Napolitano formed the President’s Advisory Council on LGBT Students, Faculty, and Staff, which is comprised of faculty, LGBT Center staff, students, and community experts. They were charged with making the UC system a gold standard for LGBT issues, and to provide recommendations for the implementation of AB 620 by collecting data on gender identity and sexual orientation through the admission application. 

Providing the LGBT community with the option to self-identify supports the University’s priorities of creating an inclusive and welcoming campus environment across the UC system. Including these questions on the graduate application will signal to applicants that UC is an inclusive environment and that the LGBT community is part of it. As with all other demographic questions on the admission application, providing gender identity and sexual orientation data will be voluntary, optional, and as required by law, not impact admission decisions.

The University of California's nondiscrimination policy includes protections for sex and gender identities. A key element of creating a safe space for people of all sexes and gender identities is the respectful use of pronouns. Asking UCSB community members what their pronouns are and consistently using them correctly is one of the most basic ways to show respect. To learn more about pronouns and why they are important, please visit the UC Santa Barbara Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (RCSGD) web site.

Here is the wording for the application questions pertaining to pronouns, gender identity, and sexual ​orientation:

1. Pronouns

  • He/Him/His
  • She/Her/Hers
  • They/Them/Theirs
  • Ze/Hir/Hirs
  • I do not use a pronoun
  • Other, please ask
  • I use all gender pronouns
  • None (will not display)

2. Gender Identity: How do you describe yourself?

  • Female  
  • Male
  • Trans Female/Trans Woman
  • Trans Male/Trans Man
  • Genderqueer/Gender Non-Conforming
  • Different Identity
  • No Selection

3. Sexual Orientation: Do you consider yourself to be:

  • Heterosexual or Straight
  • Gay or Lesbian
  • Bisexual
  • Not listed above (please specify)
  • No Selection 

The Transgender Health Advocacy Coalition in Philadelphia, PA developed the two-step question protocol for gender identity data collection in 1997. The Center of Excellence for Transgender Health and UC San Francisco began advocating the use of the two-step protocol in 2007, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopted it in 2011. The two-step method was also cognitively tested by two research teams as part of the Williams Institute’s research on best practices to identify transgender people and other gender minorities through population-based surveys.

The Williams Institute at UCLA recommended the question regarding sexual orientation after a five-year study of sexual orientation measures. The question has been thoroughly tested and is currently in use in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), and other state-level surveys. In keeping with approaches employed by NHIS and CHIS, respondents are provided a space to self-identify if the available answer options do not suit them.

Data collected on gender identity and sexual orientation will provide UC Santa Barbara with meaningful population data necessary for targeting resources and other student support services (e.g., scholarships and themed housing). These data will also enable campuses to develop curricular and co-curricular offerings that reflect students’ diverse perspectives, and that promote a safe and welcoming learning environment for all students.

As a recipient of federal Title IV financial aid funds, UC Santa Barbara is required to gather and report demographic data for undergraduate and graduate students, including gender data. For federal reporting purposes (i.e., IPEDS), it is recommended that Trans Female/Trans Woman be reported as Women, and Trans Male/Trans Man be reported as men. In addition, genderqueer and gender non-conforming individuals should be reported as their sex assigned at birth.  Data collected should be included on the student record, unless the student opts for “only aggregate” reporting. If a student opts for exclusion from their personal record, these data should be maintained in aggregate form at the campus and student classification levels.  Students will be provided with an avenue to update or change their gender identity or sexual orientation data through online campus student portals or an alternate method determined by the campus.

  • Bisexual – A person whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of the same and other genders, or toward people regardless of their gender.
  • Gay – A sexual and affectional orientation toward people of the same gender.
  • Gender – A social construct used to classify a person as a man, woman, or some other identity.
  • Gender Expression – How one expresses oneself, in terms of dress, mannerisms, and/or behaviors that society characterizes as “masculine” or “feminine.”
  • Gender Non-Conforming – People who do not subscribe to gender expressions or roles expected of them by society.
  • Gender Queer – A person’s whose gender identity and/or gender expression falls outside of the dominant social norm for their assigned sex, is beyond genders, or is some combination of them
  • Heterosexual/Straight – A sexual orientation in which a person feels physically and emotionally attracted to people of a gender other than their own.
  • Lesbian – A woman whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward people of the same gender.
  • Transgender – Used most often as an umbrella term; some commonly held definitions: 1) someone whose gender identity or expression does not fit within dominant group social constructs of assigned sex and gender; 2) a gender outside of the man/woman binary; 3) having no gender or multiple genders.
  • Trans Man/Trans Male – A female-to-male (FTM) transgender person who was assigned female at birth, but whose gender identity is that of a man.
  • Trans Woman/Trans Female – A male-to-female (MTF) transgender person who was assigned male at birth, but whose gender identity is that of a woman.​​​

Undocumented/Dream Scholars Applicants

Student who qualify for AB 540 legislation and are undocumented fall into the category of Dream Scholars. The terminology is UCSB specific; it reflects the academic success of these students on our campus. 

The application fee for Dream Scholars is $155. Dream Scholars may request a fee waiver. You may apply for a fee waiver within the online application. Within your application click on the Payment Information tab and scroll down to the fee waiver information. Submit your request online by selecting the option relevant to you and uploading your supporting documentation. You must submit your fee waiver request at least two weeks before the application deadline. Do not submit a fee waiver request the day before the application deadline; it will not be processed and your application will not be reviewed. 

UCSB recognizes the AB-540 nonresident tuition exemption. All admitted applicants who choose to attend UCSB must complete a Statement of Legal Residence (SLR), which determines the tuition and fees assessed. You can find more information about UCSB’s SLR process and AB540 regulations on the Office of the Registrar's web site. 

No. Dream Scholars should not file a FAFSA for UC Santa Barbara. Dream Scholars who qualify for the AB-540 nonresident tuition exemption should file the California Dream Act Application by the posted deadline (March 2nd of the year prior to enrollment) to be considered for financial aid.

If a student has DACA certification, they may have an opportunity to work as a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR), Teaching Assistant (TA), Teaching Associate, Reader, or Tutor through their program. (Note: If a student is eligible for DACA, but not for AB 540, they can still be employed by UC). 

UCSB regularly offers fellowships, scholarships, and “block grants” to graduate students to help cover tuition, fees, and stipends.  Dream Scholar graduate students who have AB 540 status are eligible for block grants, private scholarships, and fellowships donated to the UC Regents and administered by the UC. (Disclaimer: Some fellowships may be restricted to only US citizens/permanent residents.  Additionally, some fellowships require employment, in which case the student must have DACA certification.)  If a student does not have AB 540 status, that student cannot receive institutional fellowships or block grants from either UC or from private donors administered through UC. 

Yes. Information is available on the UCSB Dream Scholars resources page. The UCSB Dream Scholar Resource Team is an active campus network of staff and faculty who “promote diversity, create safe spaces, and provide direct assistance and mentorship to Dream Scholars.” Finally, UCSB has a very active, student-run organization called IDEAS (Improving Dreams, Equality, Access, and Success).

Admissions Decisions

You will be notified by email when a decision has been made on your application, and your Application Status Page will be updated with a decision letter.

Most departments begin reviewing applications shortly after the application deadline and continue doing so over several months. The time needed to finalize admissions decisions varies greatly depending on the size of the department, the application deadline(s), and other factors. Admissions decisions are typically released throughout winter and spring, Please be patient if you have not yet received a final decision on your application.

Congratulations! Complete the Statement of Intent to Register through the Application Status Page. This form lets us know whether you plan to attend UCSB. If you accept the offer of admission, your information will be transmitted to the Office of the Registrar. If you also received a financial offer with your admission, you will need to formally accept or decline the offer according to the instructions outlined in your offer letter. If you inform us you are not coming, we will close out your application. Additionally, please notify your department of your decision and inquire as to whether there is any additional information that they need.

The academic departments make all admissions decisions. Contact the department to which you applied.

Yes, you can reapply if it is in your best interests and those of the department. If, after consulting your department, you are encouraged to reapply, you will need to submit a new online application and pay a new application fee. Please contact the academic department where you last applied to determine what application materials, if any, can be reused.

No, the application file and all contents are property of UCSB and will not be released to the applicant or another institution. This includes, but is not limited to, transcripts, letters of recommendation, statements of purpose, and test scores. You may, however, continue to log into your online application and access materials that you previously submitted yourself. 

Incoming Students

Provisional Admissions Status means that you were granted admission under the condition that you will provide final/official transcripts (and other documents, if applicable) from all post-secondary institutions as well as any missing application materials. These materials will be noted in your decision letter from the Graduate Division and in the Required Documents tab of your online application. See below for final/official transcript requirements. Details of the document submission requirements are described on the Admitted Students web page (refer to Step 2). 

If sending paper documents by mail, transcripts and other documents are considered official when they are sent to the UC Santa Barbara Graduate Division directly from the school in the institution's sealed envelope, with all official seals and stamps intact. If sending electronic documents, transcripts must be sent directly from the institution's approved official document delivery service to transcripts@graddiv.ucsb.edu to be considered official. Transcripts are considered final when all grades have been finalized and posted to your official student records and all degrees reported have been finalized and conferred. If you reported a degree in your online application (such as a master's degree or credential) that you do not intend to complete after all, please contact your department immediately.

You may review which document(s) are still needed (and determine which have been received) at any time. To do so:

  1. Log into your eApp by clicking on the Existing Applicants option.
  2. Select the Required Documents tab and review the information provided

If a partial set of documents was received, your Decision Letter and your Required Documents tab will reflect only the portion that is still pending (for example, “final/official transcripts in the native language of your institution,” indicates that we have received only the English version). When all required documents have been received, your admissions status will be changed from Provisional Admission to Unconditional Admission and the Required Documents tab will no longer display. Once your status is changed to “Unconditional” no further action is required.

Note: Due to the high volume of documents we receive, please allow 4-6 weeks for review and processing of your documents after the expected date of delivery to campus.

Please contact the Graduate Division’s admissions staff at gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu to request an extension. Extensions are not guaranteed.

If you accept the offer of admission via the Statement of Intent to Register, your information will be transmitted to the Office of the Registrar, registration information will be generated, and registration instructions will be emailed to you. If you do not receive an email from the Registrar by August, contact the Office of the Registrar. International applicants should review the Office of International Students and Scholars website for additional steps and information.

No. Graduate Students have registration priority over undergraduates in all courses.

 The University will contact you concerning available campus aid if you completed a FAFSA or received a funding offer. Visit Financial Support or contact your department regarding funding opportunities. All domestic applicants must complete the FAFSA.

The Office of the Registrar handles all matters of legal residency. Please contact the Residence Deputy, (805) 893-3033 with specific questions.

The Office of International Students and Scholars provides service and support to international students.

International Teaching Assistants

All prospective international teaching assistants (TAs) whose first language is not English are required to take the TA Language Evaluation in order to be certified for sole classroom teaching responsibility. This exam is scheduled by your department faculty and conducted through the English for Multilingual Students (EMS) Program prior to the beginning of each quarter. The Language Evaluation requires the prospective TA to give a brief oral presentation in English and respond to questions from a panel of department and EMS faculty.

Other Topics

The University will contact you concerning available campus aid. Visit Financial Support or contact your department regarding funding opportunities. All domestic applicants must complete the FAFSA.

Yes, you can take classes through UC Santa Barbara Open University or Summer Sessions. These programs are separate from the graduate application process. Please consult these departments regarding courses and deadlines.

More questions?

Contact Graduate Admissions.