April 27, 2020
Recognizing the serious challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic for student learning, faculty teaching, and academic performance assessment, the UCSB Deans, Graduate Division, and Graduate Council assert the following principles.
UC Santa Barbara evaluates applicants for admission to its graduate and professional schools holistically, meaning that we consider an applicant’s combination of personal accomplishments, letters of recommendation, personal statements, academic record, and test scores (if applicable) in making our admissions decisions. Such a review will take into account the significant disruptions of COVID19 when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials from Spring 2020.
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.
Applicants are invited to describe their individual experiences during the pandemic to provide context to inform the application review process. We strive to form future graduate student cohorts composed of intellectually strong, diverse, and resilient individuals who will make the most of their graduate education opportunities at UCSB.