The UC Davis graduate admissions process is managed collaboratively by Graduate Studies and each graduate program. Applicants may only be offered admission if they meet the minimum Graduate Studies requirements and any additional graduate program requirements.
Not all applicants who meet the minimum requirements will be admitted. UC Davis graduate programs seek applicants with the highest potential for success in graduate study and those most likely to apply their graduate education toward significant contributions to their academic or professional fields.
Minimum Admissions Requirements
Undergraduate Education Equivalency
Applicants must either 1) complete a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited US college or university, or 2) complete an international degree from a nationally approved and recognized college or university that is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree awarded by the University of California in both subject matter distribution and expected level of scholarship.
Applicants may apply and be admitted prior to completing their undergraduate degree, but the degree must be completed before starting a UC Davis graduate program.
Undergraduate GPA Minimum
Applicants must earn an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent conversion). Only the final, or if still enrolled, most recent cumulative GPA recorded by the undergraduate degree awarding institution is considered.
Exception Requests - In some cases, an applicant’s undergraduate GPA does not reflect their current academic potential and preparation for graduate study. For this reason, graduate programs may request that an applicant be admitted by exception if the committee identifies other qualifications or experience in the application that demonstrates high potential for success in the program. If your undergraduate GPA is less than 3.0, contact the Graduate Program Coordinator to ask about the potential for a GPA exception request.
English Language Proficiency
All applicants must demonstrate written and oral English language proficiency through one of the following methods:
Earning an undergraduate or graduate degree from a regionally accredited US institution.
Earning an undergraduate or graduate degree from a nationally recognized international institution in which English is the sole language of instruction.
Taking either the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English language exam and submitting score results that meet or exceed the minimums for graduate admission.
Information about the English language exam requirement, minimum scores, and score report submission instructions is available on the English Language Examinations webpage.
Application Fee Payment
Applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee ($135 for domestic applicants or $155 for international applicants) to be eligible for admission. Applicants applying to multiple programs must pay an application fee for each application they submit.
Application Fee Waivers - Graduate Studies offers application fee waivers ONLY to domestic applicants who participated in one or more of the approved Graduate Preparatory Programs. Individual graduate programs may offer a limited number of application fee fellowships for applicants in need. Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator identified on each Graduate Program page to ask if fee fellowships are available.
Restriction on Duplicate Graduate Degrees
Applicants who possess a graduate degree may not be admitted to an identical degree program at UC Davis (i.e., an applicant with an MS in Computer Science may not be admitted to the MS in Computer Science at UC Davis). Contact the program Graduate Coordinator if you are unsure whether a UC Davis program would be considered a duplicate degree.
Graduate Program Admissions Requirements
Individual graduate programs may set higher standards than the minimums described above or require additional application materials such as, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, writing samples, artistic portfolios, other certifications or professional examinations, etc.. Review the graduate program admissions websites linked on each Graduate Program page for information about program-specific requirements and contact the Graduate Program Coordinator if you have questions about program requirements.