Academic Requirements

Admission decisions are based on a combination of factors, including academic degrees and records, the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores, and relevant work experience. We also consider the appropriateness of your goals to the degree program in which you are interested and to the research interests of the program's faculty. In addition, consideration may be given to how your background and life experience would contribute significantly to an educationally beneficial blend of students.

Please check the information provided by each emphases area for any additional admission requirements applicants must meet.

Applicant Admission Criteria:

1. Hold a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution with a major appropriate to the proposed graduate program. This degree must represent the completion of a program equivalent both in the distribution of academic subject matter and scholarship achievement comparable to that offered at the University of California.
2. Have a satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) is required.
3. Provide standardized test scores (Graduate Record Exam).
   The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is administered by:

Educational Testing Service (ETS), CN 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
tel: (609) 921-9000

The UC Merced graduate program requires the general test. Applicants should arrange to have GRE scores sent to the UC Merced Graduate Division office. You can contact the ETS directly via e-mail at gre-info@ets.org. Both the GRE and ETS are available on the World Wide Web.

The GRE institution code for UC Merced is 4129.

Application Requirements

The following is a list of materials required to complete the UC Merced Graduate application for both M.A./M.S. and Ph.D. programs:

• Application Fee: The current graduate application fee is $70 for domestic applicants and $90 for international applicants.

  The application fee must be submitted when you apply.  No application will be processed until the application fee has been received.  The application fee is not refundable under any circumstances. You may pay using a credit card when applying online (service surcharge applies).  Alternatively, a check or money order made payable to UC Regents, accompanied by the Graduate Application Fee Form for Admission, can be mailed to:

  University of California, Merced
  Attn: Graduate Division Application
  5200 N. Lake Road, Ste. KL 227
  Merced, CA 95343 

• Transcripts: Submit one official transcript for all college-level academic work including community college, summer session, and study abroad.
• Graduate Record Examination Scores: The general test of the GRE is required for admission to graduate study at UC Merced. Applicants should arrange to have GRE scores sent to the UC Merced Graduate Division Office.
• TOEFL or IELTS Scores: All graduate applicants, regardless of citizenship, whose preparatory education was principally in a language other than English, must show evidence of having recently taken the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or TOEFL-Internet Based Test or the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) examination. Note: some programs require higher scores, please check the website for details. 
• Three Letters of Recommendation. Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation.  In addition, recommenders needs to fill out a Letter of Recommendation Form to accompany your letter of recommendation.  All letters of recommendation and quantatative evaluation forms should be submitted directly to the Graduate Division.  We do NOT accept electronic letters of recommendation.  Your recommenders are asked to give their personal impressions of your intellectual ability, your aptitude in research or professional skills, your character, and the quality of your previous work and potential for future productive scholarship. Applicants may waive the right to inspect their letters of recommendation on a voluntary basis. To waive access to your letters, complete the waiver section of the Letter of Recommendation Form. We reserve the right to verify the authenticity of any and all letters of recommendation.
• Statement of Purpose: A statement of purpose is required to help determine whether your academic objectives can reasonably be satisfied in the graduate program to which you seek admission.
• Individual Program Submissions: Although not a requirement, you may submit examples of prior academic work, writing samples, or statements about research experience.

• Foreign Study Requirements: Students applying from foreign countries should refer to the requirements and regulations for international students.