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GRADUATE PROGRAM APPLICATION INFORMATION AND FAQ'S
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Frequently Asked Questions
Topics
All other materials are not accepted at this time, save some trees!
Online Application
- When are applications due?
- Applications for all students are DUE JANUARY 15th if you wish to
be considered for financial support. This means that all materials
(electronically submitted letters of recommendation, transcripts,
GRE/TOEFL scores) must be received prior to this deadline.
Application material received after this deadline will not be
considered and your incomplete application will be canceled. We do
not admit students with incomplete applications. Our
admissions-only deadline is April 15th. We do not accept
applications for Winter or Spring quarter.
- How can I check my status online?
- Please log in to EMBARK to check whether your application is complete or not.
- How much does it cost to apply?
- $70 for domestic applicants, $90 for international applicants, see the application for payment details.
- Can I apply for a fee waiver?
- No, we do not offer fee waivers..
- Will you consider applicants for Winter or Spring Quarters?
- Applicants may only apply for Fall quarter. If you are accepted, you may request a deferral of admission by one-three quarters. Deferral requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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- When are admissions decisions made?
- Typically we make our admissions decisions between March and May.
- What should I write about in my Personal Statement?
- Please describe your motivation for graduate study at UC Davis. You
should describe your academic plans and research interest, your
specialization within your academic field, your research experiences and
your career goals.
- What should I write about in my Personal History Statement?
- In an essay, discuss how your personal background forms your decision to
pursue a graduate degree. Please include any educational, familial,
cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, or opportunities
relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute
to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity within your chosen
filed; and/or how you might serve educationally underrepresented
segments of society with your degree.
- What happens if I exceed the 4000-character limit?
- The online system will only accept 4000-characters, so please take care to
limit the length. Your application reviewers will not see anything
beyond the 4000-character.
- How many students typically apply to the ECE Department at UC Davis? How many are offered admission?
- In 2009, 669 students submitted applications to our graduate programs (224 M.S. and 445 Ph.D.). Of those, we admitted 83 (33 M.S. and 50 Ph.D.)
- Where are your deadlines for Winter and Spring admission?
We only accept applications for *Fall* quarter admission. The deadlines are as follows:
- January 15: To be considered for financial support, all application materials (including online application, recommendation letters, transcripts, GRE/TOEFL scores) must be submitted before this deadline. All U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or immigrants should file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
- April 15: Applications not requiring financial support are accepted until this deadline.
If you wish to begin during Winter or Spring quarter, you would have to apply for Fall admission. If accepted you could request to begin early. Such requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
How can I check my status online?
- Do I need to submit multiple transcripts?
- No, submit only one transcript for each university or college you have attended. That transcript will be made available to faculty in each graduate program to which you have applied, as well as for the review of the fellowship application.
- Where do I submit transcripts?
- What if I apply to multiple programs?
- In the case of multiple applications, you should send only one transcript to your first choice of graduate programs or to the first completed graduate program application.
- What if my transcripts are missing my final grades?
- Many students apply before completing a bachelors or masters degree, thus many transcripts are incomplete. Please submit the transcript as is, and if you are admitted you will be required to submit a final degree transcript.
Letters of Recommendation
- How do I submit letters of recommendation?
- Can I submit hard copies of letters of recommendation?
- Hard copy of letters of recommendation are no longer accepted by the ECE Department, but rather you must submit all recommendations online once the online service is available. Letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically by the referee.
- Will the recommender be notified about the letter of recommendation?
- Yes, the online application will automatically notify the referee and provide instructions on how to submit their letter.
- What if my recommender does not receive notification or an email?
- Due to our new online system there have been some difficulties. There are two reasons that seem to be causing this problem, one, the recommender has a .edu.cn email address (not sure why this is a problem, but it appears to cause conflict) and two, the automatically generated emails are being filtered out as spam or junk mail. Please ask your recommender to check their junk mail setting so this does not happen, and you will need to contact the online application system, EMBARK (there is a help tab or hotline linked to the application) and request them to resend the email.
GPA
- What are the GPA requirements?
- A grade-point average in upper-division technical courses is expected to be at least 3.2/4.0 and in graduate courses to be at least 3.5/4.0.
- What are the typical GPA's of admitted ECE students?
- Average undergraduate GPA of Ph.D. student admitted in 2009 was 3.54 (out of 4.0). In 2008 was 3.64.
- Average undergraduate GPA of M.S. student admitted in 2009 was 3.18 (out of 4.0). In 2008 was 3.57.
- Average graduate (as applicable) GPA of Ph.D. students admitted in 2009 was 3.6 (out of 4.0).
GRE
- What are the minimum Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores required for the ECE program?
- The minimum scores expected are 500 on the verbal section and 700 on the quantitative section. Sometimes students with lower scores are admitted, depending on the overall strength of their application.
- Applicants who wish to be considered for fellowships or scholarships should plan to take the GRE no later than December.
- How do I submit GRE scores?
- Please submit your GRE scores electronically directly to UC Davis. Because our system is now all online, this is the best way to assure that your scores and your application are matched up is to request that ETS send your scores electronically. You may want to contact ETS to ensure that your scores were sent electronically and not just via mail.
- What is the institution code and department code for the GRE?
- Institution code 4834
Department code 1203
- What are the typical GRE scores of admitted ECE students?
- Average GRE scores for all students admitted in 2009, was: Verbal 510, Quantitative 770, and Analytical 3.5.
- Average GRE scores for all students admitted in 2008, was: Verbal 530, Quantitative 780, and Analytical 4.0.
- Average GRE scores for all students admitted in 2007, was: Verbal 520, Quantitative 770, and Analytical 4.5.
- How long are my GRE scores acceptable?
- GRE scores are good for 5 years from the date of examination.
TOEFL & IELTS
- What are the minimum TOEFL scores required?
- At least 550 on the paper-based test, 213 on the computer-based test, or 68 on the internet-based test. OFFICIAL scores must be sent directly from ETS.
- Do I need to submit TOEFL scores?
- Yes, if the applicant graduated from an institution in which the language of instruction was not English, you are required to submit a TOEFL score.
- No, if the applicant received a Bachelor's degree or Master's degree from an accredited school where the language of instruction was English, then you do not need a TOEFL score.
- How do I submit TOEFL scores?
- The department strongly suggests that you submit your TOEFL scores electronically, directly to UC Davis. This is the best way to ensure that your scores and your application are correctly matched.
- What is the typical TOEFL score?
- Due to different types of tests, we do not have an average of TOEFL score for admitted students, but typically our students meet the minimum requirements stated above.
- What is the institution code and department code for the TOEFL?
- Institution code 4834
Department code 66
How long are my TOEFL scores acceptable?
TOEFL scores are good for 2 years from the date of examination.
- Will you accept an IELTS score instead of a TOEFL score?
- What are the minimum IELTS scores required?
- Your most recent overall BAND score must be at least 7 on a 9-point scale.
Degree Information
- Can I apply directly to the ECE Ph.D. program?
- Yes, applicants intending to pursue a Ph.D. degree should apply directly to this program, even if an M.S. degree has not yet been obtained.
- I am an international student wishing to pursue a Master's degree, will I be considered?
- International students only wishing to pursue an Master's degree receive the LOWEST admission priority. They may only be admitted with the explicit support and commitment from specific professors in the ECE Graduate Program.
- How many international Master's degree students were admitted in 2008?
- In 2008, the department admitted 2 international M.S. students.
- How many international Master's degree students were admitted in 2008?
- In 2009, the department admitted 3 international M.S. students. In 2008, the department admitted 2 international M.S. students.
Fellowships & Financial Aid
- What do I need to do to be considered for fellowships, research positions, teaching assistant positions, and other types of financial aid?
- UC Davis recognizes necessity of financial aid in helping recruit the best students. The top students given offers of admission to our graduate program will also be offered financial aid packages. In order to be considered, please make sure your admission and fellowship applications (both online) are received along with ALL supplementary material by January 15th.
- What types of financial aid do you offer?
Contact
- Who should I contact for further information?
- Graduate Program Coordinator, Mandy Bachman at: gradinfo @ ece dot ucdavis dot edu
- Is it appropriate to contact faculty directly?
- If you are interested in contacting ECE Professors directl, please be sure to read their websites very carefully. Professor receive a large number of inquiries about admissions each year. They are very busy and have little time to reply to each request. Be sure to you are VERY specific about your required information and do your homework about their research and their lab. They generally DO NOT reply to general inquiries sent to many faculty. To find information on a particular research group, please click on the name of the research group here: http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/research/researchoverview.html.
To find information about a Graduate Program Faculty member and his/her work, please click on his/her name here:
http://www.ece.ucdavis.edu/people/associatedfaculty.html.
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