Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process & Codification of Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admissions

1 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process

and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing

Graduate Admissions

__________________________________________________________

Adopted January 1992

Revised September 2023

[Clarifications and substantive changes have been shaded.]

2 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

Contents

Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process

Purpose ………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Steps in the Admissions Process ………………………………………………………………. 3

Review of the Admissions Process ……………………………………………………………..4

Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admissions …………...5

500.0 Graduate Admissions: Basic Authorization …………………………………………..5

500.1 Assignment of Responsibility for Supervision

and Review of Admission and Degree Requirements ………………………………..5

500.2 Delegation of Responsibility for Administrative Supervision

Admissions Procedures ………………………………………………………………5

500.3 Determination of Acceptable Institutions and Degrees ………………………………5

500.4 Determination of Conditions Satisfying Minimum Admission Standards …………...7

500.5 Appeal Procedures ……………………………………………………………………8

500.6 Application Processing and Evaluation Procedure …………………………………...9

500.7 Offers of Admission …………………………………………………………………..10

500.8 Duplication of Higher Degrees ……………………………………………………….12

500.9 Admission Requirements for Registration ……………………………………………12

500.10 Rejection of Applications ……………………………………………………………..12

500.11 Renewal of Application ……………………………………………………………….13

500.12 Readmission …………………………………………………………………………..13

500.13 Guidelines for Evaluating Contributions to Diversity for Graduate Admissions …….13

3 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

Guidelines for the Graduate

Admissions Process

Purpose

To promote appropriate review of all

applications to UCLA graduate programs and

to provide the records both University and

outside agencies often need, the Graduate

Council has adopted the following set of

guidelines for UCLA departments,

departmental units, and interdepartmental

programs to follow in the graduate

admissions process.

Steps in the Admissions Process

The departmental, departmental unit, or

interdepartmental program graduate

admissions process shall involve five steps:

1. establishing, affirming, or revising

standards and procedures by which

applicants will be reviewed and

decisions will be made;

2. communicating these standards and

procedures to the Division of

Graduate Education and those

participating in the admissions

process;

3. reviewing application materials;

4. deciding which applicants to admit;

and

5. preparing and storing files and

records.

These steps are elaborated below.

1. Establishing, Affirming, or

Revising Standards and Procedures

For every graduate degree offered, the

sponsoring department, departmental unit, or

interdepartmental program shall decide what

items or sources of information must be

available for an applicant (e.g., GRE,

portfolio, personal statement); what items or

sources of information are recommended but

optional; any standard criteria or minimal

standards (e.g., Junior- Senior grade point

average of 3.5); any criteria or enrollment

limits arising from the admitting unit’s

structure (e.g., applicant must have a tenure-

track faculty member willing to sponsor him

or her); what the profiles of strong applicants

would look like; the process by which

applicants will be reviewed and decisions to

offer admission or reject will be made; the

participants in this process; and the

safeguards in place to avoid any conflict of

interest. These decisions must conform to the

“Graduate Council-Approved Codification

of the Policies and Procedures Governing

Graduate Admission.”

A departmental faculty vote and rationale

from departmental faculty are required to be

submitted to the Division for all admissions

requirement changes except for the

application deadline. These changes include

the quarter(s) of admission, standardized test

requirements, letter of recommendation

requirements, and degree-specific

admissions requirements.

2. Communicating Standards and

Procedures

Each department, departmental unit, or

interdepartmental program shall have written

descriptions of its standards and procedures

for admissions to each of its graduate degree

programs. That is, the decisions described in

the preceding section (Establishing,

Affirming, or Revising Standards and

Procedures) shall be written down. The dates

during which each description is operative

shall be recorded on it. These descriptions

shall be given to all departmental, unit, or

program members participating in the

admissions process. Departments,

departmental units, and interdepartmental

programs are encouraged to outline their

standards in the form of a rubric – to be used

by each evaluator with each applicant – that

clearly articulates the qualities of a successful

applicant, where evaluators seek evidence of

those qualities, and how those qualities are

4 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

ranked. The department, departmental unit,

or interdepartmental program may decide

whether it wishes to make their rubrics and

descriptions available to applicants.

3. Reviewing Application Materials

It is the responsibility of the faculty of the

department, departmental unit, or

interdepartmental program to decide who

should participate in which aspects of the

review process. There is no a priori reason

why the faculty may not choose to involve

ladder faculty, non-ladder faculty, students,

or staff in the process. However, the process

must ensure that those involved should not

have a conflict of interest that might

influence the outcome of that process. Should

one person alone be given responsibility for

initial review, ranking, or other

categorization of applicants, it is strongly

recommended that the person’s work be

reviewed or checked by someone else. At

least two Academic Senate faculty members

must be involved in the review of all

applicants. It is important that all reviewers,

some of whom might gain access to the

records of peers in this process, be provided

with information and training and required to

sign agreement forms regarding the

protection of the confidentiality of applicant

and student records. These steps are

especially important with respect to new

participants in the process such as students

and new faculty.

4. Deciding on Admission Offers and

Denials

For each applicant, the responsible

department, depart-mental unit, or

interdepartmental program shall have a

written record of the reasons why he or she

was offered or denied admission to the

graduate program. The record should contain

enough information that reviewers outside

the department (e.g., Division staff or Office

for Civil Rights staff) would be able to

understand the basis for the admission

decision and to compare the decisions made

for different applicants.

5. Keeping Records

In order that periodic audits of the admissions

process can be conducted, the department

shall keep all records for no less than three

years. The following materials must be

retained: each individual’s application

materials, the admissions standards and

procedures in force at the time the applicant

was reviewed, the full names of those who

participated in deciding whether the applicant

should be admitted or rejected, and the

reasons for the offer of admission or

rejection. The application materials retained

for each individual should include all the

items or sources of information determined to

be necessary or desirable (see Establishing,

Affirming, or Revising Standards and

Procedures section) and anything else that

was considered in arriving at the admissions

decision (e.g., record of a personal interview,

record of a conversation with the applicant’s

undergraduate adviser). In those cases where

application materials (e.g., a portfolio) must

be returned either to the applicant or to

someone else, a written statement should be

placed in the applicant’s file indicating the

nature of the materials, the fact that they were

considered as part of the application, the

evaluations made of the materials, and to

whom they were returned.

Review of the Admissions Process

The normal Graduate Council eight-year

review of a graduate program will include a

review of the admissions standards and

processes for that program.

5 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

Codification of the Policies and

Procedures Governing Graduate

Admissions

500.0 Graduate Admissions: Basic

Authorization

Legislation authorizing the Graduate Council

to set standards for graduate admissions is

Regulation 510 of the Regulations of the

Academic Senate:

“Persons holding the degree of Bachelor of

Arts, Letters, Philosophy, or Science, from a

reputable in- situation authorized by law to

confer those degrees, maintaining standards

for those degrees accepted by the Graduate

Council concerned as equivalent to those of

the University of California, or holding any

other degree or certificate which the

Graduate Council concerned may accept as

equivalent, may be admitted as graduate

students in the University of California,

provided that the official credentials

presented show that the scholarship

requirements imposed by the Council of the

Division concerned are satisfied.”

In addition, by an Assembly approved

variance to University-wide Regulations (SR,

Appendix III), the Division is empowered to:

“provisionally admit department-designated

‘exceptionally promising [undergraduate]

students” as “Departmental Scholars, subject

to the approval of the Graduate Council.’”

As instructed by SR 520: entering foreign

graduate students are required to pass “the

regular examination in English required of

entering foreign undergraduate students.”

500.1 Assignment of Responsibility for

Supervision and Review of Admission and

Degree Requirements

The Committee on Degree Programs shall

review and advise the Graduate Council on

graduate education policy matters. Academic

Senate Manual of the Los Angeles Division,

Appendix III, Part V, Title II (7).]

500.2 Delegation of Responsibility for

Administrative Supervision of Admissions

Procedures

A. The Graduate Dean is delegated the

responsibility of developing, establishing,

and supervising administrative procedures

and practices to carry out the policies

promulgated by the Graduate Council under

SR 510, or as recommended to the Council

by its Committee on Degree Programs.

B. The Graduate Dean is authorized to

appoint an Associate Dean to act as his/her

deputy in the development, establishment,

and supervision of the necessary

administrative practices for an effective

admissions procedure.

C. The Graduate Dean may re-delegate

the establishment of administrative

procedures for implementing regulations and

policy to departmental, school, or college

faculty or faculty administrators. The Dean of

the Division remains responsible for all

decisions and actions taken. (Graduate

Council Annual “Delegation of Authority

Document.”)

500.3 Determination of Acceptable

Institutions and Degrees

A. Degrees conferred by U.S.

institutions (four year liberal arts colleges,

institutes of technology, and universities with

arts, letters, science and five year

professional curricula e.g., medical) are

acceptable when they are conferred by

institutions fully accredited by the six major

regional accrediting associations and rated

“AG” as recorded in the biennial Transfer

Credit Practices of Designated Educational

Institutions, published by the American

Association of Collegiate Registrar and

Admissions Officers (AACRAO).

B. Degrees conferred by regionally

accredited U.S. institutions allowing credit

for the General Record Examination (GRE)

or non-academic prior learning, and degrees

conferred by “C-rated” schools, with

6 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

“Candidate for accreditation” status, are not

considered “equivalent” to those conferred

by the University of California. Applicants

holding such degrees will, however, be

considered for admission by the Division

upon special recommendation of the

department/program.

C. U.S. degrees from unaccredited (less

than “AG rating”), E. unrated or unlisted

schools are not acceptable for graduate

admission. Holders of such degrees may

appeal a denial of admission according to the

process established in 500.5 below.

D. Foreign degrees are considered

acceptable from those institutions so

designated in such authoritative reference

works as The International Handbook of

Universities Yearbook and other reputable

international and national publications. If

necessary, the following guidelines shall be

used:

1. Applicants who have

completed studies at, and

received diplomas or

professional titles from,

institutions outside the United

States should ordinarily have

completed 16 or 17 years of

study: 12 years at the

elementary and secondary

school level, and four or five

years at the university level.

Eligibility is judged by grades

(marks), class obtained, or

rank achieved in class.

2. Applicants with degrees from

schools organized according

to what is known as the

British tradition are expected

to have completed an Honours

degree in first or high second.

Applicants with degrees from

schools in Bangladesh,

Burma, India and Pakistan,

countries in which schools

differ from the standard

British tradition, must show

completion of a degree

program requiring at least

four years of study beyond the

Intermediate or comparable

examination level. This

requirement may most

commonly be met by

presenting a master’s degree

or the Bachelor of

Engineering or Bachelor of

Technology degrees. The

minimum scholastic

requirements are as follows:

a) a First or High Second

Class placement, or at least

55% on the master’s degree

and b) a First Class placement

on the B.E. or B.Tech.

degrees. Evidence of class

placement must be stated in

the official records submitted.

E. Foreign degrees

are considered not

acceptabl

when they are three-year ordinary

or “Pass degrees” in the British tradition,

professional diplomas in librarianship, social

work, physical education, health education,

etc., or diplomas and higher certificates from

technical or vocational schools in foreign

educational systems. For applicants who ar e

holders of such degrees, diplomas, or

certificates, the department may appeal the

decision to deny admission by following the

process established in Section 500.5 below.

F. For UCLA Henry Samueli School of

Engineering and Applied Sciences

(HSSEAS) only: Applicants from

member schools of the French Conference

des Grandes Écoles will be considered

eligible for admission to graduate programs

in HSSEAS if they have completed two years

in preparatory classes (Year 1 = 60 ECTS;

Year 2 = 60 ECTS) and two years at the

Grande École (Year 3 = 60 ECTS; Year 4 =

60 ECTS). Applicants must fulfill all other

UCLA Division of Graduate Education

admissions requirements and will be

admitted through the Dean’s Special Action

process.

7 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

500.4 Determination of Conditions

Satisfying Minimum Admission

Standards

A. By Graduate Council action, a

minimum grade point average of “B” (3.0 on

a 4.0 scale), or its equivalent, in

undergraduate study or in graduate level

study, if any, is required for graduate

admission. Applicants who have completed

three years of undergraduate course work or

the equivalent are considered when they

specify they have the remaining year of

course work in progress and describe the

proposed course work for that year.

Applicants must also demonstrate English

language proficiency by meeting the

university’s published minimum standards

(academic credentials, performance on

recognized standardized tests such as TOEFL

or IELTS exams).

B. Dean’s Special Action. Applicants

who do not meet the university’s minimum

grade point average or other minimum

requirements for admission may be

considered for departmental review and

recommended for admission if their

documentation includes, individually or in

combination:

1. Strong letters of support;

2. High test scores (e.g., GRE, GMAT,

etc.);

3. Evidence of convincing interviews or

auditions;

4. Close relationship of demonstrated

professional or artistic competence to

the graduate objective;

5. Evidence of maturity as the result of

experience in the Armed Services,

Peace Corps, Vista, etc.;

6. Evidence of membership in a targeted

group, as defined by field enrollment

patterns and University goals (e.g.,

women in engineering).

Dean’s Special Action (DSA) cases are

submitted to the Division by the department

and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Departments must provide complete

documentation for each DSA request: the

DSA Form with all required fields completed,

an academic plan for cases in which the

applicant’s undergraduate GPA is below 2.8,

sand supplemental information to justify the

case. The Dean or his/her representative is

not bound to approve the department’s

recommendation.

C. Situations for which the DSA

process will be waived. The Division will

waive the DSA process for two limited sets of

applicants who failed to meet the

minimum grade point average requirement at

the undergraduate level:

1. Students who subsequently were

awarded a master’s or doctoral

degree by a regionally or

internationally accredited

university. The field of study

should be related to or support the

likelihood of success (e.g., by

addressing deficiencies in the

undergraduate record) in the

UCLA degree program to which

the student has applied for

admission.

2. Students who enrolled in a

master’s or doctoral degree

program at a regionally or

internationally accredited

university and who have, by the

time they submit their UCLA

application, completed at least

one year of full-time study

earning an average grade of B or

better (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). The

field of study should be related to

or support the likelihood of

success (e.g., by addressing

deficiencies in the undergraduate

record) in the UCLA degree

program to which the students

applied for admission.

The DSA process will only be waived if the

applicant meets all of the other requirements

for admission to the University and the

8 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

degree program to which the student has

applied: in other words, when no other

factors trigger DSA review, such as low

TOEFL/IELTS score or duplicate degree.

The Division will communicate

DSA review decisions to the department.

The department is responsible for

communicating the decision to the applicant

and for ensuring that the applicant

understands all conditions and restrictions

on which the DSA request was approved.

Should the admitted student matriculate, the

department is responsible for fulfilling its

commitments to supporting the student’s

success as articulated in the DSA request.

500.5 Appeal Procedures

A. Dean’s Special Action.

When there is dispute over, or uncertainty

concerning, the comparability of a student’s

degree, certificate, or diploma (e.g., if

domestic: less than AG-rated, or a technical/

vocational or seminary degree; if foreign: a

strong pass class degree from a highly

recognized institution), the Graduate

Council, through its Committee on Degree

Programs, authorizes the Dean of the

Division to exercise informed and deliberate

judgment to waive “degree equivalence.”

B. Special Rulings by the Committee

on Degree Programs. When there are

appeals from applicants who were denied

admission under the policy established in

500.3 C and E, the Dean of the Division

determines whether there is appropriate

cause; if yes, the Dean will refer the appeal to

the Graduate Council’s Committee on

Degree Programs for its determination.

C. Appeals by Departments.

Applicants may be denied admission by

the Graduate Admissions Office on the

basis of not meeting the university

requirements for admission, such as low

grade point average (below equivalent of

3.0 in upper division coursework), low

or no TOEFEL/IELTS scores, intention

to enroll in a degree program that

would lead to duplication of a

degree already earned, undergraduate degree

from an unaccredited institution, or no

bachelor's degree.

Departments may appeal the denial of a

Dean's Special Action (DSA) request on any

of the bases described in 500.4B, above. The

appeal must provide the required supporting

documentation. Once the Division has

rendered its decision on an appealed case, the

department cannot submit another appeal for

the same case unless new compelling

information can be provided. The new

information should substantively address the

basis for the denial and provide tangible

evidence to support reversal of the Dean's

decision.

D. Appeals by Applicants. Applicants

whose credentials

indicate they have

satisfied the minimum requirements for

graduate admission and who have been

denied admission by their departments may

appeal that decision for cause. The appeal

procedure is described in Part III, Appendix

VI of the Academic Senate Manual of the

Los Angeles Division. The Procedure is as

follows:

“A

n applicant for graduate admission

whose application for admission to

the University has been rejected, may

submit a written appeal for

reconsideration for cause to the Dean

of the Division of Graduate Education

within 30 calendar days after the date

of the notice denying admission.”

[Am 5/28/81]

The initial appeal should be directed to the

department, copying the following

representatives from the Division of

Graduate Education: Dean, Associate Dean

assigned as the School/Division liaison and

Assistant Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and

Admissions. Such appeals will be considered

only if based upon appropriate cause such as

(a) procedural error, (b) judgments based

upon criteria other than those specified by the

University, (c) personal bias, or (d)

discrimination on the basis of race, sex, or

handicap not pertaining to required academic

performance. (Am 5/28/81]

9 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

Disagreements over the evaluation of the

academic preparation or other qualifications

of the applicant will not be considered as an

appropriate basis for appeals by applicants. If

an applicant does appeal, the Graduate Dean

will ask the department chair or graduate

advisor to review the denial decision. The

department must provide the applicant with a

written response, copying the Division Dean,

Associate Dean assigned as the

School/Division liaison and Assistant Dean

for Diversity, Inclusion, and Admissions.

In cases of appropriate cause, the Dean of the

Division will refer the applicant’s appeal to

the Graduate Council’s Standing Committee

on Degree Program for its timely review. In

all cases in which the admissions decision has

been appealed and so referred, the applicant

must submit a written statement of the basis

for the appeal to the Committee on Degree

Programs, and may, at the discretion of the

committee, make a personal appearance

before it.

“This Committee will make a

recommendation to the Dean as to the

disposition of the case and the Dean of the

Division will make the final decision. Every

reasonable effort will be made to transmit a

decision to the applicant within 90 calendar

days of the receipt of the student’s initial

written appeal for reconsideration. [Am

5/28/81] In reporting the final decision of the

Dean to the applicant, the basis of the

decision and the nature of the

recommendations of the Committee on

Degree Programs will be included.”

500.6 Application Processing and

Evaluation Procedure

A. Matters pertaining to the processing

of applications for graduate admissions may

be delegated by the Graduate Dean to another

person who

reports to him or her through the

administrative structure that he or she

establishes.

B. Application Fee. An applicant

must pay the non- refundable

application fee.

Students who have previously registered in

graduate status at UCLA, and who apply for

readmission, must pay the non- refundable

readmission application fee. Except as

described in 500.6 B 2, below, applications

and readmissions applications will not be

processed prior to submission of the fee.

1. The fee is refunded if:

a. the applicant filed for a term for

which the department does not

consider applications;

b. the program is not offered at UCLA;

c. the fee was paid on a duplicate

application.

2. The Graduate Dean may authorize an

appropriate individual to issue to qualified

applicants waivers for the graduate admission

application fee and for the readmission

application fee (per authorization of Vice

President Frank Kidner, March 14, 1969).

3. The fee is waived for currently

enrolled students who are receiving financial

assistance and submit proof from a university

financial aid director.

4. Only one reactivation of application

for readmission is accepted without fee. The

readmission application fee is due with each

subsequent readmission application.

C. Transcripts

1. Official transcripts of all

baccalaureate and post baccalaureate course

work must be submitted. Transcripts are

defined as official or “acceptable” as follows:

a. For domestic students the

transcripts presented shall be attested

to by original embossments of the

seal of the issuing institution and the

inscription of the valid signature of

the certifying official;

b. For foreign students,a duplicate of the

official transcript, issued by the

institution, will bear an original

embossment or inscription of the

10 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

valid signature, or, if the institution

does not issue duplicate records, the

copy of the official transcript must be

certified. All foreign credentials

issued in a language other than

English must be accompanied by an

English translation.

2. Submitted records will not be

returned to the applicant, but photocopies

may be made for a nominal charge and either

given to the applicant or forwarded to another

institution at the applicant’s request.

3. Professional degree holders must

submit transcripts from each college and

university attended to determine fulfillment

of academic breadth requirements.

D. Additional Departmental

Requirements. Departments and

interdepartmental degree programs may set

forth additional admissions requirements,

such as:

1. Additional GPA calculations;

2. Test scores of the Graduate Record

Examination (Aptitude and/or Subject),

the Miller Analogies Test and Doppelt

Mathematical Reasoning Test, Graduate

Management Admission Test (GMAT),

and/or higher total or sub-scores on the

Test of English as a Foreign Language

(TOEFL) or the International English

Language Testing System (IELTS)

examinations;

3. Letters of recommendation;

4. Portfolios, tapes, slides, auditions,

interviews;

5. Auditions, interviews;

6. Admission diagnostic or placement

examinations;

7. Any other materials deemed appropriate

by the admitting department or

interdepartmental program.

500.7 Offers of Admission

fers of admission are made only at the

commendation of the department, subject

to review by the Graduate Dean or his/her

desi

gnated representative. The deadline for

receipt by the Division of departmental

recommendations of admission for any given

quarte

r is the last day of the first week of

instruction of that quarter.

Applicants who are admitted are formally

notified by the Graduate Dean. Departments

and academic programs do not have the

authority to offer admission to any candidate.

The Division of Graduate Education reserves

the right to withdraw, rescind, or modify an

offer of admission or funding under the

ollowing conditions:

A. Any part of an application contains

misrepresentation;

B. An applicant fails to graduate and

receive an undergraduate diploma (or its

equivalent) before the start of the term, or

otherwise will not hold the academic

credentials presented in the graduate

application;

C. An applicant is currently enrolled in a

degree program and shows a drop below

UCLA's requirement of a minimum grade

point average of "B"(3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or its

equivalent in undergraduate study or in

graduate level study between submitting the

graduate application and graduation;

D. An applicant accepts UCLA's offer of

graduate admission as well as an offer of

admission to another full-time graduate

program for the same period of enrollment;

E. An offer was made in the case of

procedural error.

A. Regular Admissions. This offer is

made when all necessary documents are on

11 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

file and have been reviewed favorably,

without stipulation, by the department.

B. Provisional Admissions. This offer

may be made when transcripts are

outstanding to complete the dossier for

registration, although those available justify

a favorable recommendation. The applicant

will be notified that registration is contingent

upon receipt of the final official transcripts.

C. Conditional Admission. This offer is

made when the department stipulates certain

conditions (e.g., completion of deficiency

coursework).

D. Restricted Admission. This offer is

made when the department restricts

admission to a specific degree or certificate

program; or when the Dean or his or her

designated representative or the department

restricts the offer of admission to a specific

number of quarters (to be reviewed at the end

of the stipulated period).

E. Special Offers of Admission. The

Dean of the Division or his/her designated

representative may grant admission in the

following cases:

1. Admission for “No Degree

Objective” (NDO). This offer is

made on rare occasions to

applicants who meet the entrance

requirements imposed by

the Graduate Council, and who

seek to undertake coursework

acceptable in graduate standing

without a graduate degree

objective (e.g., students making

up subject deficiencies for

entrance into medical school;

teachers with master’s degrees or

higher needing a term or two of

refresher study for sabbatical

leave; and foreign students on a

year’s exchange).

2. Dean’s Special Action (DSA).

Applicants who do not present a

“standard” academic bachelor’s

degree, or have not completed a

bachelor’s degree, may be

granted admission when they

have demonstrated outstanding

capabilities in their own careers,

related to their desired graduate

goals, or when they are members

of a targeted group as defined by

field enrollment patterns and

University goals (see 500.4 B and

500.5 A).

3. Admission as Departmental

Scholar. UCLA undergraduate

students who have been

nominated by a department for

exceptional promise may be

offered provisional graduate

admission as Departmental

Scholars. Students must show

exceptional promise, have

completed 96 quarter units at

UCLA, or the equivalent at

another institution, and have

completed the requirements in

preparation for a major.

“Exceptional promise” is to be

interpreted as meeting or

exceeding the minimum grade

point average which, if

maintained, would qualify the

candidate for College Honors.

(See Appendix III, Regulation

510 of Regulations of the

Academic Senate; and Regulation

A 300 of the Manual of the Los

Angeles Division). In accordance

with the ruling made by the

UCLA Senate Committee on

Rules and Jurisdiction (March 19,

1975), the provisional admission

into the Division means that the

Departmental Scholar’s

“Graduate status is subject to his

fulfilling the requirements of both

the Bachelor’s and Master’s

degree programs.” The

undergraduate and graduate

majors need not be the same.

12 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

500.8 Duplication of Higher Degrees

The University of California, in general,

discourages the duplication of advanced

degrees. At the same time, it recognizes that

a professional degree does not duplicate an

academic one, and that holders of either an

academic or professional degree may have

the pressing need to earn another degree in an

area quite different from that of their first

endeavors.

All applicants for a second academic

graduate degree at the same level as, or at a

lower level than the graduate degree they

already hold, will be required to show

compelling cause to the department before it

reviews and recommends admission to the

Dean of the Division. In all such cases, the

new degree must be in a different area than

the one completed. If admitted, such students

will be held to all the usual degree

requirements and University regulations

pertaining to fees, registration, examinations,

advancement to candidacy, etc.

An applicant who already holds a

professional degree may not be admitted into

a program that would award a degree with the

same degree designation. They may,

however, be admitted into a program that

leads to a different professional degree (e.g.

an M.B.A. degree holder may be admitted

into an M.P.H. program).

Students who hold certain professional

degrees (M.F.A., M.Ed., M.P.H., and M.S.N.)

may also be admitted into a program that

leads to the same professional degree if they

are applying to a separate track (e.g. a student

who holds a M.Ed. in the field of Principal

Leadership applying to earn a M.Ed. in the

field of Student Affairs).

500.9 Admission Requirements for

Registration

Students are permitted to register when the

offer of ad- mission is regular, conditional or

provisional.

A. Missing credentials must be

submitted prior to the first day of instruction.

Students may not register in the subsequent

quarter until the missing transcripts are

submitted.

B. Passage of the English as a Second

Language Placement Examination (ESLPE)

is required of admitted international students

if their native language is not English and

they have completed a degree program in an

institution where the language of instruction

is not English. Students may be exempted

from the ESLPE requirement if they achieved

either the minimum total score on the TOEFL

exam or the minimum IELTS overall band

score published by the Graduate Division.

Failure to take the ESLPE in a timely way

and to subsequently register in any required

ESL courses may result in cancellation of the

student’s admission and/or registration. The

Graduate Dean or his/ her designated

representative may waive this requirement

when demonstrably justified. For questions

about the ESLPE requirement, please consult

with the Writing Programs Office.

500.10 Rejection of Applications

A. Graduate Admissions Rejection.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum

University requirements, and who are not

eligible for consideration on the basis of

Dean’s Special Action, are rejected by the

Dean or his or her designated representative

without consultation with the department.

B. Departmental Rejection.

Departments and interdepartmental degree

programs may recommend the rejection of

applicants who have not met the approval of

the program’s admissions committee on the

following bases:

13 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

1. Insufficient scholarship;

2. Inadequate preparation in the

major;

3. Unsatisfactory GRE, GMAT,

TOEFL/ IELTS or other

standardized test scores;

4. Unpromising portfolio;

5. Unpromising dossier;

6. Unpromising interview or

audition;

7. The available slots in

applicant’s area of interest

have already been filled;

8. The program does not provide

graduate training in the

applicant’s specified area(s)

of interest;

9. Other specified and pertinent

reasons.

500.11 Renewal of Application

Application dossiers are kept on file for three

years. Applicants who did not register, and

who wish to apply again within that three-

year period, need only submit another

application form and transcripts of work

completed since the original application was

filed.

500.12 Readmission

Students who do not register in a quarter for

any reason other than that they have been

granted an official Leave of Absence are

considered withdrawn and must file an

application for readmission. Applications for

readmission may not be processed if a

restriction has been placed on the

individual’s UCLA record.

500.13 Guidelines for Evaluating

Contributions to Diversity for Graduate

Admissions

University policy states that an applicant’s

race or gender may not be considered in

selection for student or faculty appointments;

however, to attract excellent graduate

students who will contribute to the

University’s diversity imperative,

departments may give special consideration

to the following factors in selecting graduate

students for admission and financial support:

A. Applicants who have engaged in

service efforts or programs to increase

participation in science, education,

humanities, fine arts, or social sciences by

groups historically underrepresented in

higher education; for example:

1. Participation as undergraduates in

academic preparation, outreach,

tutoring or other programs designed

to remove barriers facing women,

minorities, veterans, people with

disabilities and other individuals who

are members of groups historically

excluded from higher education;

2. Participation in programs designed to

address diversity and equity in higher

education such as the Society of

Women in Physical Sciences,

SACNAS or other equivalent

programs in all disciplines;

3. Demonstrated record of mentoring

other students from groups

underrepresented in their field or

historically underrepresented in

higher education.

B. Applicants who have the potential to

contribute to their graduate program through

their understanding of the barriers facing

women, domestic minorities, students with

disabilities, and other members of groups

underrepresented in higher education careers,

as evidenced by life experiences and

educational background; for example:

14 Guidelines for the Graduate Admissions Process and Codification of the Policies and Procedures Governing Graduate Admission

1. Attendance at a minority-serving

institution;

2. Experience with issues facing

students with disabilities;

3. Ability to articulate the barriers

facing women in science and

engineering.

C. Applicants who display drive and

motivation to persist and succeed in their

careers in spite of barriers in higher education

that disproportionately disadvantage them;

D. Applicants with the potential to bring

to their research the creative critical

discourse that comes from their non-

traditional educational background or their

understanding of the experiences of

individuals from groups underrepresented in

higher education;

E. Applicants who, in addition to their

primary field of interest, have the potential to

make research contributions to understanding

the barriers facing women and domestic

minorities in science and other academic

disciplines; for example:

1. Studying patterns of participation

and advancement of women and

minorities in fields where they are

underrepresented;

2. Studying socio-cultural issues

confronting underrepresented

students in college preparation

curricula;

3. Evaluating programs, curricula

4. and teaching strategies designed to

enhance participation of

underrepresented students in higher

education;

5. Applicants who have the

communication skills and cross-

cultural abilities to maximize

effective collaboration with a diverse

cross- section of the academic

community.

F. Applicants who have research

interests in subjects that will contribute to

diversity and equal opportunity in higher

education; for example:

1. Research that addresses issues such as

race, gender, diversity and inclusion;

2. Research that addresses health

disparities, educational access and

achievement, political engagement,

economic justice, social mobility,

civil and human rights;

3. Research that addresses questions of

interest to communities historically

excluded by or underserved by

higher education;

4. Artistic expression and cultural

production that reflects culturally

diverse communities or voices not

well represented in the arts and

humanities.