Navigating the UCLA Graduate Application: A Comprehensive Guide

Applying to graduate programs at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) requires careful attention to detail and a thorough understanding of the application process. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the requirements, deadlines, and essential components for a successful application, particularly focusing on the Computer Science Department, but also touching upon other graduate programs.

General Admission Requirements

To be eligible for graduate admission to UCLA, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. This degree should be comparable in standard and content to a bachelor’s degree from the University of California. The University mandates a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for consideration. However, departments may review applicants with a GPA of at least 3.0. For the Computer Science Department, the most competitive applicants have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 (on a 4.00 scale), and at least a 3.50 in any graduate study.

GPA Evaluation

The Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Graduate Student Affairs Offices review and convert the marks or grades of all applicants as necessary. It is important to note that the departments do not provide “pre-application” reviews.

Application Deadlines and Timeline

The deadline to submit an application for admission is December 15, 11:59 pm, Pacific Time. Students are admitted only once a year to start in the Fall quarter only. Applications should be submitted only between mid-September and December 15. Late applications will not be considered. Updates to application materials will not be accepted.

Decisions for fall applications are announced starting in February and continuing through the summer. Each program has a different review period that follows its admission deadline.

Required Application Materials

A complete application typically includes the following components:

Transcripts: All applicants are required to upload ONE (1) transcript from each post-secondary institution attended. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for review purposes. Transcripts must: have been generated by your institution’s Registrar’s Office, be clearly legible, include the word transcript, the name of the institution, the institution address, your name, program of study, and the major field of study. It should also include a complete list of courses/terms/corresponding grades/units, and the cumulative GPA calculations. International applicants must upload copies of both English and native/original international transcripts per country- or educational system-specific guidelines. International applicants should refer to the Graduate Division’s “Required Academic Records for International Students” webpage to determine the correct official documents to submit based on the institution’s country of origin. UCLA students and alumni do not have to submit an official UCLA transcript. If offered admission, the final transcript indicating the date of the degree conferral may be submitted during the summer directly to the respective department office.
Statement of Purpose (SOP): All ECE applicants must submit a Statement of Purpose (2-page maximum) in their online application. All CS applicants submit an SOP (500 word limit) in their online application. The SOP should be precise and brief, containing only those personal details that would aid the admissions review process. The SOP is considered to be the writing sample. The statement of purpose will be used in conjunction with your application for consideration for graduate admission and financial support. It is an important way for you to convince members of the admissions committee that you are qualified and likely to succeed in a Ph.D. program. What is your purpose in applying for graduate study in your specified degree program? What experiences have prepared you for advanced study or research in this degree program? What relevant skills have you gained from these experiences? Why is the UCLA graduate program to which you are applying is the best place for you to pursue your academic goals?
Personal Statement: The Personal Statement is part of the University application. However, it is not required by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. All CS applicants submit a personal statement (500 word limit) in their online application. It is an opportunity for you to provide additional information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating your preparation and aptitude for graduate study at UCLA. Are there educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, not described in your Statement of Purpose, that have shaped your academic journey? If so, how? Describe challenge(s) or barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education. What motivated you to persist, and how did you overcome them? If you would like to provide additional information related to the experiences and challenges you have encountered in your pathway to graduate school you can type an essay up to 500 words in length. The admissions committee is particularly interested in those experiences that offer insights into your resilience, passion for research, and commitment to a career in science.
Letters of Recommendation: At least THREE (3) letters of recommendation must be submitted through the UCLA Application for Graduate Admission. For M.S. applicants: We recommend that you provide letters of reference from professors who have taught you in your junior and senior years. If you are an ESAP applicant to the ECE MS program, you will need two letters of recommendation from ECE faculty/instructors or instructors from outside the department that have a joint appointment with the UCLA ECE Dept (i.e. Professors Omid Abari and Jason Cong are CS faculty with joint appointments with the ECE Dept). For Ph.D. applicants: We urge that all your letters be from academic or professional references as recent as possible and from people who can comment on your recent professional accomplishments and your qualifications for graduate study in Electrical and Computer Engineering or Computer Science. If you have an M.S. degree, letters from professors who have served on your M.S. Letters are due December 15. Late letters will be accepted until January 1 5:00PM Pacific Time.

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GRE Scores (Potentially): Applicants for the 2026-2027 academic year are not required to take the GRE or submit GRE scores as part of their application package. However, students may voluntarily submit GRE test scores and they will be reviewed as part of the holistic application consideration. All students applying for fall who wish to take the GRE test early in the fall before the application deadline (Dec. 15). The test must have been taken within five (5) years of the submission date of the UCLA Graduate Division online application. Check the testing schedule and registration information on the GRE homepage. The UCLA institution code is 4837. The Computer Science department code is 0402. Official scores should be sent to UCLA as soon as possible. The GRE computer science subject exam is not reviewed by the department. Applicants must take the exam well before the December 15 deadline. Reports on exams taken in November will be received in time for review.
TOEFL/IELTS Scores (if applicable): International applicants must meet the university’s minimum requirement for the TOEFL or IELTS. Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited university located in the United States or in another country where English is the sole language of instruction according to the World Higher Education Database (WHED) at the time of submission are exempted from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement. If you meet this criterion, you are exempt from submitting English proficiency test scores to meet the English language proficiency requirement for admission to UCLA. Exceptions will not be made. Applicants must take the exam on or before the December 15 deadline. Reports on exams taken in November will be received in time for review.
If your first language is not English, you must submit a TOEFL with a score of at least 87 (computer-based) or 560 (paper-based), or an IELTS with a score of at least 7.0. Exams must be taken within two (2) years of the date of the online application submission. The UCLA institution code is 4837. The Computer Science department code is 78. Official scores should be sent to UCLA as soon as possible. Meanwhile, applicants are encouraged to submit unofficial student score reports on the Supporting Documents Upload section of the online application.
Resume/CV: Applicants are not required to submit a resume or vitae.

Specific Program Requirements: Computer Science Department

The Computer Science Department offers two primary graduate programs:

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Master’s of Computer Science (MSCS) Program: This is a 2-year program that has been in existence for over 50 years. MSCS Capstone topic is student-driven in which the students decide the topic and find their capstone advisor (must be CS faculty). The MSCS Capstone project is advised by faculty in the Department of Computer Science. ThesisStudents in the MSCS program (Master’s in Computer Science) could choose a thesis option, instead of Capstone. The MS thesis option is designed to provide in-depth research opportunities with CS faculty.
MEngr program: This is a new, one-year program. The MENG degree addresses the needs of both students and industry, tailored to those who wish to pursue technical management positions.
Ph.D. Program: Admission to the Ph.D. program is more selective than for the M.S. program. In general, the admissions committee does not consider Ph.D. applicants for admission into the M.S. program and vice versa. While a Ph.D. degree prepares students not only for careers in research and academia, those who apply for a Ph.D. While a M.S. degree prepares students not only for careers in the industry, those who apply for an M.S degree typically demonstrate interest in developing and applying technical skills and translational knowledge.

Students may apply for either the Ph.D. program or the M.S. program but not both. Applicants who hold a master’s degree in computer science or a closely related discipline will not be considered for admission to the master’s program. Applicants who hold only a bachelor’s degree may apply to the Ph.D. program.

Fields of Study (Computer Science)

The MS program does not have declared fields of study. While students are in the program, they are able to take courses within the following fields of study. The field that CS MS applicants select in the online application will be used to assign admitted students to an initial faculty advisor. CS students in the PhD program will need to identify one major and two minors in the following fields of study and take courses within these fields. CS PhD applicants should select their anticipated major field from the list above.

CS FACULTYApplicants to the CS MS or PhD program are asked to identify which three CS faculty they are interested in working with. Your selections will be used to help the department identify potential faculty who may serve as a faculty advisor.

Application Fee and Waivers

The application fee is $135.00 for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents and $155.00 for all other applicants.

Fee waivers are granted for students who participated in certain scholastic and research programs or who demonstrate financial need. If you do not meet the criteria for a Fee Waiver as specifically stated on the Fee Waiver requirement page then unfortunately you do not qualify for a fee waiver (no exceptions). If you do meet the criteria as stated on the Fee Waiver requirement page, it is the applicant’s responsibility to upload all the required documents (including redacting SSN) in their graduate admissions application.

Participants in the following programs are eligible for fee waivers:

American Political Science Association Ralph Bunche Summer Institute Scholars
California State University Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholars Program
Florida A and M University Graduate Feeder Scholars Program (FAMU GFSPP)
Gates Millennium Scholars
GEM Scholar
Louis Stokes Alliances/California Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP/CAMP)
McNair Scholar
UCLA Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUF)
Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)
Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS)/Research Initiative For Science Enhancement (MBRS RISE) participant
National Institutes of Health Build/Prep applicant
UCLA STAR program
Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research (SPUR)
UC-HBCU Initiative participant
UC Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS) applicant

Applicants who are sponsored by the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program are also eligible for a deferral of the application fee.

International Applicants

International applicants must meet the university’s minimum requirement for the TOEFL or IELTS. Please visit this page for detailed information. International applicants should refer to the Graduate Division’s “Required Academic Records for International Students” webpage to determine the correct official documents to submit based on the institution’s country of origin.

Prospective international M.S. applicants should apply for admission ONLY if they can provide documentation demonstrating financial support, which will be requested if admission is offered, in early March.

Additional Information

Conditional admission is not offered and a transitional or pre-masters program is not available.
No updates of the Resume/CV or any other aspects of the application are accepted after submission.
UCLA strongly discourages the use of agents in the application process.
As a courtesy, please do not send the same question to multiple staff/faculty throughout the CS Department. Please send your question that is not listed on the Grad FAQ webpage to the CS Grad Student Affairs Office only.

Concurrent Degree Programs

UCLA offers several concurrent degree programs that combine an MBA with other graduate degrees:

M.S. in Computer Science and M.B.A.: Offered jointly by the Anderson Graduate School of Management and the Department of Computer Science (Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science), this program enables students to complete requirements for both degrees in three academic years.
J.D. and M.B.A.: The Anderson School of Management and the School of Law offer a concurrent degree program which enables students to prepare for a career where law and management overlap and where understanding of both fields is necessary. The program makes it possible to earn the J.D. and M.B.A. in four academic years.
M.B.A. and Master of Information Studies: Offered jointly by the Anderson Graduate School of Management and the Department of Information Studies (Graduate School of Education and Information Studies), this three-year concurrent degree program is designed to provide an integrated set of courses for students who seek careers that draw on general and specialized skills in the two professional fields.
M.D. and M.B.A.: The Anderson Graduate School of Management and the Geffen School of Medicine offer a concurrent degree program which enables students to prepare for a career where medicine and management overlap and where understanding of both fields is necessary. The program makes it possible to earn the M.D. and the M.B.A. in five academic years.
Master of Public Policy and Master of Business Administration: Offered jointly by the Anderson Graduate School of Management and the Department of Policy Studies (Luskin School of Public Affairs), this three-year concurrent degree program is designed for students who seek careers that require expertise in policy making and management and enables them to move easily among careers in public service, nonprofit, and the private sector.
M.B.A. and Master of Public Health: The Anderson Graduate School of Management and the School of Public Health offer a three-year concurrent degree program designed for students who desire a management career in health care and related fields and who wish in-depth professional preparation for such a career.

Conclusion

Applying to graduate school at UCLA is a significant step towards advancing your academic and professional career. By understanding the admission requirements, deadlines, and required materials, applicants can prepare a competitive application that showcases their qualifications and potential for success. Remember to start the application process early, pay close attention to detail, and seek guidance from the Graduate Student Affairs Office when needed.

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