Welcome to the Admissions page for PhD applicants Here you will find everything you need to know about the admissions process, as well as contacts that can provide answers to any questions you might have. We wish you the best of luck in applying, and we hope to welcome you to the Bren School should you choose to pursue your PhD studies here.
Applying All applications for graduate study at UCSB are submitted online to the Graduate Division. Applications are not submitted directly to the Bren School, though some supplementary materials described below are sent directly to us. Please note that an applicant may apply to only one department at UCSB per admissions period.
Information and Assistance In addition to the admissions information found here, prospective students should review the information on the UCSB Graduate Division web site. The site also contains detailed information about submitting an application and the overall application process. Below, you will find information specific to the Bren School and answers to frequently asked questions that are and not included on the Graduate Division web site. Prospective students’ primary contact for information and assistance is the Bren School Staff Graduate Advisor. Send e-mail or call 805-893-7611.
International Applicants International applicants should carefully review the information for international students on the Graduate Division’s web site The Bren School does not require international applicants to submit a pre-application. However, before applying, you should consider carefully that you are unlikely to be admitted UNLESS you are certain that you will be able to cover the full cost of your education and living expenses through personal resources or scholarships from your government or other external entities OR you have been in communication with a Bren School faculty member who has indicated that s/he a) has graduate student researcher positions available and b) would consider you for one of them. Applications from prospective international students will not be processed until the application fee is paid.
Visiting Prospective PhD students are strongly encouraged to visit the Bren School. Please contact the Staff Graduate Advisor to make arrangements.
Admissions Deadlines
The application deadline for the PhD program is December 15. All application materials must be postmarked by this date. Late applications will be considered through February 15; however, late applicants will not be eligible for university-wide fellowships. All applicants who apply by the February 15 deadline are automatically considered for Bren School-based financial awards.
Faculty Sponsorship The Bren School offers a mentored PhD program in which each student works closely with at least one Bren professor in his or her area of expertise. Acceptance into the PhD program requires the support of a Bren School ladder-track faculty member who agrees to be your sponsor. Most faculty members expect that, prior to submitting an application, you will contact them to explore the possibility of pursuing PhD studies under their mentorship. You should thoroughly review faculty web pages and gain a solid understanding of the research programs of potential sponsors who have interests aligned with yours. *Please keep in mind that due to the faculty members' busy lecture schedules and research schedules, it could take longer than a week for a faculty member to return a cold call or cold email.* Please note: The fact that a faculty member may encourage you to apply does not necessarily mean that s/he is making a commitment to sponsor you. What it generally does mean is the faculty member is considering taking on new PhD students this year and has the necessary research funds to do so, and that your background and interests are of interest to him/her. Please note that although a faculty member may express interest in sponsoring you, the Admissions Committee makes the final admission decision. The committee will recommend admittance only if 1) you have sufficiently strong academic qualifications and 2) there is a high probability that your financial-support needs can be met primarily through extramural grants and/or fellowships secured by you and/or your advisor. Preparation The undergraduate coursework and related preparation required for the PhD program vary depending on the faculty member with whom you wish to study. Although the Bren School does not require that you have a master’s degree to apply for the PhD program, some faculty prefer that you do. Please refer to the web page of the faculty member with who you wish to work to get a sense of his/her specific requirements.
The UCSB Graduate Division requires that all applicants for graduate study have:
Application Materials Sent to the Graduate Division by the Applicant
Sent to the Graduate Division by the Educational Testing Service
Sent to the Bren School by the Applicant
Bren School Mailing Address Attn: Graduate Advisor 2400 Bren Hall, Bren School of Env Sci & Mgmt, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106-5131
Contact Information For further information regarding the Bren School admissinos process, please contact admissions@bren.ucsb.edu or (805) 893-7611.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are my GPA and GRE scores high enough? The average GPA for admitted PhD students is generally at least 3.5, and the combined verbal and quantitative average score is generally at least 1350. What if my GPA is less than 3.0? The minimum GPA Graduate Division will allow is a 3.0 (on a 4.0-point scale) calculated for the last two years of undergraduate or postgraduate study. More specifically, your grade point average is calculated for all course work done as an undergraduate or as a postgraduate, excluding the first 60 semester units or 90 quarter units as well as non-academic courses, such as physical education. In rare cases, the school can petition the Graduate Division to admit a student whose GPA is slightly below 3.0, if the rest of the application is extremely strong and unusual circumstances may have contributed to the lower undergraduate GPA. However, it is quite unlikely that a faculty member would agree to sponsor a student who had a low GPA. More likely, you would be encouraged to pursue a master’s degree first. GRE scores are not sent by the applicant; rather, ETS sends them directly to the UCSB Graduate Division. I retook the GRE. What scores will be used? Applicants who take the GRE a second time and want scores updated must request that the new scores be sent to UCSB. UCSB will review only the most current complete set of scores reported. Applicants may not mix and match the highest scores from different tests. I took the GRE before the application deadline, but I'm worried that official scores may not arrive from ETS until after the deadline. Will the Graduate Division consider my application to be late? If you took the test on a date near the application deadline, you should self-report your scores to the Bren Staff Graduate Advisor. We can use these scores to begin the review process but will require official scores before communicating a final admission decision to the Graduate Division. However, should your scores arrive beyond the December 15 application deadline, you may be excluded from eligibility for the university-wide fellowship competition. If I am admitted, by what date do I have to accept or decline the offer of admission? April 15. UCSB abides by the Council of Graduate Schools resolution that prospective students are under no obligation to accept a financial award until April 15. For more information on this resolution, please see the Council of Graduate Schools web site. If I am admitted, may I defer my admittance for one year? No. The university does not allow us to defer admittance; however, we will keep your application materials (letters of recommendation, Statement of Purpose, transcripts, etc.) on file for one year. To reactivate your application, you must complete a new online application and pay the application fee. But because you would be competing in a different applicant pool than before, admission is not guaranteed. Are students ever admitted without a sponsor? No student is admitted unless a faculty member has agreed to sponsor the student and serve as the PhD advisor. What is the role of the sponsor? The sponsor normally serves as the student’s advisor and the chair of the student’s PhD Committee. The sponsor is responsible for providing intellectual support and academic and career advice, as well as assisting the student to obtain necessary financial support from graduate student researcher positions, teaching positions, fellowships, etc. Prospective Students - Phd | Excellence | Research Expertise | Program Details | Admissions |
||||
Excellence