Admissions Dates and Deadlines
Admissions Dates and Deadlines
An online application, with fee payment, must be submitted via eApp by the established department deadline in order to be processed and released to the academic department and considered for admission to a graduate program at UCSB.
Departments may determine their application deadline(s) each year. The Associate Director of Admissions will contact departments for this information each summer. Consult the department websites for individual department deadlines.
NOTE: Adjusted Admissions Timeline for 2026
In anticipation of our transition to Slate, the typical admissions timeline has been adjusted for the 2026 cycle. Please see below for additional details or contact the admissions team with any questions.
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Final Application Deadlines
The final application deadline for all applicants seeking admission and consideration for centrally administered fellowships is as follows:
Fall Quarter: January 15 (Some departments may have earlier deadlines)
Note: Departments must set their application deadlines on or before this date in order to be eligible for the fellowship competition.
Final Graduate Division application deadlines for applicants seeking admission only:
Winter Quarter: December 1
Spring Quarter: February 1
Fall & Summer Quarters: May 1
Fall Quarter, Combined Degree Programs (Bachelor’s/Master’s): May 15
Note: Individual department deadlines vary, but all departments must set their application deadlines on or before these dates.
Final Decision Deadlines
Departments must finalize all fall and summer admissions decisions no later than the dates listed below for each application cycle. Each applicant who submitted an online application must receive a decision of unconditional admission, provisional admission, denied, or incomplete application. See the Admissions Decisions section of this manual for more information. There are no specific decision deadlines for winter and spring quarters.
The final deadline for departments with an application deadline before May 1st to submit admissions decisions to the Graduate Division without an exception request is as follows:
Summer & Fall Quarters – May 1
The final deadline for departments with an application deadline of May 1st or later to submit admissions decisions to the Graduate Division without an exception request is as follows:
Fall Quarter – June 1
Statement of Intent to Register Deadlines
To officially accept or decline an offer of admission applicants must submit a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) through the online application on or before June 15, 11:59pm Pacific time (fall and summer quarters; no deadline for winter and spring).
If applicants have received a funding offer: In accordance with the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) resolution on financial support offers, we must be in receipt of applicants’ acceptance of funding offers no later than April 15, 11:59pm Pacific time. Applicants must also submit an SIR.
Please contact the Financial Unit in the Graduate Division for further information about accepting funding offers.
Final Processing and Exception Request Deadlines
In exceptional circumstances, departments may wish to request an exception to admissions policy in order to allow an applicant to apply late; to admit an applicant after the final decision deadline; or to allow an applicant to submit a positive SIR after June 15th. Such requests should be submitted as early as possible.
The Graduate Division will not consider exception requests after September 1 each year. All admissions actions for the open application cycle must be resolved before this date.
NOTE: Adjusted Admissions Timeline for 2026
The Graduate Division will not consider exception requests after July 31, 2026. In anticipation of our transition to Slate, a full system outage is expected for the month of August. All admissions actions for the 2026 application cycle must be resolved before this date.
Deferral Deadlines
All deferrals must be finalized (meaning they have been submitted and approved by the department, approved by the Graduate Division, and accepted by the student) at least three weeks prior to the start of the student’s current or intended enrollment term, whichever is earliest. Deferrals are permitted only in rare, exceptional circumstances. See Admissions Decisions | Deferring Admission for more information.
2026 Admissions Cycle Deferral Deadlines
Winter 2026 Deferral Deadline: December 15, 2025*
Winter 2026 Quarter Begins: January 5, 2026
Spring 2026 Deferral Deadline: March 9, 2026*
Spring 2026 Quarter Begins: March 30, 2026
Fall 2026 Deferral Deadline: July 31, 2026*
Fall 2026 Quarter Begins: September 20, 2026
Note: this deadline applies to BOTH students who have been admitted for that quarter and those who have previously deferred to that quarter, but wish to defer again.
Typical Processing Timeline
The admissions timeline varies among departments, and applicants are encouraged to contact departments directly for specific deadlines related to the receipt and processing of applications. However, there are general deadlines and processing periods that are common to most graduate departments and programs at UCSB.
Listed below is a traditional timeline for general processing based on admission to fall quarter.
Date / Date Range | Action / Deadline |
|---|---|
September 1 | Online application opens |
December 1 -20 | Application deadlines for the majority of departments |
Mid - Late January | Recruitment fellowship nominees are finalized by the department; Admissions notification begins |
February | Recruitment fellowship awards released to admitted applicants |
April 15 | Student response deadline for financial support offers |
May 1 | Final deadline for submitting admissions decisions to Graduate Division for those departments with a deadline before May 1 |
June 1 | Final deadline for submitting admissions decisions to Graduate Division for those departments with a May 1 or later deadline |
June 15 | Final SIR deadline for all offers of admission |
July 1*** | Departments web page, GRE policy, and application deadline updates for the next application cycle due to the Graduate Division |
August | TA Language Exam and English Language Placement Exam (ELPE) lists released |
September 1** | New Application Cycle begins; Any outstanding admissions-related business for the previous cycle must be resolved before this date |
Note: Applicants are instructed in the online application to allow time for internal processing. They are advised to wait approximately 5-10 days after submission of the SIR before continuing with the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) and set-up of the UCSB Net ID and Umail account.
The SLR is accessible through the UCSB Registrar’s Office Website. Please direct any questions or problems regarding the SLR to the residence staff in the Office of the Registrar at residency@sa.ucsb.edu.
Adjusted 2026 Processing Timeline
In anticipation of our transition to Slate, the typical admissions processing timeline has been adjusted for 2026. A full system outage is expected for the month of August. Both eApp and App Review will be impacted. All admissions actions for the 2026 application cycle must be resolved before the end of July.
Date / Date Range | Action / Deadline |
|---|---|
September 3 | Online application opens to new applicants for the 2026 application cycle |
December 1 - 20 | Application deadlines for the majority of departments |
Mid - Late January | Recruitment fellowship nominees are finalized by the department; Admissions notification begins |
February | Recruitment fellowship awards released to admitted applicants |
April 15 | Student response deadline for financial support offers |
May 1 | Final deadline for submitting admissions decisions to Graduate Division for those departments with a deadline before May 1 |
May 15, 2026 (expected) | Departments web page, GRE policy, and application deadline updates for the next application cycle due to the Graduate Division (approximate expected deadline) |
June 1 | Final deadline for submitting admissions decisions to Graduate Division for those departments with a May 1 or later deadline |
June 15 | Final SIR deadline for all offers of admission |
July 31, 2026 | Any outstanding admissions-related business for the 2026 application cycle must be resolved by this date |
August 1 - 31, 2026 | Planned Systems Outage: App Review will be offline and inaccessible to users |
August | TA Language Exam and English Language Placement Exam (ELPE) lists released |
September 1 (expected) | 2027 Application Cycle begins (approximate expected date) |
