Education Abroad Program (EAP) Reciprocity Applicants

Education Abroad Program (EAP) applicants apply for graduate study on non-degree status. The UCEAP Office coordinates much of the application process and serves as a point of contact if questions arise. Processing EAP reciprocity students is the same as with other graduate applications. EAP Reciprocity applicants may submit a fee waiver request via the online application by selecting the Program Participation option (select "Other," and type in EAP), with a verification letter from the UCEAP Office.

Fulbright and LASPAU* Scholars

Fulbright applications come directly from the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York. LASPAU is a division of Fulbright and should be treated the same. Fulbright and LASPAU applicants follow the same admissions and selection processes as other applicants.

You will notice that all contact information for Fulbright applicants is directed back to IIE. This is a normal practice by Fulbright and should not interfere with application processing. Departments normally do not communicate directly with Fulbright applicants. However, if you wish to communicate with the applicant, you may contact the IIE staff overseeing the application and request a direct email address.

Application Materials from Fulbright: All application materials are sent directly to UCSB. If you receive any materials please forward them to the Graduate Division. The Graduate Division will upload all necessary documents to the online application. Per agreement, all materials sent by the Fulbright office are treated as official.

Letters of Recommendation: Fulbright applicants will need to enter recommender information into their online application so that letters received from Fulbright can be uploaded. Instruct applicants to pick Yes for the letter service option and input gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu as the letter service contact. We can then upload their letter under the Upload Letter link.

Re-Applications

An applicant who applied for graduate study at UCSB in a previous year must submit a new complete electronic application and fee payment. The applicant may contact the department to which they are applying to ask if all materials must be re-submitted or not. Departments may determine, on an individual basis, if previously received materials may be used again.

Applicants may log into their previously submitted application to retrieve materials if they wish to reference or reuse items. The department may assist with this process if desired. All test scores must still be valid by testing administrator standards at the time of application to be considered official.

Deferred Applications

Applicants successful in gaining admission to a graduate department or program may not defer their admission to a later quarter without prior approval from the Dean of the Graduate Division. Please refer to the Admissions Decisions section of this manual for more information on requests for deferrals.

Applicants who were not granted an approved deferral or who did not accept an approved deferral at the time of their prior admission must follow the re-application process, as outlined above. Although departments are encouraged to work with applicants in streamlining their re-application process, it should be made clear to applicants that admission is not guaranteed.

Current UCSB Graduate Students Seeking Second Master’s

Current UCSB graduate students who seek to add a master’s degree (excluding MFA), credential or emphasis; or drop a doctoral or master’s degree, credential, or emphasis must submit a Change of Degree Status Petition to Graduate Division Academic Services; no application is required.

Applicants who have already earned a graduate degree from UCSB and who wish to pursue a second masters or doctorate are considered new applicants. Refer to the Types of Applications section of this manual for more information.

Current UCSB Graduate Students Seeking to Add or Change Doctoral Degree

Current graduate students who wish to add or change to a new MFA or doctoral program are required to apply by the department’s application deadline using the Online Application (eApp).

This includes:

1. Students who are in a terminal UCSB master’s program and want to apply to a UCSB doctoral or MFA program (including a new doctoral objective in their current department)

2. Students who are in a UCSB doctoral program and want to change to a different UCSB doctoral or MFA program

Important elements of the process:

1. These students are eligible for central recruitment funding, including the International Doctoral Recruitment Fellowship (IDRF)

2. If admitted, these students will be given a new start quarter for the doctoral objective

3. These students can apply only during the regular application cycle for the department

Application Procedure

1. Current students will apply to the desired MFA/doctoral program via the online application, much like individuals who are not UCSB students. Refer to the Types of Applications section of this manual for more information.

2. All application sections must be completed by the student (including exam scores, statements, and letters of recommendation).

3. Current UCSB students must complete the educational history section of the application and submit transcripts. Students may access old application materials via eApp. Department staff members may also retrieve old application documents via App Review.

4. Payment of the application fee is required; however, students may request a fee waiver if they qualify for one.

TA/Associate Eligibility Notification

It is possible that a current student who applies to add the MFA or doctorate may have already served as an ASE (Reader, TA, or Associate). It is important that the new department is aware of this service and takes it into consideration when developing a funding package, as this earlier service will count towards the student’s cumulative count of quarters employed in these titles. (Students are only allowed to serve as ASEs for 12 quarters, although exceptions can be made to employ students in ASE titles for up to 18 quarters). This information will be made available to the department upon request of a Graduate Division financial unit staff member.

Fellowship Holders

Some current student applicants may have already received a multi-year central fellowship when initially admitted to UCSB. Departments that admit students with central fellowships can work directly with the Graduate Division’s fellowship staff to petition for the award to transfer to the new department.

Timing of Entry

Current graduate students may only apply during the regular application cycle for the department. Departments that allow doctoral applications on a rolling basis should note that students applying for winter or spring admission will not be eligible for central recruitment fellowship competitions or the IDRF. This ensures that fellowship funds are distributed to students who are admitted as part of a maximally competitive pool and are evaluated for fellowship funding on a campus-wide basis.

In the case where a terminal master’s student has applied for and is admitted to a doctoral program that starts in the fall quarter, but finishes the master’s degree in fall or winter of the previous year, the Graduate Division can consider an exception to move up the start date of the doctoral program so that there is no break in registration.

Home Department Notification / Simultaneous Enrollment

We expect new incoming graduate students to complete their bachelor’s and any prior master’s programs, if applicable, prior to starting their graduate program here. On the other hand, we have always allowed our current graduate students to have simultaneous enrollment if both departments approve. For current graduate students applying to a doctoral program, the expectation is that their master’s degree will be done by the time they start the doctoral program. If it isn’t, we will consider simultaneous enrollment on a case-by-case basis as the need arises.

If a student is currently in a doctoral program and applies to and is accepted into another doctoral program, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate this with their original department.

Time-to-Degree / New Start Quarter

Students admitted to a new doctoral program will be assigned a new start quarter, and their time-to-degree will be counted from the new quarter, instead of the original admission quarter.

Seeking Reinstatement

UCSB graduate students who have allowed their registration to lapse must petition for reinstatement to graduate standing. To reinstate, the student and department must complete and submit the Petition for Reinstatement to Graduate Division Academic Services. Current students should not submit a new graduate application in order to be reinstated.

Joint Degree Programs

Joint degree program students should submit the online application for review and admission through the normal App Review process. The following instructions apply to the SDSU Geography Joint Doctoral Program and the Sac State Public History Joint Doctoral Program specifically.

Geography JDP with San Diego State University

Admission Procedure

Applicants should complete and submit the UCSB online application on or before the department deadline. Upon submission of the application, applicants should select the “Fee Waiver” payment option and contact the Associate Director of Admissions to finalize submission. The Associate Director will release the application to the Geography department for further processing.

Applicants submit the SDSU application as normal and SDSU staff will submit paperwork to UCSB. Upon receipt of the UCSB application and processing by the UCSB Department of Geography, the Graduate Division Associate Director of Admissions will admit the applicant to the program. Admitted applicants then submit their Statement of Intent to Register at UCSB and obtain a UCSB Net ID.

Continuing Students Procedure

SDSU staff will forward a list of students enrolled at SDSU to the UCSB Graduate Division Academic Services Director at the beginning of each semester. The director will respond with a list of students enrolled at UCSB. UCSB Academic Services staff will enter the appropriate Leave of Absence (LOA) code in SREG for the JDP students that are enrolled at SDSU. The LOA code will grant Joint Doctorate students uninterrupted Umail access and Davidson Library privileges.

When students are scheduled to start their first quarter at UCSB, UCSB department staff should alert the UCSB Academic Services Director at the beginning of the previous quarter. The director will ensure the LOA code is removed from the record for the upcoming quarter. Students will automatically receive a “returning student instructions” email from the Office of the Registrar detailing instructions on how to submit the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) and information about course enrollment times.

Public History JDP with Sacramento State University

Admission Procedure

Applicants should complete, submit, and pay* for the UCSB online application on or before the department application deadline. UCSB History staff will share the application with Sac State, determine the admissions decision, and process the decision in App Review. Once the admission decision is finalized by the Graduate Division, admitted applicants should submit their Statements of Intent to Register at UCSB and obtain their UCSB Net IDs.

Continuing Students Procedure

Sac State staff will forward a list of students enrolled at Sac State to the UCSB Academic Services Director at the beginning of each semester. UCSB Academic Services staff will enter the appropriate Leave of Absence (LOA) code in SREG. The LOA code will grant Joint Doctoral students uninterrupted Umail access and Davidson Library privileges.

When students are scheduled to start their first quarter at UCSB, UCSB department staff should alert the UCSB Academic Services Director at the beginning of the quarter prior to the UCSB start quarter. The director will ensure the LOA code is removed from the record for the upcoming quarter. Students will automatically receive a “returning student instructions” email from the Office of the Registrar detailing instructions on how to submit the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) and information about course enrollment times.

Five-Year Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programs (BA/MA, BS/MA, or BS/MS)

These programs are available to UCSB undergraduates enrolled in specific degree programs only. By following the steps outlined below, Five-Year Combined Degree program students can successfully and easily transition from undergraduate to graduate status. Departments with Five-Year Combined Degree Programs should refer to the Five-Year Program Departmental Procedures Guide, available on GradPoint, for complete details, sample documents, and full processing instructions. 

Internal Processing

A student is first approved internally by the academic department for acceptance to the Five-Year Program. The Graduate Division’s role is to implement Graduate Council policy. Thus, we ask that you refer to your degree program proposal, as approved by the Graduate Council, for specifics regarding your internal processing. Please note that students will still be required to meet all admissions requirements when they advance to graduate standing.

Once a student is pre-screened and internally accepted into your Five-Year Program, please forward a copy of your department’s Acceptance Letter to the Graduate Division Admissions unit and to the college’s designated Five-Year Program Coordinator: 

• Graduate Division Admissions: Mallarie Stevens, mallarie.stevens@graddiv.ucsb.edu

• College of Engineering: Shariq Hashmi, shashmi@engineering.ucsb.edu

• College of Letters and Science: Willie Roman, wroman@ltsc.ucsb.edu 

• College of Creative Studies: Heidi Dinnogen, heidi.dinnogen@ccs.ucsb.edu

This notifies us of a forthcoming applicant to your program. The admitting graduate academic department should ask the student to complete and submit a study plan at this time. It would be appropriate to request the study plan in the acceptance letter.

BS/MS Program PowerBI Report: Please review the BS-MS Program Power BI report periodically to identify students currently in the program. If a Five-Year Program student decides not to pursue the program at any point after being internally admitted, the department should notify the Graduate Division Associate Director of Admissions.

• To request access to PowerBI, please email: RegAccess@sa.ucsb.edu

• For questions about the PowerBI reports, please email: RegGIA@sa.ucsb.edu

Required Memos

Advancement Memo: Once the student has completed the required undergraduate coursework and units (180+) and intends to be fully engaged in the graduate program by the admit quarter, the student or Staff Graduate Program Advisor should contact the college’s designated Five-Year Program Coordinator.

• The coordinator will send the Advancement Request Memo to the student for completion. Once the student signs and returns this memo to the college, it will be forwarded to the department and Graduate Division Admissions.

Curriculum Memo: At this time the college should also complete a Curriculum Memo and submit it to the Graduate Division along with the Advancement Request Memo. This is to ensure the student will be engaged in the graduate program by the admit quarter.

• The college will submit the Advancement Request Memo and Curriculum Memo to the Registrar’s Office and Office of Financial Aid.

• The Curriculum Memo indicates how classes should be coded (i.e. as graduate or undergraduate) in order to satisfy the graduation requirements for both degrees. It is important that the Registrar receive the Curriculum Memo prior to the student declaring candidacy for their undergraduate degree.

• If the student has more than two courses listed in Section III of the Curriculum Memo, the memo will need to be reviewed and approved by the Graduate Division Assistant Dean (please submit the memo as usual – the Graduate Division will coordinate this step).

• If the student enrolls in different courses than those listed on the Curriculum Memo, it is the student’s responsibility to follow-up with the college advisor in order to prepare and submit a revised Curriculum Memo reflecting these changes.

Graduate Online Application

Upon receiving the Advancement Request Memo and Curriculum Memo, the Graduate Division will review the student’s advancement to graduate student status.

If approved, the student will receive an email from the Graduate Division with instructions for completing and submitting the UCSB Graduate Online Application. The student should complete and submit the online application, with the application fee payment, after receiving this email.

The department should instruct students to identify themselves as Five-Year Program participants by choosing the master’s degree option labeled “Five-Year Program” and answering “Yes” to the question “Are you a current UCSB undergraduate who has been pre-approved to apply to one of our five-year combined bachelor’s/master’s programs?”  See screenshot below:

Open

Admission to the Graduate Program

The department should move the student through the online application and admit them according to regular graduate admissions policies and procedures.

All required application materials must be submitted via the online application before the applicant can be formally admitted. Departments may choose to assist applicants with this if they wish by uploading documents already on file to the applicant’s eApp via App Review.

The applicant must be formally admitted and, upon admission, must submit a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) via the online application in order to continue as a grad student.