Frequently Asked Questions

Graduate students at School of Business

Graduate students at School of Business

Term availability varies by program, but we have some programs that are Summer or Fall only and some programs that admit for all quarters. The Summer and Fall application typically opens in early September one year prior to that quarter beginning (September 2022 for Fall 2023). The Winter application opens in March the year before (March 2023 for Winter 2024) and Spring opens July the year before (July 2023 for Spring 2024).

Please visit our Requirements and Apply pages for more information about application requirements and how to apply.

Please visit our Graduate Programs page for a list of the graduate programs we offer and their contact information.

There is no limit. A separate application fee is required for each application submitted. Please note that you only need to apply to a program once for the same quarter. After your application is submitted it is possible to change your degree objective.

Yes. Please email the Graduate Admissions Office for assistance.

No. Once your application is submitted we will not change the term. Please make sure that you verify you are applying for the correct term with the program prior to submitting your application. The Application Deadlines page shows when each quarter begins.

No, we do not offer conditional admission.

No we don't. If you are currently in a graduate program, you would need to apply and submit all required application materials. For those interested in transferring units from your current program to UCR, you would need to obtain approval from both the graduate program you are admitted to as well as Graduate Academic Affairs.

With approval from your graduate program and Graduate Academic Affairs, you can transfer a maximum of 8 units.

This is possible through concurrent enrollment with University Extension.

Permission to work for a second master's degree in a NEW area may be approved on the individual merit of the application when there is little or no close relationship between the two subjects. Duplication of a master's degree in the same field is not permitted, and duplication of a doctorate is not permitted, regardless of the field of study. For example, if you hold an MS in Entomology you will not be approved to enter our master's program in Entomology but could be approved to enter a master's program in Statistics.

For applications submitted on or after September 12, 2022, log into our new online application system. At the time of submission, you will have also been sent an automatic email confirmation to the email address you applied with. For applications submitted before September 12, 2022 for Summer/Fall 2022, Winter 2023, and Spring 2023, visit GradSIS.

It depends on the program. The majority of admission decisions are made from January - April for Summer/Fall quarter. If you have not received a decision by June, please contact the graduate program for an update. For all other quarters, it is best to check with the graduate program.

Official notification of an admission decision will be sent to your application email address with a link to the online application system.

For changes regarding biographical information, please contact the Graduate Admissions office. Once submitted, we are unable to make any additional changes to your submitted application.

We recommend visiting your Application Status page to check your status. If a decision is released, you will be notified by email. The Graduate Admissions Office will not provide any updates regarding your application status.

Application Fee

It varies by your status and program. Please visit Application Fee section in Admission Requirements for more information.

We accept VISA, MasterCard, or Discover credit card payments only. The required application fee is non-refundable.

We recommend you find a family member or friend that can pay the application fee on your behalf. In order to submit your application, you will be prompted to pay the application fee. No. Payment of the application fee is only valid for that application submitted. No. The application fee is non-refundable.

Please contact the Graduate Admissions office. Please include your name, application reference number and the date that your credit card transaction was processed.

Yes we do. Please visit our Fee Waivers page for more information on the available options. Please visit our Fee Waivers page for programs that qualify and how to apply for a fee waiver.

Transcripts

No. Programs can review your application off unofficial copies of your transcripts and degree certificates. Please make sure to include complete copies (including the transcript legend/key on the back). If you are admitted and accept, official copies of your transcripts and degree certificates will be requested in your final admission letter. All transcripts and/or academic documents uploaded to the online application system are considered unofficial.

Yes. You are required to upload transcripts, degree certificates (diploma) - if already awarded and not posted on transcript, and certified English translations (if language of instruction is not English) to each entry Academic History before submitting your application. Once submitted, you will have access to add transcripts to your application, but the program will not review your application until all materials are received.

Yes. Electronic transcripts from accredited U.S. colleges and universities sent via eSCRIP-SAFE, Docufide, Parchment Exchange or directly from the accredited U.S. college and university are accepted. We also accept transcripts from Indian colleges and universities via TrueCopy handled through Parchment Exchange. For Chinese colleges and universities, we ONLY accept CSSD transcripts and proof of degrees awarded sent to UCR via Parchment Exchange. The transcripts not sent through a third-party vendor must be sent to grdadmis@ucr.edu in order to verify the authenticity of the documents. Please note that it takes 7- 14 days to verify transcripts received. If you are sending them at the time you apply, please provide your graduate program's email address as the recipient of these transcripts. Graduate Programs will attach the electronic transcripts received to your online application.

We would like to see your most recent term completed grades. If Fall term grades are available before you apply, we recommend uploading that transcript.

Effective Fall 2019, UCR current and previous students will no longer need to provide official transcripts. Unofficial copies can be provided for the review process and to also clear your registration hold for your final transcript.

Yes, if that coursework is counted as transfer coursework (without providing course name, grade, and units) on the transcript of any institution you attended since High School.

If your study abroad program was hosted by the home institution you attended and all coursework (including course name, grade, and units) is listed on the home institutions transcript, we would not require a transcript from that international institution.

No. Graduate Admissions' assists graduate programs in evaluating international transcripts and degree certificates provided. We require copies of your transcripts and degree certificates in original language and certified English translation (if not exclusively taught in English) from your institution for the review of your application.

No. We require copies of your transcripts and degree certificates in original language and certified English translation (if not exclusively taught in English) from your institution.

We use the reported overall GPA on all transcripts for your GPA. If you attended an institution whose grading scale is not on a 4.0 scale, we will leave your GPA on the original grading scale and determine a US equivalency based on international credential evaluation resources.

In the Academic History section you will be provided with a field to list your overall GPA and the scale used by your institution. For example, you GPA is a 9.2 out of a 10-point scale.

The Graduate Admissions office will notify you when to provide your official transcripts. Most students will start providing documents from May to September for if they are starting Fall quarter.

An "official" transcript and degree certificate is a document that is certified by your home institution as being a true copy to what your home institution has on file. Certified copies must contain original wet ink stamp attesting that it is a certified copy to the original on file.

If your institution will only provide one original transcript and/or degree certificate (diploma), please request that they provide a certified copy.

We will not be able to accept those documents as official. Your institution must place them in a sealed closed institution envelope and we must receive them in that same condition to assure the validity of those documents provided.

We recommend you either find a certified translator in the country your are currently residing. If you are residing in the U.S., we recommend you visit the American Translator Association site and use their Advance Search feature to find a translator close to your current location.

You will only need to upload unofficial copies of your transcripts and degree certificates (if degree has been completed) for the initial review. If you accept an offer of admission, official transcripts and degree certificates (if degree awarded isn't posted on transcript) should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. Our mailing address is: Graduate Admissions University Office Building, Room 140 900 University Avenue Riverside CA, 92521

No. They must be provided by a certified translator. This can be your institution or a certified translator within your country or the U.S.

Your graduate program may assist you with this request.

No. Once submitted. Your official transcripts and official certified copies of your degree certificates (if applicable) become part of your record and cannot be returned. Due to this policy, please make sure to never provide your original degree certificate awarded to you.

Test Scores

Please review our test scores section on our Requirements page.

Yes, you can apply without test scores. Your application will not be reviewed by your graduate program until an examinee copies of your required scores are added through your Application Status Page. When you add a test score, you only need to enter the test date.

No. Unofficial test scores are welcome for the initial review process. If admitted and you accept, the Graduate Admissions office would request official scores at that time.

No, if the exam date is still valid for the term entered on your application Those applying for re-admission, add a major, and change of major are not required to provide new test scores; unless your graduate program your started at UCR didn't require the GRE and the new graduate program does.

Please log into your Application Status Page to check the status of official test scores received.

Only for the graduate program in Biophysics and Physics. We recommend visiting the program website to see of the requirement is waived for the Summer/Fall 2023 application.

UCR's institution code is 4839. A department code is not required.

We encourage you to speak to your graduate program (if it isn't posted on their website) on what score they are looking for, if required.

No. We will only use the score results from one exam date.

GRE scores are valid for 5 years per ETS. We allow test scores to be reported to UCR for Fall 2023 if they are dated January 2019. If your test score is older than that, we encourage you to speak to the graduate program to see if they are willing to request an exception for your expired score.

If any of your institutions attended where you earned a Bachelor's degree or higher were not exclusively taught in English, you are required to provide a valid and passing English Proficiency exam. If you received or will receive a Bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited (or recognized institution if outside of the U.S.) institution whose main language of instruction was exclusively English prior to the quarter you have applied to, the English Proficiency exam requirement is waived. We recommend visiting the Testing Requirements section of the application possible ways to waive this requirement.

We accept the TOEFL (iBT and iBT Special At Home version) , the IELTS, and the IELTS Indicator exams. Our office will not be accepting the Duolingo English Test, TOEFL ITP+, or the TOEFL MyBest™. If you don't have access to taking any of the approved English language proficiency exams, we recommend contacting your program of interest for another option.

The requirement is waived if that institution attended is regionally accredited and the degree awarded or will be awarded to you is a Bachelor's degree or higher.

Yes, if your native language is not English. We recommend visiting the Testing Requirements section of the application possible ways to waive this requirement.

Here are the overall minimum scores for the TOEFL and IELTS. TOEFL: 80 (iBT); 550 for pBT. IELTS: overall score of 7.0, with no individual component score less than 6.0.

TOEFL and IELTS scores must be dated 2 years from the quarter you are applying for. For Fall 2023, test scores cannot be older than September 2021.

No. Scores reported to UCR will be evaluated based on an exam where all sections were completed and scored for one exam date. Results from multiple exams cannot be combined to create a super score.

Letters of Recommendation

A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation are required for most programs. If your program requires less, it will be noted in the Recommendation section of the graduate application.

You can, but it does not increase your chances of being admitted.

Your recommender will be sent an email to upload their letter upon you entering and saving their contact information in the Reference section of the application. You will not be able to waive your rights after you have saved and sent the request to each recommender.

Applicants only have access to send a reminder, exclude a recommender, or add a new recommender in the Application status page. If information about your recommender is not correct, you will need to exclude and add that recommender again.

Once you add contact information and send the request, you are not able to update your decision to waive your rights.

Please check your Graduate Program's website for more details. A program can either require them to be submitted the same date as their application deadline or may accept them after the online application deadline.

Yes. You have access to send a reminder email to each recommender through your Application Status page. When you log in, select the application you need to send a reminder. At the bottom of that page, you will see 'To re-send notification emails to your recommenders, re-visit the recommendations page, click "Edit", and then click "Send Reminder". Hover over the 'recommendations page' to access that page.

Once a letter is submitted , you will receive email confirmation. You. may also check to see letters received by accessing your submitted application via the Application Status page.

Yes. Instructions are provide in the Reference section of the online application.

If you have waived your rights to review the letter of recommendation, you will never be able to see the letter of recommendation. You may only review letters you have not waived your rights as a matriculated UCR graduate student.

No. If you qualify to see a letter of recommendation, you will only be shown a copy of eligible letters. Please review the above question for qualifications to review a letter of recommendation.

Statement of Purpose & Personal History Statement

Yes, unless application instructions indicate otherwise for this section in the online application. That depends on the individual and their responses to the writing prompts.

Both statements can either be uploaded (PDF or Word Document) to the Supporting Documents section. There is a 3,000 character limit (including spaces) recommended for all documents uploaded.

Updated or corrected statements may be uploaded through your application status portal under the Upload Materials section. Make sure to select the correct material label.

Program Requirements

Please visit the Graduate Programs page for more information. Graduate Programs will also indicate if Writing Samples or other program requirements will need to be provided in the Additional Information section located at the bottom of the Statement of Purpose & Personal History Statement tab in the online application.

Fellowship (Funding) Questions

Fellowship funding is available to certain graduate programs and only certain degree objectives within a graduate program. We encourage you to check with the graduate program you are interested in regarding funding availability based on the program and degree objective you are interested in.

No. If the graduate program and degree objective selected are eligible for fellowship funding, you will be considered for it by the graduate program. The graduate program is who makes the admission recommendation to provide funding.

Any fellowship funding will be noted in your offer letter and a financial chart showing the funding approved will be provided as well.

Depending on the graduate program applied to and degree objective chosen, we recommend you check with the graduate program.

Admitted Students

Your offer letter will provide you with a required response deadline.

Only with the graduate program's approval. You will need to contact them first. If approved, they will notify our office and we will adjust this date based on their recommendation and you will receive an automated email from our online application system confirming the new response date.

We are not offering deferments for offers made during the 23-24 admissions cycle. If you are in a situation that would normally require a deferment, please reach out to the graduate program to which you were admitted for further advice.

While we are sorry to hear that, yes it is possible. You will need to notify Graduate Admissions and copy your graduate program as well. Our office will confirm once your decision has been updated to a decline.

International Students

International applicants are required to complete the International Applicant Confidential Financial Statement section as part of the Graduate online application. This section will provide total required fees, required proof of living expense, and dependent proof of support for the 9-month academic year. Any dependent's (spouse or child) requiring an I-20 form from our office will require you to provide additional verification of support to our office. You will also be required to provide the type of sponsorship you have. As fellowships are merit-based, indicating that you have a sponsor will not exclude you from consideration of a fellowship .

The International Student Sponsorship Information Form is available in the Confidential Financial Statement section of the online application. The form contains more information regarding acceptable sponsor types and proof of support. This form and accompanying proof of support is not required during the application review process. If admitted, your offer letter will provide you with more details on these requirements.

Total required fees and expenses are estimated at US$47,331.86 per calendar year (this figure is subject to change). This amount is for the student alone. This estimate includes $32,287.86 for fees for three quarters and $15,044.00 for basic living expenses for the nine month academic year only. All fees are subject to change without notice. Married students must verify an additional US$3,500 if accompanied by a spouse and another US$3,000 for a child; each additional dependent requires US$3,000. If you have applied to the MPAc, MFin, MBA (Management or Professional), or MPP, visit Financial Verification and Visa Procedures for the total verification of support required for those programs

Verification of support does not need to be provided during the initial review process of your application. If you are admitted, your offer letter will confirm if this is a requirement and provide you with further instructions.

The I-20 form is issued to admitted applicants who are qualified for an F-1 (student) visa. The DS2019 form is issued to admitted applicants who are qualified for a J-1 visa. J-1 (exchange visitor) status is appropriate for students whose programs of study are substantially funded by the U.S. government, their home government, an international or nonprofit organization, or UCR. Questions related to your current situation (if in the US on another visa) should be directed to the International Students and Scholars Office (ISS) to determine what your best option is given your current situation.

Once your Certificate of Eligibility form is submitted, ISS will prepare your I-20 within 1-3 business days. If you have a transfer I-20, your transfer will be prepared the next business day after your confirmed release date.

If you have an initial I-20, you can enter the U.S. 30 days prior to the start date listed on your I-20 form. Your I-20 form will list that entry date, to assist you in planning your travel arrangements.

New Graduate Students

The Graduate Admissions team will review and prepare your final admission letter and send it to you within 1-3 business days after you accept. For International students, a separate email regarding preparing your I-20 form will be sent. If you are International and you are required to provide verification of support, further instructions will be provided in your Grad I-20 email and form.

All of your student information can be found on your final admission letter.

Email grdadmis@ucr.edu and provide your Name, application ID# and let us know you need your password reset and we will assist you in initiating this process.

Your final admission letter will provide lot's of information to help you set yourself up as a graduate student here at UCR. You can also visit Accepting Your Offer for assistance. We recommend you setup your R'Mail account as soon as you receive your final letter so that you can also receive important communications sent by other UCR campus departments.

Orientations for new graduate students are provided by Graduate Division, International Students and Scholars (ISS), and typically through your graduate program. Each orientation has a different focus and we encourage all new graduate students to attend. The Graduate Division orientation is only offered in Fall quarter and your graduate program and ISS will reach out to you if you were admitted for another quarter.

Continuing or Returning Students

The Graduate Admissions office will be able to assist you. Please provide your name and student ID number to better assist you.

Visit Returning & Continuing Students for more information about this process.

This is handled by the Graduate Academic Affairs office. Visit Petitions and Forms for more information.

This is handled by the Graduate Academic Affairs office. Visit Petitions and Forms for more information.

The Graduate Admissions office will be able to assist you. Please provide your name and student ID number to better assist you.