- Application Deadlines
- Online Application
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Master’s Degree or Graduate Coursework
- GRE
- Recommendation Letters
- TOEFL/IELTS
- Statement of Purpose
- Resume/CV
- Writing Sample
- Application for Departmental Funding
- Personal History Statement
- Proof of Funding for International Students
Application Deadlines
| Item | Required? | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
YES | December 15 | |
YES | As part of the online application | |
YES – if taken | As part of the online application | |
NO | If submitted – January 3 – and must be uploaded as part of the application | |
YES | January 3 | |
Any applicant whose bachelor’s degree was earned outside of the United States (or in another country in which English is: the national language, primary spoken language and medium of instruction) is required to provide TOEFL or IELTS test scores. | January 3 | |
YES | December 15 – submitted as part of the application | |
YES | December 15 – and must be uploaded as part of the application | |
NO | If submitted – December 15 – and must be uploaded as part of the application | |
NO | The UCLA Graduate Division has information on funding opportunities online. | |
NO | If submitted – December 15 – and must be uploaded as part of the application |
Online Application
The UCLA Application for Graduate Admission. typically becomes available on the second Monday of September. Applications for the following Fall Quarter are accepted September through December 15th. Our department does not accept applications for Winter or Spring Quarter.
All applications must be paid and submitted by the deadline, December 15th midnight (PST), in order to be considered for admission. Late applications will not be considered. Updates to application materials will not be accepted. Please read the instructions carefully and double-check all aspects of the application before submitting.
Bachelor’s Degree
All candidates to the MS and PhD programs must have received a bachelors degree from an accredited and recognized college or university. The University Graduate Division requires that applicants have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0/4.0. However, the most competitive applicants have GPAs within the range of the most recently admitted applications. These statistics are listed here.
All applicants are required to upload unofficial transcripts as part of the online application. Degree audit reports, advising/progress plans, academic summaries, web pages, screenshots, and degree plans cannot be accepted. Transcripts must display the applicant’s full name as well as the institution’s full name. If the applicant has completed their Bachelor’s degree prior to submitting the application, the transcript should also list the “degree awarded” or “degree conferred” date. Applicants who are recommended for admission and accept our offer will then be required to submit official final transcripts from their institutions.
International Students must upload copies of their transcripts in both English and the native/original language as part of the online application. If the international applicant has completed a Bachelor’s degree prior to submitting the application, the applicant is required to upload transcripts, degree certificates, and diplomas in both English and the native/original language. Applicants who are recommended for admission and accept our offer will then be required to submit official final documents from their institutions.
The shipping address for these documents is:
UCLA Electrical and Computer Engineering
Office of Graduate Student Affairs
420 Westwood Plaza
57-127 Engineering IV
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1594
Master’s Degree or Graduate Coursework
Applicants who have completed any graduate-level coursework, must provide official records from the institution(s) where the coursework was taken. Applicants who hold a masters degree are expected to apply directly to the PhD program. In addition to uploading a copy of the bachelors degree transcript, applicants who have taken graduate coursework must also upload a copy of their graduate transcript(s) as part of their online application. Degree audit reports, advising/progress plans, academic summaries, web pages, screenshots, and degree plans cannot be accepted. Transcripts must display the applicant’s full name as well as the institution’s full name. If the applicant has completed their Master’s/Graduate degree prior to submitting the application, the transcript should also list the “degree awarded” or “degree conferred” date. Applicants who are recommended for admission and accept our offer will then be required to submit official final transcripts from their institutions.
International Students must upload copies of their graduate transcripts in both English and the native/original language as part of the online application. If the international applicant has completed a Master’s/Graduate degree prior to submitting the application, the applicant is required to upload transcripts, degree certificates, and diplomas in both English and the native/original language. Applicants who are recommended for admission and accept our offer will then be required to submit official final documents from their institutions.
The shipping address for these documents is:
UCLA Electrical and Computer Engineering
Office of Graduate Student Affairs
420 Westwood Plaza
57-127 Engineering IV
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1594
GRE
Students who wish to apply for admission to our graduate program are not required to submit GRE test scores as part of their application package. GRE scores are entirely optional. Applications that include GRE scores will not be given preference.
If a student submits their GRE test scores, they may be considered as part of the holistic application review. Those who choose to do so should have the Educational Testing Service (ETS) report official scores by 5:00PM (PST) on January 3rd at the latest. GRE scores are valid for five years from the test date.
Institution Code = 4837
Department Code = 1203
Recommendation Letters
All applicants must provide the name and email address for 3 individuals who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation.
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department prefers letters from academic faculty. However, applicants may choose to provide ONE letter from a professional reference. The application allows for 4 letters to be submitted. Only the first 3 letters are guaranteed to be reviewed. Applicants may choose to provide a 4th letter if they wish.
The online application program allows applicants the ability to send reminders, change recommendation letter writer information, and verify receipt of letters of recommendation. Letters must be received electronically by 5:00PM (PST) on January 3.
All letters must be submitted using the online application. No paper or emailed letters are accepted by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
TOEFL/IELTS
Applicants who have studied outside of the USA in a country in which English is not both the official spoken language of the country AND the medium of instruction are required to provide TOEFL or IELTS test scores. The minimum scores required are
TOEFL (Total) minimum: 87
IELTS (Total) minimum: 7.0
Applicants who must provide proof of English proficiency must have the Educational Testing Service (ETS) or IELTS report official scores by 5:00PM (PST) on January 3rd. Applicants are also highly encouraged to upload copies of their TOEFL student test taker score reports in the Supporting Documents section of their online application.
TOEFL Institution Code = 4837
TOEFL Department Code = 66
IELTS scores should be mailed to our office. Our department does not accept electronic IELTS copies.
The shipping address for the IELTS score report is:
UCLA Electrical and Computer Engineering
Office of Graduate Student Affairs
420 Westwood Plaza
57-127 Engineering IV
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1594
TOEFL & IELTS scores are valid two years prior to application. Additional details on this requirement are outlined on the UCLA Graduate Division website.
Statement of Purpose
Note: The UCLA Graduate Division has changed their application format only allowing applicants to submit a 500-word limit Statement of Purpose (SOP). Applicants applying to the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department may still submit a two-page SOP by uploading the document as part of the ‘Supporting Documents’ section. We ask that in the SOP section you type the following message “SOP uploaded in the supporting documents section” so that we are aware that you are attaching a two-page SOP.
The Statement of Purpose (SOP) should be precise and brief. The statement should be no more than 2 pages and should contain only those personal details that would aid the admissions review process.
The SOP is also used to match admitted students with assigned advisors. All applicants are encouraged to be as specific as possible in their SOP. General descriptions such as “Electrical Engineering” are not specific enough. Indicating what branch of Electrical Engineering (such as communications, signal processing, controls, etc.) interests you is much more helpful in the review and advisor matching process.
Please note: No updates of the SOP are accepted. All applicants are encouraged to double-check all aspects of their application before submitting. The document included in the application is the ONLY one accepted by the department.
Resume/CV
A Resume/CV is required from all applicants. Please upload the Resume/CV onto the “Supporting Documents” section of the application.
Please note: No updates of the Resume/CV are accepted. All applicants are encouraged to double-check all aspects of their application before submitting. The document included in the application is the ONLY one accepted by the department.
Writing Sample
The writing sample is part of the University application. It is not required by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. However, if a writing sample is submitted as part of the application, it will be available for the review committee’s consideration and may be used as part of the evaluation. No updates of the writing sample will be accepted. All applicants are encouraged to double-check all aspects of their application before submitting.
Application for Departmental Funding
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department does not have a separate application for departmental funding. All admitted students are considered for departmental funding.
TA positions are reserved for students in their 2nd+ year in our program. Therefore, first year applicants are not eligible for TA positions.
Each faculty member determines which students (both those recommended for admission by the admissions committee, and current ECE Graduate students) will be offered GSR positions in his/her lab.
More Funding details are located at the ECE Graduate Funding page.
Personal History Statement
The personal history statement is part of the University application. It is not required by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. However, if a personal history statement is submitted as part of the application, it will be available for the review committee’s consideration and may be used as part of the evaluation. No updates of the personal history statement will be accepted. All applicants are encouraged to double-check all aspects of their application before submitting.
Proof of Funding for International Students
Proof of Funding is not considered in the review for admission. However, admitted international students must provide proof of funding in order to receive the I-20 or DS-2019 required for their visa application with the U.S Embassy or Consulate.
Admitted F-1 students who have completed the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) will receive an email with instructions from the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars (DCISS) on how to request the I-20 online.
Admitted students seeking J-1 status must coordinate with the Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars (DCISS) to verify that all necessary paperwork is processed for the DS-2019.