Admission
In addition to fulfilling the Graduate Division requirements for admission found in the chapter "Graduate Education at UCSB," the Department of Computer Science requires a bachelor's degree in some discipline of science, engineering, or mathematics.
Applicants must have a grade-point average of at least 3.0 in their undergraduate study. Satisfactory performance in the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all applicants. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Exceptions to this requirement will be considered for those students who have completed an undergraduate or graduate education in a country whose primary language of instruction is English. The minimum score for consideration is 600 on the paper-based test and 100 on the Internet-based test. The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is accepted as an alternative to the TOEFL. A minimum overall band score of 7.0 is required on the IELTS. Applicants who have received a bachelor's or master's degree from a U.S. college or university are exempt from this requirement.
All fall application materials must be received by December 15.
Prospective Students
Prospective applicants should apply on-line through the Graduate Division.
Additional Ph.D. Admissions Information
Students may apply directly to the Ph.D. program without a Master's degree. However, a solid background in computer science or one or more fields of science and engineering is expected. Applicants to the Ph.D. program must have a grade-point average of at least 3.5 in their undergraduate study. Students entering this program should be committed to completing a Ph.D. The department discourages students petitioning to switch to the Master's program; such petitions are approved only under exceptional circumstances.
Financial Support
All PhD applicants are considered for campus and departmental fellowships, including but not limited to, the Doctoral Scholar Fellowship, Chancellor's Fellowship, Regent's Special Fellowship, Graduate Opportunity Fellowship, Citrix Fellowship, Clare Boothe Luce Fellowship, Lisa Kaz Fellowship, and the Eugene Cota Robles Fellowship.
Admitted PhD students are typically given guaranteed financial aid to fully support them throughout their studies, based on meeting our program requirements. PhD students may be funded by a combination of Fellowships, Research Assistantships and/or Teaching Assistantships.
