Psychology
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Admission Requirements
Fall 2010- FINAL Deadline: December 15th 2009
- All materials must be RECEIVED by this date!
The Fall 2010 application is available at: http://apply.embark.com/grad/ucdavis
The Graduate Program in Psychology only accepts applications once a year for Fall quarter only.
The following instructions include the required steps for the application process for the Psychology Graduate Program. Please follow them closely.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Due to the UC furloughs the entire UC Davis campus will be operating with reduced staff and office hours from December 18th through January 3rd, 2010. During this time you may not be able to reach the Psychology Graduate Program or the Office of Graduate Studies for information regarding your application status. Please be patient, we will do our best to promptly respond to your inquiries once the office has reopened on January 4th.
Application Fee
The application fee is $70 for the domestic application and $90 for the international. The fee may be paid by credit card or e-check. The fee must be paid before the application will be considered as complete, and the fee must be paid for each application submitted.
Fellowship Application
The fellowship application must be completed and submitted electronically along with the university application for admission. You must complete the fellowship application if you wish to be considered for any departmental funding. If you do not submit a fellowship application you will not be eligible for department fellowships, stipends and other monetary awards.
The Psychology Graduate Program has an early application deadline, which is different from, and overrides the Office of Graduate Studies deadline. Your application packet must be complete to be considered for a fellowship by the Psychology deadline of December 15th.
Materials to be Mailed - Official Transcripts; Please send one copy of each transcript directly to the Psychology Graduate Program:
Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Psychology
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
Letters of Recommendation must be submitted electronically through the online application. Letters submitted in hard copy will not be accepted.
Incomplete files and materials sent to the wrong place will not be reviewed or considered for admission. Incomplete files will be cancelled without review.
Finding a Faculty Advisor
A Faculty Advisor, a faculty member of the Psychology Graduate Program, is required in order to be admitted into the program. However, it is not required in order to submit an application for admission.
In the application you must request a Faculty Advisor. You can choose to list one or more faculty names. To learn more about specific faculty members, search our website by selecting one of the five research areas here. Please note that it is not required that you make this commitment prior to submitting your application for admission.
Prerequisite Courses
There are no prerequisite courses required for admission to the Graduate Program in Psychology; however, a strong background in Psychology is preferred. Your background can be acquired through courses taken during undergraduate or graduate coursework, as well as, through work and research experience.
Eligibility Requirements
GPA Requirement
The minimum cumulative GPA required for admission to graduate study at the University of California, Davis is 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale. Students coming from universities where a GPA is not calculated are evaluated using other aspects of their file and letters bearing on class performance when available.
GRE Requirement
Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical GRE scores are required of all students. Subject area GRE scores are optional. The Admissions Committee looks for consistency between GRE scores and GPA's. The Educational Testing Service will not report test scores that are older than five years. If this applies to you, you must retake the exam. GRE scores must be sent to Psychology, specify institution code 4834, major field code2016. Please ask ETS to forward electronic scores to this institution code.
TOEFL Requirement
All international students who do not speak English as their first language, or who have not studied at an institution where English is the language of instruction, must submit an official TOEFL score. The university standard for minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 550 (paper based exam) or 213 (computer based exam). Psychology adheres to this standard. If admitted, an international student will also be required by the University to complete an English proficiency examination upon arrival at the university; and as a result of this exam may be required to take additional courses in the English language.
Statement of Purpose
Your Statement of Purpose is one of the most important components of your application, and is the key to helping you find a Faculty Advisor. Be sure to draft your Statement of Purpose carefully. Your statement should reflect your experience and interests in the program, it should be well-organized and concise, and most of all it should identify your own research interests and specific professors with whom you would like to work. For more experienced students, the statement should also contain specific reference to your research experience and results.
Personal History Statement
Use the personal history statement as an opportunity to include information about yourself that may not be relevant in a statement of purpose.
Letters of Recommendation
You must submit three letters of recommendation to complete your application. Additional letters cannot be accepted.
Letters of recommendation may reflect a mix of backgrounds (academic or employment), but you should seek to include at least two recommenders who are qualified to evaluate the quality of your scholastic achievements and academic training as well as your ability to carry out independent research. This is especially important if you have previous research experience. It is helpful to tell your references to address those characteristics that are important to your admission.
Supplemental Materials
Supplemental materials such as curriculum vitae, resume and/or writing sample are not required. Applicants will not be allowed to upload these materials as part of the application.
Brief Description of the Application for Admission Review Process
Step 1: Your application is received by UC Davis electronically. The Psychology Graduate Program will match your application with hard copy transcripts to be added to your application. Embark will track the status of your application. Check your Embark account for up to date application status.
NOTE: If you do not meet the minimum GPA required by UC Davis, your application will be referred to the Psychology Admissions Chair for a secondary evaluation. If after this review it is determined that there are other factors in your application packet that warrants further consideration it will be forwarded to the Admissions Committee. If it does not, your application will be denied and returned to Graduate Studies. Acceptance of applicants with a GPA below a 3.0 average is very rare.
Step 2: The application packet is then reviewed by the Admissions Committee.
Step 3: Once all applications are evaluated, each Research Area will make their final selections and submit them to the Chair of Admissions.
Step 4: Letters offering admission will be mailed when this process is complete. Only applicants with a confirmed Faculty Advisor will receive written notification. All other applicants will be returned to Graduate Studies for denial of admission. Usually by May 15th.
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