FAQs for Prospective Graduate Students
The Department of Chemical Engineering can not grant application fees waivers. Please see the College of Engineering Equity Program and Graduate Preparation Programs Eligible for Fee Waivers.
Application Requirements
- Is the GRE required?
- We are no longer accepting the GRE and it will not be considered a part of your application if you submit it.
- Am I required to contact a faculty member prior to submitting my application?
- No, you are not required to contact a faculty member prior to submitting an application. However, it can be helpful to research the current faculty research interests of our program to ensure that there are a few faculty members you would be willing to work with. It doesn’t hurt to reach out and ask what someone is working on!
- Am I required to list faculty in the department who I am interested in working with?
- Yes, you are required to list faculty that you are interested in working with as well as your top four research area interests. We recommend that you review faculty profiles on our website and check out their lab pages to ensure that there are a few projects you would be interested in working on. As faculty research interests are ever-changing, it’s never a bad idea to reach out to a faculty member to see what they are currently working on.
- Where do I send my transcripts?
- Official transcripts are not required until after you are admitted to our program. However, we will require you to upload unofficial or official copies of your transcripts to our application system. The link to upload these transcripts will be sent to you in an automated email approximately 24 to 48 hours after application submission. We request that you upload transcripts as soon as possible after you receive this message to expedite our application review process. If you do not upload your transcripts by February 1st, there is a chance your application may be denied on the basis of being incomplete.
- Will UC Davis accept TOEFL MyBest™ scores?
- No, UC Davis will not accept the TOEFL MyBest™ score. All valid, submitted TOEFL scores will be considered when they are sent to UC Davis by ETS, but they will only be reviewed using each separate instance of the exam taken on a given date.
Application Process
- Where do I sent my transcripts?
- Official transcripts are not required until after you are admitted to our program. However, we will require you to upload unofficial or official copies of your transcripts to our application system. The link to upload these transcripts will be sent to you in an automated email approximately 24 to 48 hours after application submission. We request that you upload transcripts as soon as possible after you receive this message to expedite our application review process. If you do not upload your transcripts by February 1st, there is a chance your application may be denied on the basis of being incomplete.
- Can I send you my transcript, CV or personal statement in advance to see what my chances of being admitted are?
- Please do not send any materials to us outside of the application system. We are not able to consider any extra materials or evaluate likelihood of admittance over email or phone.
- I've missed the general deadline of January 15th. Will my application still be read and accepted?
- Submitting your application after the January 15th deadline but before the space available deadline of June 1st, may or may not be successful depending on our application pool. We recommend that you check in with a staff advisor to see if applications are still being reviewed before submitting your application.
After Applying
- What are my chances of being admitted?
- We cannot speak to the chance of being admitted to our program as we conduct holistic reviews and the pool of applications changes every year. Most successful applications have a GPA of at least 3.25, and a well-executed personal statement and personal history and diversity statement.
- When can I expect to hear back about my admission decision?
- Most admission decisions for the doctoral program are made by early to mid-February. Master of Engineering and Master of Science decisions are usually made by late February to mid-March. All remaining decisions should be released by mid-April.
- How will I be contacted to know the outcome of my application?
- All applicants who have paid their application fee will be sent an email from the Dean of Graduate Studies stating the admission decisions. Admitted applicants will receive a link to submit a statement of intent to register (SIR) at the bottom of this email. Please note, there is no cost to submit a statement of intent to register.
- I've been waitlisted. When will I know if I've been admitted? Is there anything I can do in the meantime to increase my chances of admission?
- If you have been waitlisted, you should receive a decision on or before April 15th. Unfortunately, there is no additional action that can be taken to improve your chances of being admitted off of the waitlist.
- I applied as a doctoral student, but I've been admitted as a Master's student. Can I still transition to the doctoral degree once I've enrolled?
- Yes, the Master’s curriculum follows the same path as the doctoral curriculum for the first year. At the end of the first year, you would take the preliminary examination with your major professor’s consent and qualifying GPA (3.25). If you successfully pass the preliminary examination, you may complete the Master’s degree requirement and then move to the PhD program or move directly in to the PhD program depending on your major professor’s preference. There is no additional time to degree added for someone who transitions from the M.S. to the Ph.D degree.
- I've been denied, but I would like to appeal my decision. How do I proceed?
Appeals must be submitted within 30 days of the date of your email denial and should be submitted to the Student Services Manger at ech-advising@ucdavis.edu in the form of a formal letter. Per UC Davis Graduate Council policy, you can only appeal your admissions decision based on one of two criteria:
1. Due process not followed in admission proceedings
2. Bias in the admission process.Appeals based upon academic qualifications or judgments will not be brought to the Graduate Affairs Committee for consideration. Furthermore, we cannot accept additional application materials or extraneous information regarding the case. Only the original application submitted may be considered.