Applying to UCI

The GRE test scores are required for some programs. Please check with your program to verify if the GRE test is required. We will accept the GRE General Test at-home test version. To send an official GRE test score to UCI, please select institution code 4859.

Click here to see the list of programs and their GRE requirement status
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Required Score
There is no minimum required GRE score. The results of this test represent only one of many factors reviewed in the admission decision.

GRE Subject Test
Some graduate programs (e.g., Mathematics) also require, or strongly recommend, that an applicant report the score of a GRE Subject Test in the respective discipline. Please check with your department to verify.

Validity Dates and Timing
GRE test results are not valid for more than five years. Applicants should register for either the October or December test dates to ensure the timely receipt of their score results for admission consideration. At the time of test registration, students must notify the Educational Testing Service to report scores directly to UCI. Scores reported by a student cannot be accepted.

For Further Information
Information on the GRE may be obtained from the ETS/GRE website at ETS GRE.
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Educational Testing Service (ETS)
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
Telephone: (609) 771-7670

TOEFL or IELTS

All graduate applicants are required to demonstrate English proficiency for admissions consideration. Applicants are waived from the English Language Proficiency requirement if they have earned an undergraduate or master’s degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction according to the World Higher Education Database (WHED). Please see WHED’s instructions on how to search for your institution. If English is not the sole language of instruction listed or if no language is listed at all, the waiver does not apply and the applicant is required to take and pass an approved English proficiency test. Approved tests and minimum scores are outlined in the next section.

Please note: Test results that are two years old or older are not acceptable.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If a student will be supported as a Teaching Assistant (TA) by their program, please read the English proficiency requirement policy for Teaching Assistantships.

Some programs require students who have not earned an undergraduate degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction according to WHED to demonstrate English language proficiency to serve as a TA when they apply to the program. Please check with the programs to which you intend to apply for individual requirements.

TOEFL

The TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

• Please select institution code 4859 to have your official score sent to UCI. No department code is needed.
• We only accept scores submitted electronically by ETS.
• Test results that are two years old or older are not acceptable.
• We do not accept MyBest scores; you must submit all individual test scores.
• Results of institutional (non-ETS) administrations of the TOEFL are not acceptable.
• We will accept the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test. The same minimum score applies.
• We do NOT accept the TOEFL ITP Plus test for China or the TOEFL Essentials test.
• For more information, please visit www.ets.org/toefl.

TOEFL Score Requirements for Admission Consideration:

• An overall minimum score of 80 (traditional scale) or 4 (new scale, starting January 2026)

IELTS

As an alternative to the TOEFL, you may submit scores from the Academic Modules of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

• We only accept scores submitted electronically by the IELTS test center. No paper Test Report Forms will be accepted.
• Test results that are two years old or older are not acceptable.
• We will accept the IELTS Online and IELTS Indicator test. The same minimum score applies.
• We do NOT accept the One Skill Retake.
• An institutional code is NOT required. Please contact the test center directly and request electronic delivery of scores.
• For more information, please visit www.ielts.org.

IELTS Score Requirements for Admission Consideration:

• An overall minimum score of 7 for admission, with no less than 6 on any individual module.

Remediation

If the head of a unit or appropriate delegate finds sufficient grounds to believe that any graduate student appointed as a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate does not have spoken English proficiency adequate for undergraduate instruction, they must require the student to undertake a remediation process, in consultation with the Program in Global Languages & Communication and approved by the student’s academic unit, prior to additional appointment as a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate.

Such a determination should be made on the grounds of inadequate proficiency alone (as indicated in student evaluations, faculty observations, or the like). This remediation process will be required regardless of how the student was initially certified for oral English proficiency.

Process for consulting with the Program in Global Languages and Communication regarding a remediation process:

The graduate program should email TOEP@uci.edu with (1) student information (name, UCI ID number, email address), and (2) the contact information of the delegate from the hiring department. The Program will then contact the student to schedule an assessment and provide a remediation recommendation.

Letters of Recommendation are required for most programs. These letters should be submitted by instructors in a discipline related to your proposed field of study who are in a position to evaluate your academic abilities and potential for success.

Click here to see the list of programs and their LOR requirements.

Access to Letters of Recommendation

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 grants students (i.e., those admitted and enrolled) the right to inspect letters of recommendation submitted in support of admission applications. The law also allows students to waive this right voluntarily; however, such a waiver cannot be required as a condition of admission, financial award, or employment.

Waiving your right of access to letters of recommendation is optional. However, the Admissions Committee can only consider letters intended to be confidential if the applicant has waived access by signing the Waiver of Access statement. Instructions for waiving or declining to waive access are provided below.

Online Submission

For the Applicant

Complete the Letters of Recommendation section in the online application to enter your recommenders’ names and email addresses. An automated email invitation will be sent to each recommender. It is strongly recommended that you either waive or decline to waive your right of access when prompted.

After submitting your application, you may continue to monitor the status of your recommendations by logging into your application portal.

You may submit your application before all letters have been received; however, please confirm with your program the deadline by which all letters must be submitted.

The application system accepts submissions through Interfolio. For support, please contact Interfolio directly.

Paper recommendation letters are not accepted. All letters must be submitted electronically through the recommendation form sent via email.

For the Recommender

Once the applicant submits your contact information, you will receive an automated email with instructions to complete the recommendation form. You may submit your letter through the form by uploading a document or copying and pasting your text. Paper letters are not accepted.

For application review purposes only, scan and upload copies of transcripts from all institutions attended after high school. In the online application, you will be prompted to upload your scanned documents. Please upload both the front and back sides of each transcript. Uploaded transcripts should be recent and include your name, dates of attendance, grades/marks received, credits, and grading legend.

UC Irvine reserves the right to request official transcripts at any time during the admission process and to rescind any offer of admission if discrepancies are found between uploaded and official transcripts. Official transcripts will be requested if and when you are admitted and decide to attend UC Irvine. Do not send official transcripts until this time unless specifically requested.

Some programs require the submission of additional materials. Please contact your program of interest to determine whether any additional materials are required.

Application deadlines vary by program, so please check the deadline for your program by visiting the Degree Programs section of the website. You must provide a valid email address that you will maintain for at least eight months after submitting your application. If you are admitted, you will be notified via this email address.