The deadline for all applications is December 1st.
Application Components
1. Online Application and Fee
Applications must be submitted online.
The associated application fee must be paid before the application will be considered complete, and the fee must be paid for each application submitted.
- $135 for U.S. applicants
- $155 for international applicants
Take time to review your application before you submit it. Make certain you have filled out all fields completely and correctly. Once you submit your online application, it is final. No changes can be made.
Graduate Studies and the Graduate Group in Immunology offer application fee waivers to eligible students. Details are below the required application components.
2. Three Letters of Recommendation
All letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically by the referee. The online application will automatically notify the referee and provide instructions on how to submit their letters.
Instructions for Submitting Letters of Recommendation, including answers to the most frequently asked questions about recommendation letters.
Check your student portal frequently and send your recommender(s) a friendly reminder about the December 1 deadline.
3. Transcripts
UC Davis requires academic records from each college-level institution you have attended.
To be eligible for graduate studies at UC Davis, applicants must have:
- A minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) from the institution where you have earned or will earn your bachelor's degree.
Instructions for Submitting Unofficial Transcripts
4. English Language Examination Requirements for International Applicants
Applicants are exempt from the English language examination requirement if they have earned or will be earning a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from either:
- A regionally accredited U.S. college or university where English is the sole language of instruction, or
- A foreign college or university which provides instruction solely in English. UC Davis Graduate Studies will only approve waivers for foreign colleges and universities which list English as the sole language of instruction in the IAU World Higher Education Database (WHED).
UC Davis accepts the below English Language tests and requires the following minimum scores.
TOEFL iBT
Minimum Score: 80
Institution Code: 4834
No department code.
IELTS
Minimum Score: 7.0 on a 9-point scale
Duolingo English Test (Fall 2025)
Minimum Score: 115*
Please be aware these scores are the minimum required by the university for admission. More information about language testing requirements can be found here: https://grad.ucdavis.edu/english-language-examinations
GRE scores are no longer required for admission consideration.
Application Fee Waiver Programs
Graduate Studies application fees are only waived for applicants who have participated in or are affiliated with one or more eligible graduate preparation programs.
The Immunology Graduate Group has created the GGI Equity Program to provide fee fellowships for 10 applicants, on a competitive basis, to those who are not part of the approved Graduate Preparatory Programs, (where a fee waiver is already included), and who have the potential for leadership towards achieving the group’s goal of improving diversity in biomedical sciences. Details on how to apply are below.
GGI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Application Fee Waiver
The UC Davis Graduate Group in Immunology (GGI) is committed to diversity and inclusion in our student body, workforce, faculty and programs. We recognize the financial burden that the graduate application fee may represent for students, particularly those from underrepresented communities, and its consequences to inclusion within our graduate group.
Examples of this potential include, but are not limited to:
- overcoming disadvantages (economic, social or educational)
- a record of service to advance underserved populations (including tutoring or mentoring)
- or a research topic that will ultimately assist historically underserved populations
Successful applicants will provide clear examples of how their previous experiences and/or future graduate studies have contributed to and promoted diversity in biological or biomedical sciences. The GGI Equity Program Fellowship application includes the following:
Statement of Purpose, Personal History and Diversity Statements (can be the same statements you plan to submit in your program application)
Please explain why you are applying for Ph.D. study at UC Davis. Highlight how you came to determine your career goals. Describe why you feel earning a Ph.D. is essential to pursuing your goal.
Please describe how your personal background has informed your decision to pursue a graduate degree and informed your understanding of diversity in the biological or biomedical sciences. Your background may include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, community service, outreach activities, residency and citizenship, first-generation college status, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field; and/or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and underserved segments of society with your graduate education.
Guidelines prepared for planning and illustrative purposes only.
GGI Equity Program Eligibility and Important Information:
Application fee fellowships provided through this program are available for Domestic Ph.D. applicants who are California residents only. We regret that waivers for M.S. applicants, non-California residents, and international applicants will not be provided.
Domestic, California resident, Ph.D. applicants selected for participation in the GGI Equity Program are eligible for a single application fee fellowship (valued at $135) for Fall 2025 admission. If you are applying to this program, please DO NOT pre-pay your application fee. Do not submit payment. We cannot offer application fee reimbursements.
Fee fellowship applications must be submitted by November 20th, 2024 at 11:59 pm PST application deadline for consideration.
Prospective students will be notified as to whether they received the award by November 27, 2024.
The School of Veterinary Medicine, Office of Research and Graduate Education fully funds this program.
For any questions, please contact the GGI Coordinator, Erin Kent at eckent@ucdavis.edu