Graduate Admissions

Preparation for Admission

To enter the program, students need basic skills in spoken and written English, economics, mathematics, and statistics. An undergraduate degree in economics is desirable, but not required: a major in mathematics, statistics, another social science, or engineering may serve very well, especially if it includes a practical orientation toward the techniques or subject matter of economic research. Students should have taken courses in intermediate microeconomic and macroeconomics theory, statistics, and at least one year of calculus. Additional calculus, linear algebra, probability, and mathematical statistics are strongly recommended.

Admissions Procedures

To receive full consideration for fellowship and assistantship awards, applications must be received by January 15. Since the program starts in the fall quarter, students are not admitted for winter or spring quarters. In support of their applications, students must submit or arrange to have submitted:

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores taken within the past five years;
• Official transcripts of all college course work; and
• Three letters of recommendation.

Additional Admissions Procedures for International Applicants

Foreign applicants must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), to be eligible both for admission and financial support consideration at UC Irvine. We require the internet-based TOEFL(TOEFL-ibT). The paper and computer based versions of the test are insufficient for financial support consideration in the School of Social Sciences.

The following minimum test scores are required:

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores may be submitted as an alternative to the TOEFL-ibT, in which case the following minimum scores are required:

• 7/10 overall (with no individual band sub-score less than 6), for admission consideration; and 8/10 (Speaking band sub-score) for financial support consideration.

(The IELTS is widely available in within the British Commonwealth, but not elsewhere.)

The TOEFL/IELTS requirement described above is waived completely for citizens of:

• Australia
• Canada (except French language universities, and bilingual universities when the degree is taken in French only)
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• United Kingdom

where English is the predominant language spoken. Our requirement can be waived only for citizens of these five countries, and these countries only.

UCI's TOEFL requirement, for graduate admission purposes, does not apply to US citizens or permanent residents who complete an undergraduate or graduate degree in the US. The requirement does, however, apply to permanent residents who are citizens of countries other than those listed above, who did not also attend and graduate from a four-year high school program in the United States.