Division of Graduate Studies

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Instructions

Your application to UCSC Graduate Studies is to be completed and submitted through our Embark online application, including all of your Recommendation Letters that will accompany your electronic application. Once your recommenders are registered [minimum of three] you may submit the application. The letters will be matched with your application as soon as they are submitted.

Throughout the process of completing your application questions, you have the ability to click on the "Preview" button at the top right of the page and it will show you a .pdf of the page you are working on and what you have completed. You can print the page and review your responses or draft your responses before officially submitting the application. The Application Inspector will also inform you of how many required questions on the application are incomplete. By following the instructions on this page and clicking "View Results," you will see exactly which questions were unanswered.

The benefit of our online application is that your responses and application requirement data can be collected and submitted to the application review committee in a quick and efficient manner.
NOTE: Be sure to add our graduatedivision-mailings@ucsc.edu email address to your email address books so we don't get marked as spam by your email provider, as you will be notified of admission decisions through this email.

To make your online application experience smooth and successful, we have included some instructions and helpful tips for you as you complete the online application process.

ONLINE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS & HELPFUL TIPS

To Begin: When you first enter the online application, you are asked to create an account. You create an account by completing the requested field information. You are then taken to a Preliminary Questions page. On the Preliminary Questions page, you will be asked to which graduate program and degree you are applying. You will see that there is a pull-down menu of many different programs in alphabetical order. As a UC Santa Cruz Graduate Studies applicant, you should be looking specifically for the following graduate programs and select that which is appropriate to you:

* Anthropology: Ph.D.
* Astronomy and Astrophysics: Ph.D.
* Applied Economics and Finance: M.S.
* Bioinformatics: M.S., Ph.D.
* Biology: Ecology and Evolutionary: M.A., Ph.D.
* Biology: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental: M.A., Ph.D.
* Chemistry and Biochemistry: M.S., Ph.D.
* Computer Engineering: M.S., Ph.D.
* Computer Science: M.S., Ph.D.
* Digital Arts/New Media: M.F.A
* Earth Sciences: M.S., Ph.D.
* Economics: Ph.D.
* Education: M.A., Ph.D., Ed.D.
* Electrical Engineering: M.S., Ph.D.
* Environmental Studies: Ph.D.
* Feminist Studies: Ph.D.
* Film & Digital Media: Ph.D
* History: M.A., Ph.D.
* History of Consciousness: Ph.D.
* Linguistics: M.A., Ph.D.
* Literature: M.A., Ph.D.
* Mathematics: M.A., Ph.D.
* Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology: M.S., Ph.D.
* Music: M.A., Ph.D., D.M.A
* Ocean Sciences: M.S., Ph.D.
* Philosophy: M.A., Ph.D.
* Physics: M.S., Ph.D.
* Politics: Ph.D.
* Program in Biomedical Sciences & Engineering: Ph.D.
* Psychology: Ph.D.
* Science Communication Certificate
* Social Documentation: M.A.
* Sociology: Ph.D.
* Statistics and Applied Math: M.S., Ph.D.
* Technology & Information Management: M.S., Ph.D.
* Theater Arts: M.A.
* Visual Studies: Ph.D

You will be asked other Preliminary Questions regarding Financial Support, Diversity Fellowships, the UC Education Abroad Program, and Fee Waivers, which are set to a default answer of "No" and if the default answer is correct, you can push the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the page which completes your account creation.

After your account is created, you are welcomed by your name on the application's home page. This welcome page also gives you a "To Do List." The "To Do List" options also appear on the left side as buttons that can be clicked at any time throughout the application process. The elements of the "To Do List" are as follows:

1. Instructions
2. Application Form
3. Documents/Essays
4. Recommendations
5. Application Inspector
6. Payment
7. Submit Application

Also on this page, please notice in the top right corner of the page is a box. This box has information about the application fee cost, the application fee payment options, deadline information, the status of application submission (whether it has been submitted or is in draft form), and a link to update your preliminary answers (the answers you provided when you created your account in step 1).

Now that you have created your account you may begin the application process by clicking on any of the following.

Step 1: Instructions

When you click on Instructions, you will get several opportunities for further information:

Degree Programs and Deadlines
Contact Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Application Filing Instructions
Financial Aid and Fees
University Resources (e.g., housing and childcare)
Additional Required Materials
Campus Security Reports

Please be sure to read through the Instructions before moving to the Application Form.

Step 2: Application Form

Here begins your online application. There are 6-9 pages, which may include Supplemental Forms and requests for Supplemental Materials, depending on the program and degree selected. In addition to the form questions, you will be asked to upload your personal statement (you are directed to in the instructions) and may also be asked to attach a resume or a supplemental writing sample (you are directed to in the instructions). You may also manually enter your personal statement in the field given.

NOTE: At any time during the completion of this application, you may save your work to retrieve later for revisions or completion. You just login with your email address and password. Your incomplete application will pull up.

Step 3: Documents/Essays

This will take you directly to the Statement of Purpose essay page, followed by the Personal History Statement. Complete any appropriate essays, as required.

Step 4: Letters of Recommendation

This will take you to the Recommendations page, where you will register your recommenders. You do not have to wait for your letters to arrive before you submit your application, they will be matched to your application as soon as they are submitted by your recommenders.

NOTE: Be sure to have your recommender add our messages@notification.embark.com email address to their email address books so the recommender alert e-mail doesn't get marked as spam by their email provider.

NOTE: This year all recommendation letters are required to be submitted electronically through this online system. You must register a minimum of three recommenders, and may submit as many as five.

Step 5: Application Inspector

The Application Inspector will inform you of how many required questions on the application are incomplete. By following the instructions on this page and clicking "View Results," you will see exactly which questions were unanswered. Some questions you can complete on this page while others have to be answered on the page indicated in the incomplete question. You also have the option of clearing any responses. When you have completed the questions, you can then click on the "Submit Changes" button.

Once your application is completed to your satisfaction, you can move on to the Payment section.

Step 6: Payment

The application fee is $80 for domestic applicants and $100 for international applicants. This fee can be paid by credit card or electronic check (the electronic check option is only available if you have a U.S. bank account). Follow the instructions for payment.

Once you have made your application fee payment, you may move to Submit Application.

Step 7: Submit Application

Before making your application submission "official," your electronic signature is required. Follow the instructions for completing your application.

Important Things to Remember

When using the online application, you may save your work and return to the application at any time before officially submitting it. You do this by logging in with your email address and password.

You may change your responses to the Preliminary Questions, which are the questions asked in the "Create Account" stage. A reason for changing these responses may be that there is another graduate program to which you would like to apply, or you realize that you are not eligible for a Fee Waiver. Changing any of your answers to these questions can alter the form pages, deadline, or fee. If you change answers in this part, you are advised at this point to review your application responses to verify that all fields are complete.

On each page, you will see a question mark in a red box - this is your pop-up HELP box. Click and ask your question. Question marks in red bubble are clarification points.

Again, please be sure to add our graduatedivision-mailings@ucsc.edu email address to your email address books so we don't get marked as spam by your email provider, as you will be notified of admission decisions through this email.

Your application and the accompanying materials may not be borrowed, returned to you, copied, or sent elsewhere. No exceptions.