Frequently Asked Questions - EECS
| Q. | Can you waive the $60 application fee? | ||
| A. | The university offers potential graduate students who are either U.S. citizens or permanent residents the opportunity to apply for an application fee waiver. All of the instructions are available on our website located at http://www.rgs.uci.edu/grad/prospective/fee_waivers.htm. Foreign applicants are not eligible for graduate application fee waivers.
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| Q. | How many international and domestic students are admitted to the department quarter? | ||
| A. | Approximately 2/3 of domestic applicants and 1/3 of international students are admitted each year.
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| Q. | Is it easier to be admitted for the fall, winter or spring quarter? | ||
| A. | Applications are accepted for Fall quarter only. Under special circumstances, students may enroll in the Winter or Spring quarters only if they have a faculty sponsor in the department. Fellowships are only awarded in the Fall quarter.
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| Q. | May I defer my admission offer? | ||
| A. | Admitted students may be approved to defer admissions for up to one year. Deferral requests must be made in writing before the start of the original quarter of admission. Students may only defer once.
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| Q. | My admission letter didn't include an offer of financial support. When will I hear about my financial support? | ||
| A. | Every effort is made to make admission and financial support offers together for outstanding applicants. Sometimes candidates are admitted first and offered financial support later. In such cases the financial support offer is sent within two weeks of the admission offer. Every effort is made to offer financial aid by April 15th for the following fall. The department may make additional offers after April 15th subject to available funding.
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| Q. | Are my chances of being admitted to a graduate degree program in the Department better if I do not require financial assistance? | ||
| A. | Uniform admissions standards are applied to all students regardless of financial need.
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| Q. | If I defer my offer of admission with financial support, what are my chances of being offered financial support again later? | ||
| A. | The department will often approve admission and financial support deferral for one quarter only, from fall to winter. When the student defers admission from fall to fall, there is no guarantee that any financial support offer can be deferred as well. In such cases the student is again considered for financial support along with all others being offered admission for the same academic term.
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| Q. | Can I be employed as a Teaching Assistant (TA) or Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)? | ||
| A. | To be hired as a TA or GSR, students must provide proof of eligibility for employment on campus. An international student must have taken and passed the TSE with a score of at least 50 in order to qualify for TA appointment.
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| Q. | I received a fellowship for next academic year that includes a monthly stipend. Will I be required to work as a TA or a GSR in return for the stipend? | ||
| A. | Conditions of your financial support award are included in the formal letter you received from the Department. Employment as a TA or GSR is not generally required when the student's financial support package includes a monthly stipend. When service is required in return for the stipend, the student is typically employed on a "without salary" basis as a Graduate Student Researcher.
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| Q. | Why are TA salaries usually higher than GSR salaries for MS students and Ph.D. students who have not yet passed the qualifying examination? | ||
| A. | GSRs and TAs are paid on different wage scales. The scale for most GSRs is lower than for TAs; however, fees and nonresident tuition for GSRs appointed to work at least 10 hours per week are paid in full. TAs are paid at a higher rate, but must pay a portion of their fees and nonresident tuition. The employment scale for a GSR can range from 25-49% time (10-19 hours per week); TAs are employed at 25% or 50% time (10 or 20 hours per week) only.
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| Q. | Will my admission offer include guaranteed access to on-campus housing? | ||
| A. | While a small number of our incoming students will be recommended for preferred placement in on-campus housing, it is not possible to provide guaranteed housing for all students who are admitted. All newly admitted students are responsible for applying on their own to live on campus; you will receive information direct from the UCI Housing Office concerning the various housing options available on campus. Early applications to live in on-campus housing are strongly encouraged; you do not need to wait to be admitted to apply to live on campus.
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| Q. | What forms of financial aid are available for incoming graduate students? | ||
| A. | There are two broad types of financial support offered to incoming graduate students: fellowships and student employment.
The Department makes a small number of fellowship offers each fall to outstanding entering graduate students. The conditions and terms of the various fellowship awards will vary, but they usually include the remission of fees and nonresident tuition and a monthly stipend for living expenses. Fellowship recipients are selected at the same time that admission decisions are made. Graduate students may be employed as Graduate Student Researchers or Teaching Assistants also. Individual faculty members have research funds available for supporting incoming students as GSRs. Interested applicants should inquire about such opportunities directly to the ECE faculty whose research programs most closely match their own background and interests. A current list of faculty and their research areas is available at the department website. The Department also offers TA positions to the most highly qualified incoming graduate students each Fall. These positions—like fellowships—are filled by candidates selected during the fall admissions process. Important note: All international students who wish to be TAs must first pass the Test of Spoken English (TSE) with a minimum score of 50. Although the TSE is not a requirement for admission, it is as a condition of employment for all international students except those from Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland and South Africa. International students who require the TSE for TA employment are encouraged to submit an acceptable score at their earliest convenience. Preference for TA employment is given to students who have already passed the TSE.
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| Q. | What is the deadline? | ||
| A. | Application deadline for Fall is usually January 15th if you are requesting financial assistance and March 15th if you are not.
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| Q. | What's the institution code for GRE and TOEFL? | ||
| A. | The institution code for GRE and TOEFL is 4859
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| Q. | What is the GRE code? | ||
| A. | The GRE Code for Computer Engineering is 1201 and the code for Electrical Engineering is 1203
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| Q. | What is the TOEFL code? | ||
| A. | The TOEFL Code is 66
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| Q. | What is the minimum acceptable TOEFL score? | ||
| A. | TOEFL Min Score: Computer exam is 213 - paper is 550 A revised version of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language ), the TOEFL-iBT, will include a new test to measure speaking proficiency. International graduate students must receive a minimum overall score of 80 on the TOEFL iBT to be eligible for admission to UCI. Those planning to teach must also pass the speaking portion of the exam with a minimum score of 26 to establish TA eligibility. Students who receive a 26 or above will no longer be required to take one of the other approved oral English proficiency exams – i.e., the TSE , SPEAK, or TOEP. The TSE and SPEAK will probably be phased out by late 2006. For more information visit:
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| Q. | What documents should be sent to the department and what is the address? | ||
| A. | Use the following list as a guideline of documents needed for a complete application __________ Application __________ Application Fee __________ Statement Of Purpose __________ Official Copy of GRE - __________ Official Copy of TOEFL - __________ Official Copy of Transcripts (2) __________ 3 letters of recommendation __________ Proof of Financial Capability from Your banking Institution Please send the above items to the following address:
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