Admissions

Applying for Admission

We welcome students from every country, culture, and creed who seek rigorous study of Spanish and Portuguese cultural production. People speak Spanish and Portuguese in communities all over the globe, and the commitments and research of our program's students and faculty reflect these varied cultures. Because of this, we actively recruit talented, passionate students from around the world to our graduate program. A diverse graduate student body and a diversity of perspectives are key to our program's success and the success of our students as scholars, researchers, and instructors. So we affirm the university’s P rinciples of Community and commit ourselves to fostering an equitable, hospitable, and inclusive educational environment that is supportive of all students' success.

Thank you for your interest in the Spanish Graduate Program at UC Davis. We look forward to reviewing your completed application this January!

Please contact our Academic Advisors with any questions

Travis Bradley- Advisor: Primary (Linguistics)- tgbradley@ucdavis.edu
Michael Lazzara- Advisor: Primary (Literature) - mjlazzara@ucdavis.edu

Considering a visit to UC Davis?

Contact our Graduate Program Coordinator, Maria Ruby to make an appointment.

Deadlines

January 5th
To be considered for funding, your application must be submitted by January 5th. First-year graduate students are typically funded by a fellowship (for the most competitive students) or a teaching position in Elementary Spanish (SPA 1, 2, and 3) or Elementary Portuguese (POR 1, 2, and 3). Just prior to the Jan 5th deadline we will check applications for completion. If required materials are missing, we will notify you via email. English Language Proficiency test scores and recommendations may come after January 5th but before January 15th. You will receive instructions to upload transcripts just after submitting your application.
February 1st
The final deadline is February 1st. Applications completed after January 5th, but by February 1st will be considered for admission only if space is still available. Applications completed after February 1st will not be considered.

Application Checklist

Thank you for considering applying to UC Davis. As you prepare your graduate school application, keep in mind that our admission committee will be looking for two main things: 1. evidence that you have the potential to succeed in our graduate program and 2. a match between the area(s) you wish to study and the expertise of our available faculty mentors. Make sure the required items below speak to these two criteria.

A list of all our faculty and their research interests are here. Please identify at least three faculty from this list that you would like to work with on your dissertation research.

1. Online Application

To apply for admission, you must complete all elements of the online application.

Prepare your application & apply

About the Sample of written work in Spanish (uploaded to the online application)
The sample of your written work should be in your proposed area of study (Linguistics or Literature), and it should be a research paper or critical analysis. It can be an essay previously submitted for a class. It will be submitted online during the application process. While there is no length requirement, most successful samples are at least 10 pages long.

Please make sure that all information in your online application is correct and that all statements & writing samples are revised/uploaded before submitting. No changes can be made to your application once it is submitted.

2. Additional Required Materials for ALL Applicants - Must also be received by the deadline

Digital Audio Recording of Spanish language proficiency (email to mruby@ucdavis.edu)
3-5 minute recording that represents your conversational speaking ability. Without reading from a prepared text, tell us about your research interests and/or a book that you have recently read and enjoyed. Please email a digital audio sample to mruby@ucdavis.edu. Make sure to save digital recordings as one of these file types: .mp3, .m4a, .wav, or .wma . In your email, please put "Spanish Audio Sample" in the email subject line and make sure to sign the email with your first and last name. This is required for all applicants (including native speakers).

3. Additional Required Materials for International Applicants - Must also be received by the deadline

Demonstration of English Proficiency
Applicants must submit official TOEFL or IELTS examination scores unless 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). If English is not the sole language of instruction listed (or if no language is listed at all), the waiver does not apply. No other documentation (e.g. letters, language certificates, school websites) will be reviewed or accepted.

UC Davis does not offer conditional admission for applicants who have not earned a passing TOEFL/IELTS score. The score report is required before application processing can be completed. Contact us if you have questions.
Separately, to be considered for a Teaching position, all International students must submit a TOEFL or IELTS examination score. Although your degree from an English only curriculum may make you eligible for admissions, English Proficiency is required to be employed as a Teaching Assistant.

View English Language Testing Requirements
Transcript Translations
As mentioned above, certified English Translations are required for all transcripts issued by the institution in a foreign language. Please upload both the non-English transcript and the English translation. For more information, please see the graduate studies website: https://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/prospective-students/international-applicants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should my Statement of Purpose and Personal History statement be in English or Spanish?
We will accept either. However, we recommend English so that the fellowship committee can read it. (The fellowship committee is composed of faculty from various departments.) The same is true for letters of recommendation.
When I preview the application, it seems like I didn't fill in some of the information, but I wasn't asked. What should I do?
Our graduate program opted out of asking some questions because we felt they were redundant. You may not be able to fill in the following sections (and that is okay!): Prior Experience; Prerequisite Course History; Future Interests or Goals; Resume/CV (upload).
Is funding available for international students?
Yes. For information on graduate student financial support, click here.
Is funding available for undocumented or DACAmented students?
Some scholarships and loans may be available to undocumented students thanks to the California Dream Act. In order to work as a Teaching Assistant, Associate Instructor, Reader, or Graduate Student Researcher, students must be authorized to work (by DACA or other means). To learn more, please visit the Undocumented Student Center website.
How do I apply for Spring admission?
Applications for admission are accepted only for fall quarter admission.
Do my recommendation letters have to be from professors?
Even if you obtained your degree a few years ago, it is still best to get at least two of your recommendations from professors.
Do you accept transfer students from other universities?
Students wishing to "transfer" must follow the same application process above. Once you have successfully completed one year at UC Davis, you may request to transfer up to two graduate courses (roughly one quarter of coursework) toward your degree at Davis. Transfer requests will be reviewed by the graduate committee.
I made a mistake in my online application. Can I send you a corrected version?
Unfortunately we are not able to alter your application once you have submitted it. Please take care to proofread your documents before the final submission.