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Why Choose UC Davis?
APPLICATION DEADLINES:
PhD PROGRAM: Dec 15, 2024
This is the deadline for PhD applicants to be considered for financial support.
MS PROGRAM: March 15, 2025
All applications submitted by the March 15th deadline will be reviewed, though PhD applications received after December 15th will not be considered for financial support.
QUESTIONS? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Other application or program questions may be directed to our Graduate Programs Coordinators at stat-grad-staff@ucdavis.edu.
The Biostatistics graduate program at UC Davis is targeted toward students who are attracted to statistics, but who also wish to understand the interface between problems of the life sciences, data, and the more theoretical aspects of models and methods. Applications for the Biostatistics Graduate Group are made online at the Office of Graduate Studies.
The Graduate Group in Biostatistics is committed to increasing diversity and equity among our graduate student population. Women, members of underrepresented minority groups and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Our Statistics and Biostatistics Master's and PhD programs are STEM designated degree programs.
Admissions Requirements & Prerequisites
An undergraduate major in Mathematics, Statistics, Biostatistics or Biological Sciences with a quantitative orientation is typical for Biostatistics graduate students but is not required. However, because of the mathematical nature of some of the graduate coursework, students should be able to demonstrate good mathematical ability and should have taken coursework in mathematics. Students preferably would have had some exposure to courses in the life sciences (biological, environmental, medical, and agricultural sciences). Students without sufficient coursework in mathematics or life sciences may be admitted on the condition that deficiencies will be corrected during the first year of study. Applicants for the Ph.D. must have completed the course requirements (or their equivalents) for the M.S. degree in Statistics.
- PhD Program: Minimum Requirements & Prerequisites
- The minimum requirements for the Biostatistics PhD program are as follows:
- Bachelor’s Degree with overall GPA of 3.0 or above
- Demonstrate good mathematical ability
- Exposure to courses in the life sciences (biological, environmental, medical, and agricultural sciences)
- One year of calculus
- One course of linear algebra
- Familiarity with a programming language
- Upper division coursework in Mathematics and/or Statistics. Upper division coursework in Biology and/or Biostatistics is strongly recommended
Prerequisites:
- Applicants are expected to have the equivalent of the following UC Davis courses:
MAT 127A (Real Analysis) & MAT 167 (Applied Linear Algebra).
Please keep in mind that the application process is very competitive, and that only a handful of students are admitted each year, from a strong pool of applicants. Each part of the application is important, and we look for solid overall applications which are the best fit to our program. - MS Program: Minimum Requirements & Prerequisites
- The minimum requirements for the Biostatistics Master's program are as follows:
- Bachelor’s Degree with overall GPA of 3.0 or above
- Demonstrate good mathematical ability
- Exposure to courses in the life sciences (biological, environmental, medical, and agricultural sciences)
- One year of calculus
- One course of linear algebra
- Familiarity with a programming language
- Upper division coursework in Mathematics and/or Statistics. Upper division coursework in Biology and/or Biostatistics is strongly recommended
- See English Language Testing requirements info below
No specific prerequisites are required. - Funding
- Please note: funding is currently only offered to Ph.D. applicants.
Funding is available in the form of fellowships, employment within the graduate group as a Teaching Assistant or as a Graduate Student Researcher with a specific professor; prospective students are encouraged to contact faculty members with whom they are interested in conducting research prior to application, though it is not a requirement for (nor guarantee of) admission. Teaching Assistants and Graduate Student Researchers are eligible for tuition remissions. There are also a limited number of fellowships available to help pay for non-resident tuition.
Students who apply for the Ph.D. program before December 15 will be automatically considered for financial support from the graduate group. Additionally, Internal Fellowships are offered by Graduate Studies; you can submit an online application for Internal Fellowships at the time of application, if applying before December 15. Instructions will be given in the online application system. - English Language Testing requirements for Admission
-
More detailed information can be found on the Graduate Studies admissions pages here
This requirement is automatically waived in the application if the applicant has 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
- 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), or if the institution does not appear on the WHED website, the waiver will not be approved. No other documentation (e.g. letters, language certificates, school websites) will be reviewed or accepted.
Applicants who do not meet the above requirements must submit English language test scores no more than two years old:
- TOEFL iBT Scores (in-person or online exams): minimum of 80
Note: iBT scores below 104 will require additional coursework or testing to work as a Teaching Assistant (TA).
Note: TOEFL MyBest scores are not accepted. You may submit multiple exam scores to UC Davis, each exam score will be reviewed separately.
- IELTS (in-person or online exams): 7.0 or above on a 9 point scale
- Duolingo English Test Scores (online exam): 115 or above
Note: All graduate students are required to enroll in an English language course (UWP225 or UWP226 or equivalent) during their first academic year, unless:
- Undergrad or grad degree is from approved English-medium institution OR TOEFL = 105+ or IELTS 7.5+ OR TOEFL Writing=24+ and Speaking=23+ - International Students: English Language Requirements as a UCD Student
UC Davis has three English Language requirements for international students. If you do not plan to apply for a Teaching Assistant position, you do not need to fulfill the third requirement.
First-Year English Course requirement (more info here):
All graduate students are required to enroll in an English language course (UWP225 or UWP226 or equivalent) during their first academic year, unless they meet any of the conditions listed above.
Notes: you cannot mix & match TOEFL scores from different tests. TOEFL Home Edition is allowable.
Students are required to only take one of the available courses that fulfill the requirement, but they may choose to take more if they would like more language or writing instruction. Besides UWP 225 and UWP 226, another way to satisfy the first-year requirement is by taking courses that are considered equivalents by the Graduate Council. These equivalents are all undergraduate courses. See below for more detail.
University Writing Program (UWP) course options:
UWP 225 (offered Fall/Winter/Spring) - Multi-skills Academic English for International Graduate Students
UWP 226 (offered Winter/Spring) - Writing for International Graduate Students
UWP 102 series - Writing in the Disciplines
UWP 104 series - Writing in the Professions
TA/AI (Teaching Assistant/Associate Instructor) Language Proficiency requirement:
Find more information about eligibility and the TOEP (Test of Oral English Proficiency) exam
Application Materials:
Statement of Purpose
Personal History & Diversity Statement
Three letters of recommendation
TOEFL or IELTS scores, if applicable
Copies of transcripts
Application Fee
GRE - GRE scores are required for admission
- Statement of Purpose
- Please highlight your academic preparation and motivation; interests, specialization and career goals; and fit for pursuing graduate study at UC Davis. (4,000 character limit, including spaces).
- Preparation and motivation may include your academic and research experiences that prepare you for this graduate program (i.e. coursework, employment, publications, independent study, internships) and motivation or passion for graduate study.
- Interests, specializations, and career goals may include your interests, disciplinary subfields, area/s of specialization, and professional objectives.
- Fit may include how your preparation, experiences, and interests match the specific resources and characteristics of the Biostatistics program at UC Davis. - Personal History & Diversity Statement
The University of California Davis, a public institution, is committed to supporting the diversity of the graduate student body and promoting equal opportunity in higher education. This commitment furthers the educational mission to serve the increasingly diverse population and educational needs of California and the nation. Both the Vice Provost of Graduate Education/Dean of Graduate Studies and the University of California affirm that diversity is critical to promoting lively intellectual exchange and the variety of ideas and perspectives essential to advancing higher education and research. Our graduate students contribute to the global pool of future scholars and academic leaders, thus high value is placed on achieving a diverse graduate student body to support the University of California’s academic excellence. We invite you to include in this statement how you may contribute to the diversification of graduate education and the UC Davis community.
The purpose of this essay is to get to know you as an individual and potential graduate student. Please describe how your personal background has informed your decision to pursue a graduate degree. You 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; or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and underserved segments of society with your graduate education. (4,000 character limit, including spaces).This essay should complement but not duplicate the content in the Statement of Purpose.
- Recommendation Letters
- Three letters of recommendation must be uploaded directly from your recommenders to your online application.
More information can be found here.
- English Language Testing requirements
- This requirement is automatically WAIVED if the applicant has 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 ().
Applicants who do not meet the above requirements must submit English language test scores no more than two years old:
- TOEFL: minimum of 80. Institution code: 4834. No department code.
- IELTS: 7 or above on a 9 point scale
- Duolingo (Fall 2022 & 2023 only): minimum score 115 (see important note about Duolingo on this page)
More detailed information can be found here
If you believe you are eligible for a waiver and the English proficiency examination requirement currently appears in your application, please contact our office (stat-grad-staff@ucdavis.edu). - Copies of Transcripts
- UC Davis requires academic records from each college-level institution you have attended. You will be instructed to upload scanned copies of your transcripts after you have submitted your online application. More information can be found here.
- Application Fees
- A graduate application fee is required from all applicants. Applicants who choose to apply to more than one graduate program must pay an application fee for each program. The application fee is not refundable and must be paid before the application can be reviewed. Instructions for payment will appear when you submit your online application. Current fees can be found here.
- GRE Scores - are required with the application
- We require the General GRE test only, and you must have taken the test within the last five years. If your GRE scores are more than five years old, you will be required to take the test again before you can be admitted.
GRE scores must be sent to UC Davis electronically from ETS.
GRE Campus Code: 4834.
No department code required.
Your GRE scores will be transmitted to UC Davis electronically and matched to your applicant record using the information you provided in your application. If you apply to more than one graduate program, you only need to send one GRE score to UC Davis
Please note that we only accept entry in the Fall, and we do not admit part-time students.
We look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for considering applying to our graduate program. If you have any further queries, please contact:
PhD Program Coordinator: Andi Carr (abcarr@ucdavis.edu)
Master's Program Coordinator: Amy McFarland (acmcfarland@ucdavis.edu)