UC Davis, the College of Engineering, and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering offer various methods for graduate program application fees waivers.
Application fees are only waived for applicants who have participated in or are affiliated with one or more of the graduate preparation programs listed below. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer application fee waivers on any other basis (financial circumstances, participation in programs not listed below, etc.).
UC Davis – Graduate Preparation Programs Eligible for Fee Waivers
Applicants who are affiliated with one or more of the Graduate Preparation programs found here are eligible for graduate application fee waivers.
If you have participated in one of the programs, please indicate your participation and provide the name and contact information of the program coordinator in the "Other Information" section of the online application system. The application fee waiver will be applied immediately upon submission. Confirmation of the applicant's program participation takes place during the application review.
College of Engineering - Equity Program
The UC Davis College of Engineering believes diversity and inclusion are essential components of doctoral training in engineering. Since 2019, the College of Engineering (COE) has launched a collection of strategies designed to improve the diversity of the applicant pool among our engineering graduate programs. These strategies are collectively referred to as the COE Equity program.
This program is intended for individuals with the potential for leadership towards achieving the goals of improving diversity in engineering.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering – Masters and International Students
Master of Engineering, Master of Science, or International PhD applicants who wish to apply for our programs but are unable to afford the application fee may apply and not pay for the fee. The Department may have limited funds for highly qualified applicants. Your application must be completed including letters of recommendation to be considered for the fee waiver. You must submit by January 1st for priority review. Once your application is fully submitted, please complete this survey to be considered for an application fee waiver.
English Language Waiver
Applicants must submit official TOEFL or IELTS examination scores unless they have earned or will be earning a bachelor's 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), 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. To submit a waiver, please complete this survey and upon approval, the Graduate Programs Coordinator will submit the request to Graduate Studies. You will need to search the WHED for the IAU number of your institution, if you need assistance, please email mse-advising@ucdavis.edu.
English Language Waiver Survey
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.
We require a minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL and a 7.5 on the IELTS. Please note that this minimum requirement differs from the Office of Graduate Studies policy.
If you earned, or will be earning, a master’s degree from a U.S. institution, but your undergraduate institution was not located in the U.S. or English was not the sole language of instruction, you will be required to take the TOEFL or IELTS.