Brief Description of the Admissions Review Process
Step 1: You submit your paid application to UC Davis electronically. You will be able to track the status of your application packet by logging back into the on-line application system to see which materials have been received.
Step 2: Your application packet is reviewed by the Horticulture & Agronomy Admissions Committee. We evaluate applicants using holistic review to identify people who are likely to be successful in our program. Criteria considered when reviewing applications include academic preparedness, indication of passion for research and intellectual growth, prior research experience, contribution to diversity, research and long-term goals that fit well with our program, resilience and adaptability, and positive recommendations; also, satisfactory performance on the TOEFL or IELTS (if required).
Step 3: If the Admissions Committee recommends acceptance, you will be notified via e-mail, and we will work with you to identify a suitable Major Professor. You must have a Major Professor who is a member of the Horticulture & Agronomy Graduate Group in order to be admitted into the program. A list of Horticulture & Agronomy faculty is available on our faculty webpage. If no Major Professor is found, your application will be returned to Graduate Studies for denial of admission.
Step 4: Once a Major Professor is identified, your application will be submitted to Graduate Studies, with a recommendation for admission; if they approve, they will send an official offer of admission.
If your plans change at any time during this process, or if you accept admission at another institution, we would appreciate notification so your application can be withdrawn. Application withdrawals should be sent via e-mail to Kelly Paglia (kpaglia@ucdavis.edu).
APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR FALL QUARTER ARE:
- JANUARY 5 priority admissions deadline and campus fellowship deadline
- MARCH 15 general admissions deadline
Application materials to be submitted:
• On-line application
• Application fee
• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcripts
• TOEFL or IELTS score (international students only)
• Fellowship application (if applying for fellowships)
• Note: Horticulture & Agronomy does not require the GRE
A number of our current graduate students have volunteered to answer questions you may have about the application process, the Horticulture & Agronomy Graduate program, and life in Davis -- from a student perspective. Click here for their contact information.
On-Line Application
Students are required to apply via the web. (Please note: Current UC Davis graduate students should not apply on-line; they should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator, Kelly Paglia -- kpaglia@ucdavis.edu - regarding the application process.)
There are many sections of the application, including the Research Interest Statement, the Personal History and Diversity Statement, Course History, and others. We recommend you look through the application early, section by section, so you will know what to prepare and what the character limits are for each of the essay/statement sections.
Research Interest Statement
The Research Essay is a key part of your application as we use it to gauge how well your interests fit within the program. The essay should explain what research topics you are most interested in, and most importantly, WHY you are interested in those research topics. You will be asked what faculty members you would like to work with and whether you have been in contact with them. It is HIGHLY advisable to contact faculty well in advance (several months) before submitting your application and start a conversation about your interest in their program. Applications with a faculty sponsor already identified (and a letter from that faculty member) are generally reviewed more favorably. It also allows for that faculty member to start finding resources to financially support your research in their lab. In contrast, if you just list several faculty that we know are not able to accept more students in their lab and/or are outside your area of interest as you described and/or are not even in our graduate group, that will generally adversely affect the rating of your application.
Statement of Purpose & Personal History and Diversity Statement
The Statement of Purpose of the online application is an important component of your application as we attempt to assess how well-prepared you are for the program. It should reflect your motivation for applying, your preparation for graduate school, and how your research interests fit the program. For aspiring PhD students in particular, this is the place to expand on research ideas, questions, and hypotheses you may want to test. Make sure you address how you might make up for missing pre-requisites, or describe why you will succeed in graduate school even if earlier academic experiences were a struggle. It should also include a paragraph detailing your further career goals after you attain your degree. Be sure to draft your Statement of Purpose as carefully and as specifically as you can - the statement should be well-organized and concise. The Personal History and Diversity statement is where you can provide more information related to your motivation for going to graduate school (and GGHA in particular) based upon your life experience(s), cultural background, socioeconomic status, gender, etc., and describe other ways in which you would contribute to the social, intellectual or cultural diversity of the graduate community. The statements are limited to 4000 characters; we recommend you prepare the statement in a word processing program, and then copy and paste it to the application. The statements must be written in your own words, i.e., not be substantially written by AI or another person. All statements and the research essay will be automatically checked for AI content, and applications with high AI scores will likely be rejected.
Course History
In the Course History section, list the classes you have taken that you feel satisfy our program's prerequisites, which are listed on our Preparation Requirements webpage.
Application Fee
The graduate application fee is $135 for domestic applications, $155 for international applications. The application fee must be paid before the application will be considered complete. More information can be found on Graduate Studies' application information website.
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically through the online application. Do not have recommenders send letters in hard copy. There is a section of the application for you to enter the names and e-mail addresses of your three recommenders. When you submit these, the application system send them an official request for their recommendations, along with information on how to submit them. You do not need to wait until you complete your application to submit the names of your recommenders.
Letters of recommendation may reflect a mix of backgrounds (academic or employment), but you should seek to include at least two from people who are qualified to evaluate the quality of your scholastic achievements and academic training, as well as your potential to carry out independent research. It is helpful to tell your references to address those characteristics that are important to your admission.
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. For more details visit Graduate Studies' Submitting Your Transcripts and Academic Records webpage.
TOEFL or IELTS Scores
All international students whose first language is not English, or who have not completed a degree (preferably a four-year degree) at an institution where English is the sole official language of instruction, must submit an official TOEFL or IELTS score. This is a Graduate Studies requirement.
The minimum acceptable TOEFL scores are:
• 550 (paper-based exam)
• 80 total (IBT or web-based exam)
Official score reports must be sent electronically to U CA Davis (4834).
For information on the IELTS exam, consult Graduate Studies' International Applicants webpage.
Fellowship Application
Fellowship applications are submitted electronically, along with your application for admission. Your admissions/fellowship application packet -- application, fee, transcripts, letters, and TOEFL (if required) -- must be completed by January 5th to be considered for a campus fellowship.
All applicants who are US citizens, permanent residents or immigrants, and who wish to be considered for fellowships, should file a FAFSA by the end of February.