FAQ for International Students

What are the minimum requirements for admission?

A minimum GPA of 3.20 (on a 4.0 scale) and 1150 on the GRE exam is required.  However, these are the minimum requirements and international admission is extremely competitive.  On average we will not make offers to students with GPA’s below 3.7 and scores of 1250 on the GRE.  GRE must be taken within five years of enrolling at UCR. Each year we make about four offers of admission and enroll one to two students.

What are the English language requirements?

ALL applicants whose first language is not English and who have not earned an advanced degree at an institution where English is the exclusive language of instruction, must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This exam is administered by the Educational Testing Service and offered in nearly every country abroad. This exam must be taken within two years of the time you intend to enroll at UCR. The minimum acceptable scores are: 550 for the the written exam; 213 for the computer-based exam, and 80 for the internet-based exam (iBT).

All admitted applicants whose first language is not English and are expected to be Teaching Assistants are required, upon arrival at UCR, to take the TOEFL Academic Speaking Test (SPEAK). The SPEAK evaluates English speaking proficiency at the intermediate to advanced levels. TAST is developed from the speaking section of the next generation TOEFL test. It presents test takers with integrated speaking tasks that simulate real academic situations.

How will I know my application status?

You will receive regular emails informing you of which application materials have arrived and which are still missing.  Feel free to email the Graduate Affairs Officer at biochem@ucr.edu at any time to check on your application.

Can I pay my application fee by credit card?

Unfortunately, at this time we only accept international money orders.

Is there financial aid for international students?

When we make an offer of admission it is with a full financial package that includes fellowship for the first year and then salary for being a student researcher or TA for subsequent years.

Do I need to pick a faculty mentor prior to admission?

It is not necessary to choose a faculty mentor during the admission process.  Within the first year of study PhD students will participate in a rotation process involving many research labs in several areas. This shouldn’t prevent you from emailing faculty who are doing research you are interested in.

What are the department codes for Biochemistry at UCR?

For the GRE the institution code for UCR is 4839 and the department code for Biochemistry 0202.  For TOEFL you will only need the institution code.