Admissions
Ethnic Studies Ph.D. Program Application Information
New students are admitted in the Fall quarter of each academic year.
- Ph.D Program Overview
- UCSD Graduate Admission Application
- Who are the faculty that teach in the Ethnic Studies doctoral program? Check out our faculty!
- Who are the current students in the doctoral program and what are they studying? Our current students are listed here!
- What courses do you take in the Ethnic Studies doctoral program? Courses are listed here while here is a PhD timeline which takes you through the doctoral program at a glance!
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How does funding work for the Ethnic Studies doctoral program? Additional funding offered by your program beyond the committed campus package, such as higher salary/stipend in your first year and/or financial support beyond the first year, is contingent on availability of funds and not guaranteed.” and “These terms and conditions for financial support are subject to change as a result of action by federal and/or state governments or the Administration of the University of California, San Diego and/or UC Regents”.Tuition and fee remission most often comes in the form of employment–either a teaching assistant or graduate student researcher. Read here about Graduate Funding policy. Read here about funding opportunities from the Department of Ethnic Studies, these are not guaranteed and are reviewed by application, see each fellowship for guidelines.
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Who are Ethnic Studies alumni and where do they work? Our alumni are doing amazing things in the field of Ethnic Studies, see a few examples here.
Application & Admission
The application for Fall 2026 consideration will open in September and will close January 5, 2026. Only completed applications are considered. Our application requirements are as follows:
- The Statement of Purpose (no more than 2500 words)
- At least three letters of recommendation--Preferably from former professors, PIs, advisors or anyone who can speak to your ability to complete graduate level work.
- Unofficial transcripts from each institution attended after high school must be uploaded to the online application; students who are admitted to the program will be required to submit official transcripts (to the UCSD Graduate Division) when they are admitted.
- At least one writing sample (e.g., research paper) should be uploaded to the online application as a .pdf file. The writing sample should be no more than 15-30 pages of original research that demonstrates your writing ability and experience with scholarly research, ideally on a topic related to ethnic studies.
- Resume/CV
- No Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required
UCSD Official Application for Admission and the application fee are submitted through the UCSD Online Application Form.
International Applicants
- A test of English language proficiency is required for international applicants whose native language is not English and who have not studied full-time for one uninterrupted academic year at a university-level institution in which English is the language of instruction and in a country where English is a dominant language.
- The following test(s) are accepted by this department:
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
- PTE (Pearson Test of English)
- The following test(s) are accepted by this department:
For more details and additional application requirements for international students, please go to:
https://grad.ucsd.edu/admissions/requirements/international-students/index.html
Additional Information
Contact Information
| Jessica Williams | email: jjwilliams@ucsd.edu |
