Information and FAQ

Fees and Financial Support

Resident fees for 2024-25 academic year are assessed at $21,115.15 Non-resident students fees for the 2024-25 academic year are $21,115.15 plus $15,102.00 for non-resident tuition (total: $36,217.15).

International students – The total estimated amount of money needed for living and educational expenses for 2024-25 academic year at UCLA is 1)  US $36,217.15 for tuition and fees for three quarters, and 2)  US $25,000 for basic living costs (food, rent, laundry, local transportation, books and supplies, etc.) for a total of $61,217.15. Please note, these figures are subject to change without notice. International students are therefore encouraged to seek support within their country of origin.  Please include funding award documentation with your application materials.

Financial Support – Applicants must complete and submit the UCLA fellowship application (part of the UCLA graduate application online at http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu) online when applying for admission. Read and follow the directions for each fellowship.  Ph.D. fellowships provide annually approximately $18,000-$21,000 in support and (in most cases) fee remission. Some graduate assistantships and teaching assistantships are also available.

Financial Aid – Questions regarding student loans and other forms of financial aid should be addressed to the Financial Aid office (http://www.fao.ucla.edu/).

Student Housing – We are aware that finding housing for students and faculty is one of the most important challenges at UCLA. For information regarding University Housing, please visit the UCLA Housing website: www.housing.ucla.edu.

For off-campus housing, the Community Housing Office (CHO) at UCLA hosts an online database of rentals for UCLA students (www.cho.ucla.edu). The database is accessible to UCLA students only and features available housing near campus. The CHO website also features informative guides for students looking for off-campus housing, particularly for those students new to the Los Angeles area.

FAQs

How do I apply?
Go to the Graduate Division website and click on “Prospective Students” to begin the admissions process.  The full admissions application process is online, please visit: www.grad.ucla.edu  Be sure to read carefully through the Gender Studies Application Procedure requirements.

How many students applied last year; how many were accepted?
The UCLA Department of Gender Studies is highly competitive, accepting about 1 in every 10 applications. We accept approximately three to five students each year.

What GPA do I need to be accepted?
Because of the highly competitive nature of the program, applicants are expected to have a strong GPA. The Admission Committee expects a GPA of 3.5 or better for the junior and senior years.

Nonetheless, students are accepted on the basis of their entire admission packet, not just GPA’s. Most important are the Statement of Purpose (what has brought you to this point in your studies), Gender Studies Supplemental Essay (why Gender Studies doctoral degree is for you), letters of recommendation and the fit between your interests and members of our faculty.

What makes me an international student?
If you have questions regarding your status, please consult Graduate Division’s Admissions Office at (310) 825-1711. If the applicant is a citizen of a country outside the United States or graduated from an institution outside the United States she or he needs to qualify for a visa to study in the United States.

To qualify for a visa to study in the United States, you must provide the U.S. consulate or embassy with substantial proof of adequate funding for the entire course of your study at UCLA.  According to U.S. Immigration and Naturalization regulations, the University may issue Certificates of Eligibility for visas only to applicants who have been offered admission and who have submitted documented evidence (e.g., bank statements, letters of sponsorship, etc.) of sufficient funds for their study at UCLA.  Anticipated expenses to qualify for a visa to study in the United states for 2024-2025 academic year at UCLA is 1)  US $36,217.15 for tuition and fees for three quarters, and 2)  US $25,000 for basic living costs (food, rent, laundry, local transportation, books and supplies, etc.) for a total of $61,217.15  Please note: These figures are subject to change without notice.) Therefore, you need to prove that you will have at least US $62,000 at your disposal for the first year. If you plan to bring your family, you should expect to add the following costs: US$ 4,000.00 for your spouse, plus US$ 1,800.00 for each child. Health insurance is mandatory and is included in the above figure for tuition and fees.

The difficulty of gaining off-campus employment and of non-immigrant visa holders obtaining permission for such employment, is strongly emphasized. Spouses of F-1 visa holders, who hold F2 visas, are not permitted to work under any circumstances.

Can I apply to two different departments or programs at UCLA at the same time?
No.  UCLA does not allow a student to apply to two different departments or programs at the same time.

What can I do to strengthen my application?
Begin by reading all the material on the website carefully. If you have particular questions not answered on the website, you may contact the Graduate Coordinator, Jenna Miller-Von Ah (jenna@gender.ucla.edu). You should try to identify Faculty with interests congruent with your own. You can also write a clear and personal statement of your intention for graduate work in Gender Studies at UCLA.  Remember: The program is meant to train you in the interdisciplinary field of gender studies and at the same time to pursue individual research in a particular area you determine.

How long does the program take?
Average time toward completion of the PhD is 6-7 years.  Completing course work can take two to three years. Planning, researching and writing a dissertation takes an average of three years. The pace at which you work is what will determine how quickly you finish the program.

Can I transfer credits from another masters or Ph.D. program into your program?
Courses from a previous graduate program that did not result in a degree (or were beyond the required courses for a degree) can count as credit toward elective units.  Upon approval of the Graduate Chair, students may transfer up to 8 units of coursework from a previous program.  Students should submit a syllabus and their submitted work.  The material will then be reviewed for approval as acceptable doctoral-level work.

If I am accepted, with whom will I be working?
For a list of faculty currently associated with the Department of Gender Studies, please visit our Faculty page.  It is up to the applicant to browse through this listing and learn about the research interests of our faculty and how they may coincide with your own.  The body of UCLA faculty is enormous and although you should become especially familiar with faculty members associated with Gender Studies, you should not feel limited by working only with them.

For more detailed information about the PhD program, please view the Gender Studies Graduate Program Handbook, available by the end of Summer 2024.