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for Fall 2026 admission.
Application Deadlines
Ph.D. PROGRAM: Dec. 15, 2025
This is the deadline for Ph.D. applicants to be considered for financial support.
M.S. PROGRAM: March 15, 2026
All applications submitted by the March 15th deadline will be reviewed, though Ph.D. applications received after December 15th will not be considered for financial support.
Have questions about applying? Submit a request for information from our Graduate Program Coordinators.
Program Information
The Biostatistics graduate program at UC Davis is targeted toward students who are attracted to statistics, but who also wish to understand the interface between problems of the life sciences, data, and the more theoretical aspects of models and methods. Applications for the Biostatistics Graduate Group are made online at the Office of Graduate Studies.
We value diversity. The Graduate Group in Biostatistics is committed to increasing diversity and equity among our graduate student population. Our Admissions Committee takes a holistic approach to admissions by considering a number of factors to assess if applicants have the background to be successful in the program, including exposure to and performance in coursework in mathematics, statistics, and life sciences, personal statements by the applicants to gain insight into their interest, motivation, and fit for the program and the recommendations of other faculty. We do not consider race, ethnicity or gender in our admissions decisions.
The program does not accept part-time students. Please note that we only accept entry in the Fall quarter.
Our Statistics and Biostatistics Master's and Ph.D. programs are STEM designated degree programs.
For more information about our programs, please visit our Master's program and Ph.D. program.
Admissions Requirements and Prerequisites
An undergraduate major in Mathematics, Statistics, Biostatistics or Biological Sciences with a quantitative orientation is typical for Biostatistics graduate students but is not required. However, because of the mathematical nature of some of the graduate coursework, students should be able to demonstrate good mathematical ability and should have taken coursework in mathematics. Students preferably would have had some exposure to courses in the life sciences (biological, environmental, medical, and agricultural sciences). Students without sufficient coursework in mathematics or life sciences may be admitted on the condition that deficiencies will be corrected during the first year of study. Applicants for the Ph.D. must have completed the course requirements (or their equivalents) for the M.S. degree in Statistics.
- Ph.D. Program: Minimum Requirements and Prerequisites
- The minimum requirements for the Biostatistics PhD program are as follows:
- Bachelor’s Degree with overall GPA of 3.0 or above
- Demonstrate good mathematical ability
- Exposure to courses in the life sciences (biological, environmental, medical, and agricultural sciences)
- One year of calculus
- One course of linear algebra
- Familiarity with a programming language
- Upper division coursework in Mathematics and/or Statistics. Upper division coursework in Biology and/or Biostatistics is strongly recommended
Prerequisites:
- Applicants are expected to have the equivalent of the following UC Davis courses:
MAT 127A (Real Analysis) & MAT 167 (Applied Linear Algebra).
Please keep in mind that the application process is very competitive, and that only a handful of students are admitted each year, from a strong pool of applicants. Each part of the application is important, and we look for solid overall applications which are the best fit to our program. - M.S. Program: Minimum Requirements
- The minimum requirements for the Biostatistics Master's program are as follows:
- Bachelor’s Degree with overall GPA of 3.0 or above
- Demonstrate good mathematical ability
- Exposure to courses in the life sciences (biological, environmental, medical, and agricultural sciences)
- One year of calculus
- One course of linear algebra
- Familiarity with a programming language
- Upper division coursework in Mathematics and/or Statistics. Upper division coursework in Biology and/or Biostatistics is strongly recommended
- See English Language Testing requirements info below
No specific prerequisites are required. - Funding and Cost of Attendance
2025-26 Graduate Tuition and Fees
Cost of Attendance for Graduate Studies Programs at UC Davis
Please note: funding is currently only offered to Ph.D. applicants.
Funding is available to Ph.D. students in the form of fellowships, employment within the graduate group as a Teaching Assistant or as a Graduate Student Researcher with a specific professor. Teaching Assistants and Graduate Student Researchers are eligible for tuition remissions as well as a salary. We typically also offer fellowships that cover non-resident tuition (for international or non-California residents), contingent on academic progress.
Students who apply for the Ph.D. program before December 15 will be automatically considered for financial support from the graduate group. Additionally, all applicants are eligible to apply for internal fellowships offered by UC Davis Graduate Studies and are encouraged to do so at the time of the online application.
M.S. students are encouraged to apply for student employment (TA/Reader/GSR) positions across campus. We employ M.S. students in the Department of Statistics when we have availability and advertise available student positions in the Department of Statistics directly to our students.
- English Language Testing Requirements for Admission - TOEFL & IELTS
- More detailed information can be found on the Graduate Studies website.
Exemption Eligibility:
This requirement is automatically waived in the application if the applicant has earned or will be earning a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree 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.
Minimum Score Requirements:
Applicants who do not meet the above requirements must submit English language test scores no more than two years old:
• TOEFL iBT Scores (in-person or online exams): 80
Institution Code: 4834 (no department code)
Note: iBT scores below 104 will require additional coursework or testing to work as a Teaching Assistant (TA).
Note: TOEFL MyBest scores are not accepted. You may submit multiple exam scores to UC Davis; each exam score will be reviewed separately.
• IELTS (in-person or online exams): 7.0 or above on a 9 point scale
Send scores to: University of California, Davis Graduate Studies
• Duolingo English Test: 130*
*The minimum Duolingo English Test score to be eligible for admission to graduate study at UC Davis is a total score of 130. All applicants who submit Duolingo English Test scores as their sole English language test will be required to take the UC Davis Test of Oral English Proficiency (TOEP) if they are admitted to a UC Davis graduate program. Additionally, applicants who are selected for admission may be required to complete additional English language testing or take English language courses once they enroll at UC Davis.
More detailed information can be found here
If you believe you are eligible for a waiver and the English proficiency examination requirement currently appears in your application, please contact our office (stat-grad-staff@ucdavis.edu).
Note: It Can Takes 2-4 Weeks for UC Davis to Receive Your Scores
Note: All graduate students are required to enroll in an English language course during their first academic year, unless:
• Undergrad or grad degree is from approved English-medium institution OR
• TOEFL = 105+ or IELTS 7.5+ OR
• TOEFL Writing=24+ and Speaking=23+ - International Students: English Language Requirements as a UCD Student
UC Davis has three English Language requirements for international students. If you do not plan to apply for a Teaching Assistant position, you do not need to fulfill the third requirement.
First-Year English Course requirement:
All graduate students are required to enroll in an English language course during their first academic year, unless they meet any of the conditions listed above.
Notes: you cannot mix and match TOEFL scores from different tests. TOEFL Home Edition is allowable.
Students are required to only take one of the available courses that fulfill the requirement, but they may choose to take more if they would like more language or writing instruction. Recommended course options include:
• UWP 225 (writing, speaking, listening, reading)
• UWP 226 (writing)
• UWP 391 (speaking)
TA/AI (Teaching Assistant/Associate Instructor) Language Proficiency requirement:
Find more information about eligibility and the TOEP (Test of Oral English Proficiency) exam here.
Application Materials
- Preferred Faculty Members
- Statement of Purpose
- Personal Statement
- GRE: required for admission
- Three letters of recommendation
- Copies of transcripts
- TOEFL or IELTS scores, if applicable
- Application Fee
Please make sure your application is complete! It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure all application materials are submitted and received, and that the application is complete.
- Preferred Faculty Members
- In the application, you will be asked to indicate, in order of preference, up to six faculty members with whom you wish to work in the program. This is just an expression of interest in the faculty research and does not constitute a commitment by you or the faculty. For MS applicants, this is especially optional.
PhD applicants can express interest in specific faculty research in their application; however, applicants do not need to match with a research advisor before admission. Instead, each admitted student is assigned a faculty advisor who provides guidance on course planning during the initial years of study. As PhD students advance through the program, they select a research advisor whose interests and mentoring style best align with their own. As members of the Graduate Group in Biostatistics, all of our Biostatistics faculty are eligible to mentor students and work with them as a dissertation advisor. - Statement of Purpose
- Describe your academic preparation, relevant experience, motivation for applying, research interests/intended focus of your studies, and professional goals as they relate to the graduate program and major field. Each essay is limited to 4,000 characters (including spaces).
- Academic preparation refers to educational background, practical learning, extracurricular activities, self-directed research, and academic accomplishments/qualifications that demonstrate your potential for success as a master’s or doctoral student in the graduate program
--- Examples: related coursework, academic research and writing, fieldwork, internships, laboratory activities, scholarships/awards, independent study, presentations, publications, teaching, faculty or peer mentorship, studio projects, organizational membership, and study abroad.
- Interests, specializations, and career goals may include your research interests, disciplinary subfields, area/s of specialization, and professional objectives.
- Alignment may include how your preparation, experiences, and interests match, specific faculty or resources and characteristics of your graduate program at UC Davis. Please include specific faculty within your desired graduate program with whom you would like to work and how your interests align with the identified faculty member/s. - Personal Statement
- While the Statement of Purpose is primarily focused on academic preparation, research interests/concept, and alignment with the graduate program, the Personal Statement is an opportunity to share the unique background, experiences, perspectives, and abilities that you will bring to a graduate program. Each essay is limited to 4,000 characters (including spaces).
Please describe how your background and life experiences shaped your academic and/or professional path and influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. This may include formative experiences, environment, values, motivations, interactions, decisions, etc.
We encourage you to consider these potential scenarios when developing your Personal Statement:
- Commitment to overcoming significant obstacles despite economic disadvantage, challenging social environment, or other specific experiences of hardship.
- Unique talents, abilities or skills relevant to personal growth.
- Employment experiences, extracurricular activities, or community participation that inspired further education.
- Evidence of growth, maturity and commitment to graduate study and/or a major field. - GRE Scores: Required with the application
- We require the General GRE test only, and you must have taken the test within the last five years. If your GRE scores are more than five years old, you will be required to take the test again before you can be admitted.
GRE scores must be sent to UC Davis electronically from ETS.
GRE Campus Code: 4834.
No department code required.
Your GRE scores will be transmitted to UC Davis electronically and matched to your applicant record using the information you provided in your application. If you apply to more than one graduate program, you only need to send one GRE score to UC Davis - Recommendation Letters
- Three letters of recommendation must be uploaded directly from your recommenders to your online application.
More information about how to add Recommenders, communicate with Recommenders and edit or remove Recommenders can be found here.
- Copies of 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 for each school you add to the Academic History section.
More information about submitting transcripts and additional instructions for applicants with international transcripts can be found here. - English Language Examination Requirements - TOEFL & IELTS
- More detailed information can be found on the Graduate Studies website.
Exemption Eligibility:
This requirement is automatically waived in the application if the applicant has earned or will be earning a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree 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.
Minimum Score Requirements:
Applicants who do not meet the above requirements must submit English language test scores no more than two years old:
• TOEFL iBT Scores (in-person or online exams): 80
Institution Code: 4834 (no department code)
Note: iBT scores below 104 will require additional coursework or testing to work as a Teaching Assistant (TA).
Note: TOEFL MyBest scores are not accepted. You may submit multiple exam scores to UC Davis; each exam score will be reviewed separately.
• IELTS (in-person or online exams): 7.0 or above on a 9 point scale
Send scores to: University of California, Davis Graduate Studies
• Duolingo English Test: 130*
*The minimum Duolingo English Test score to be eligible for admission to graduate study at UC Davis is a total score of 130. All applicants who submit Duolingo English Test scores as their sole English language test will be required to take the UC Davis Test of Oral English Proficiency (TOEP) if they are admitted to a UC Davis graduate program. Additionally, applicants who are selected for admission may be required to complete additional English language testing or take English language courses once they enroll at UC Davis.
More detailed information can be found here
If you believe you are eligible for a waiver and the English proficiency examination requirement currently appears in your application, please contact our office (stat-grad-staff@ucdavis.edu).
Note: It Can Takes 2-4 Weeks for UC Davis to Receive Your Scores
Note: All graduate students are required to enroll in an English language course during their first academic year, unless:
• Undergrad or grad degree is from approved English-medium institution OR
• TOEFL = 105+ or IELTS 7.5+ OR
• TOEFL Writing=24+ and Speaking=23+ - Application Fees
- A graduate application fee is required from all applicants. Unfortunately, we cannot offer fee waivers.
Applicants who choose to apply to more than one graduate program must pay an application fee for each program. The application fee is not refundable and must be paid before the application can be reviewed. Instructions for payment will appear when you submit your online application. Current fees can be found here.
Don't forget to check out our Frequently Asked Questions!