M.S. APEF Admissions and Application (due Feb 28, 2023)

Apply now: Master of Science in Applied Economics and Finance, deadline February 28, 2023 

Improve your data analysis and finance skills using applied economics and econometrics. One year program. Our next cohort starts August 2023. Don't miss out, upgrade your job skill set.

APPLY HERE NOW

• Contact econ_grad_coor@ucsc.edu for questions, phone calls, and advising.
• All applications to the graduate programs must be submitted online. 
• Program requirements found here

General Application Requirements

You need:

• Bachelor's degree in economics*
• Minimum GPA requirement for UC graduate admissions is 3.0.
• Online application
• GRE or GMAT exam score
• Unofficial transcripts
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Personal history and statement of purpose essays
• TOEFL or IELTS, if you are international
• $135.00 application fee ($155 for International applicants). Application fee waiver available, see information below.

*Note: Graduates in political science or business with minors in economics may be admitted if they can demonstrate sufficient analytical aptitude and training. If the degree is in another discipline, applicants must have completed courses in intermediate microeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics, and economic statistics. They must also have adequate preparation in mathematics, including at least two quarters of calculus and one of linear algebra. Basic computer skills are also expected.

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The deadline to apply for the M.S. APEF program is February 28, 2023. 

• As our classes are sequential, we admit only for the fall quarter start.
• All applications to the graduate programs must be submitted online.
• For instructions on how to apply, visit the Division of Graduate Studies.
• Fee information: go here for graduate student fees, fellowship opportunities, and graduate education at U.C. Santa Cruz.

A complete application consists of:

    1.    Submitted online application
    2.    $135.00 application fee ($155 for International applicants) (pay through the on-line application) 2022-23 AY
    3.    Unofficial transcripts from each college-level institution attended (official transcripts required upon accepting)
    4.    Three letters of recommendation (submitted online)
    5.    General GRE or GMAT test scores 
    6.    TOEFL or IELTS is required for international applicants 
    7.    Personal History and Statement of Purpose essays

More Information on Applying

• Upload a copy of your unofficial transcripts to your online application. This can either be a scanned version of your official transcript, or, if available, a downloaded PDF from your institution's online portal.
  • See the Document Scanning Guidelines for information about scanning and uploading your unofficial transcripts to the admissions application.
• Once admitted, one official transcripts from the Registrar of each institution listed (including university correspondence or extension divisions), or a statement of good standing, if work was not completed, is required. (Request that your transcripts be sent to you.) Each transcript should be in an envelope sealed and signed by the Registrar. To expedite the processing of your application, send your transcripts (leaving each sealed envelope intact) and other required hard-copy materials together in the same envelope to:

U.C. Santa Cruz
Graduate Application Processing
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064

• If you attended UC Santa Cruz as an undergraduate, you must also request and pay to have an official transcript sent to Graduate Application Processing from the Registrar's Office. Transcripts submitted to UC Santa Cruz will not be returned to the applicant, nor will copies be forwarded to any other persons or agency.
• To qualify for graduate study at UC Santa Cruz, you must present official evidence that you have received a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education. (However, verification of UC Santa Cruz bachelor's degrees can usually be accomplished electronically.)
• Application fee waivers are available on the online application for Graduate Opportunity Program applicants and for hardship cases. The university does not waive the application fee ($155.00) for international applicants. Applicants to the M.S. APEF program who do not qualify for the  UC Santa Cruz Graduate Division application fee waiver or exemption may request one from the Economics Department through this form no later than two weeks before the application deadline. Up to 15 waivers will be granted on a first come first served basis with priority given to applicants who are first in their family to attend college.
• GRE or the GMAT accepted.The GRE school code for U.C. Santa Cruz is 4860. We are accepting computer based GRE scores; however, in weighing these scores when we review applications, we will take into account the controversy surrounding the computer based test scores coming from selected countries. The minimum GPA requirement for UC graduate admissions is 3.0. International applicants need not convert their international GPA to the U.S. GPA scale.
• International applicants from countries where English is not the primary language must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. A minimum score of 550 (paper-based), 220 (computer-based), or 83 (iBT) is required for admission. If your TOEFL score is older than two years, you will need to re-take the exam. We will consider TOEFL waiver requests for those applicants who have completed a degree from an English-speaking university. The TSE is not required for admissions. For those choosing to take the IELTS, a minimum overall score of 7 from the IELTS test is required for admission.
• Any students who wish to be considered for Teaching Assistant opportunities and do not have English as their first language must score a 26 or higher on the Spoken Word portion of the TOEFL iBT; an overall score of 8 from the IELTS test is required for all new international students who may serve as a Teaching Assistant at any time during their graduate career.
• Departmental financial support is based on merit. The university does not offer need-based financial aid to international applicants. The evaluation process depends on a review of your completed application, the strength of the overall applicant pool, and our target enrollment number. Some amount of funding may be available to M.S. applicants. We let you know if you have been given financial support at the same time we notify you of an admissions decision.

Deadline to apply for fall 2023 is February 28, 2023. APPLY HERE NOW

Review of applications is generally completed by March 15.

Offers of admission are prepared and mailed by March 30. Denial letters are sent thereafter. By a general agreement to which UC Santa Cruz and most graduate schools in the United States are signatories, admitted applicants have until April 15 to reply with their acceptance of fellowship offers.

Please contact econ_grad_coor@ucsc.edu for further information.

Graduate Programs Coordinator
University of California, Santa Cruz
Department of Economics
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Phone: (831) 459-2466
Fax: (831) 459-5077
Email: econ_grad_coor@ucsc.edu

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