Undergraduate Admissions
Prospective undergraduate students are evaluated on a variety of qualifications, including: classes taken, GPA, SAT scores, special interests and academic accomplishments, among others. For complete information on admissions requirements and the application process, visit the Office of Admissions.
For more information about the Undergraduate Program, please visit our undergraduate program page.
If you are currently a student at UCI, and would like to transfer into the department of Criminology, Law and Society, please see information on changing majors here. Students wishing to change their major TO CLS must have an overall GPA of 2.3, a C or better in C7, and a C or better in one additional Social Ecology course (e.g., P9, E8, etc.).
Doctoral Program Admissions
Students wishing to apply to the PhD program must provide the following:
1) An application fee;
2) Two official transcripts from each college or university attended;
3) Three letters of recommendation;
4) Scores from the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) General Test (UCI code: R4859); and
5) Statement of purpose.
All PhD applications are due January 15th, but applicants are encouraged to submit their materials earlier, if possible. Applicants are accepted for full-time study beginning in the Fall quarter only. The Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society is a rigorous program, demanding full-time study, and is therefore not appropriate for career professionals who wish to combine working with studying for an advanced degree. Such individuals may be interested in our on-line Masters Degree program.
The CLS admissions committee considers every element of the application packet in order to evaluate the degree of fit between our program and the student’s goals, the student’s preparation for graduate study, and the likelihood of the student succeeding in our program. We admit students whose undergraduate degrees are in a wide range of fields (including Criminology, Criminal Justice, English, History, Philosophy, etc.) but it is important for applicants to be pursuing a research career (whether in policy or academia) in Criminology, Law and Society. GPA, GRE scores, personal statement, prior experience (especially research, publications, and conference presentations) and letters of reference are considered in our assessment of candidate materials.
For complete information on admissions requirements and the application process, visit the Graduate Division.
For more information about the PhD program, please visit the Prospective PhD Students page.