FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS The Department sent me an email a long time ago informing me that I’m being recommended for admission to the Graduate Division by I still have not heard from the Graduate Division about my official acceptance. Why is that? There is only one staff person processing all of the admission recommendations for several departments. As such, it takes a long time for one individual to process hundreds of admission recommendations for all of the departments under his charge. At times, it can take up to two to three weeks for the Graduate Admissions staff to confirm the Department‟s admission recommendation. Please be patient with this process. When will I be receiving a packet? Paper packets are no longer being issued by the BME IDP program. However, you may be receiving some paper material from various other UCLA campus offices. For all admitted applicants who have responded „Accept‟ on the offer of admission, the IDP administrator will be referring you to the BME website, specifically to the „Prospective Students‟ page, then click on -> „Future Bruins‟ where you will find all of the information you need to pre-orient you to the program. I am an international student and I need form I-20 from UCLA in order to obtain my student visa. When can I get my I-20? Form I-20 is issued not by the BME IDP program but by UCLA‟s Graduate Admission‟s Office after you have been officially admitted by that office and after you have provided them with acceptable evidence that you have sufficient funds to cover your educational expenses for one academic year. If you believe you have met these conditions and you continue to not have been issued Form I-20, contact Greg Moss in Graduate Admissions at gmoss@gdnet.ucla.edu. What if the official bank statement indicate that I have no funds or only partial funds to provide for my studies for one full academic year? If you do not have funds to provide for your registration and non resident tuition and living expenses for one academic year, you will need to secure a fellowship, TA, or GSR, or all three that will total the amount of funds that you will need to provide for your studies for one year. This information will be forwarded to the UCLA Graduate Admissions Office who will use this information to release Form I-20. If the funding that is awarded to you from one or more of the aforementioned sources does not arrive to the amount that you need to cover your expenses for one academic year, you will need to submit an official financial statement showing that you have enough funds to cover the balance of those educational expenses.
For example, the total amount a single student international student applicant is required to have to provide for one academic year of study at UCLA for 2008-2009 has been estimated to be $44,377.00. If you are awarded a fellowship, and/or TA or GSR that does not equate this amount….. TA: Fellowship: GSR: Total Award: Amount Needed: Amount Required on Financial Statement: $3,000 $5,000 $6.000 ________ $14,000 $44,377 $30,377
How do I secure a TA or a GSR position? Procedures on how to find a TA and/or GSR position are posted on the BME website. From the BME homepage, click on „Student Services‟, then on „Academic Apprentice Personnel‟ on the left frame. What kind of TA or GSR positions are available? For the Department of Bioengineering, TA positions are advertised on the BME website for each quarter and also posted on the bulletin board outside the elevator on the 4th floor. Other UCLA science departments post their TA positions within their own department. A list of personnel to contact to inquire on open TA positions in departments campus wide is posted at the following URL: http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gss/ase/opportunities.pdf GSR positions are available in all science departments. To become familiar on how these positions are secured, please read the section “How to secure a TA or a GSR position” above.
Can I find a PI after being admitted? Yes, you can continue to seek and secure a lab position with a PI at any time beginning as soon as you apply and thereafter.
Does UCLA have temporary housing until I find permanent housing? Unfortunately, UCLA does not provide temporary housing. However, I have experienced that a private housing enterprise across the street from UCLA called the University Housing Cooperative Association does offer temporary housing options during the summer months that allows an individual to seek permanent housing. See the link on the
BME website; from the BME homepage, click on „Prospective Students‟ -> „Future Bruins‟, 4th bullet down. How do I get priority housing placement for the Weyburn Terrace on campus apartment complex? Priority housing placement for the Weyburn Terrace on campus apartment complex is only possible to individuals who are being offered funding (fellowship or other like a TAship or GSR) from a UCLA Department. When can I begin enrolling in courses? You can begin enrolling in courses on line as soon as your enrollment appointment comes up. To view your enrollment appointment, from the BME website homepage, click on „Prospective Students‟, -> „Future Bruins‟, second bullet from the bottom of the page. Do I need to pay my registration fee before I can begin to enroll in courses? No. Registration fees do not have to be paid before enrolling in courses. However, if registration fees are not paid by the deadline, courses are purged and you will need to enroll in your courses again after you pay registration fees. Can I change my field after I’ve been admitted? Yes, you can change your field after you are admitted but be advised that courses from the old field may not apply to the new field.
How easy is it to transfer from the MS to the PhD program? It is an easy process to transfer from the MS to the PhD program and this is done in the Spring quarter of the first year only. An MS student can transfer to the PhD program only after passing the PhD prelims which are given in the Spring quarter AND providing that you have a secure lab appointment with a Principle Investigator.
If I get admitted and decide not to show up, do I need to reapply and pay another application fee? What additional materials do you need when I reapply? Application dossiers are kept on file for three years. Applicants who did not register, and who wish to apply again within that three year period, need only to submit another application form, an updated Department Application, and transcripts of work completed since the original application was filed.
By what date do I need to decide on whether or not I will register at UCLA? UCLA complies with the national deadline for applicants to respond to their admission offer which is April 15th. Do I need to check in or report to the Department when I arrive and before orientation and before starting classes? No. There is no check in required for new students. All of the information for new students is posted on the BME website under „Prospective Students‟ from the homepage. When new students arrive on campus, they simply report to the various orientation sessions scheduled for them. If new students have questions for the Graduate Advisor or simply wish to come visit the staff for the BME IDP program, they are very welcome to do so at anytime. At the time that I applied to the BME IDP program, I hadn’t completed all of my coursework and did not yet receive my bachelor degree. Since then, I’ve received my degree and I would like to know where I should send my final transcripts. Final transcripts and all other transcripts where the work in progress at the time of application is now completed must be sent to UCLA‟s Graduate Admissions Office. Send to: UCLA Graduate Admissions Office, 1255 Murphy Hall, 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095.