Explore and follow the requirements for potential graduate fellowships
To make your plans possible and financially secure the opportunity for your professional advancement, you must closely follow the following requirements for graduate fellowships:
- Be a former or current student in a Mexican institution.
- Have received a 4-year (Bachelor’s) or 5-year (superior) degree from a recognized Mexican university. The degree must be obtained by the end of the summer of the year you are applying or within the last six years of your application.
- Minimum scores of TOEFL 80 and GRE 160+ (verify if the GRE can be waved).
The most common sources of funding for Mexico’s international graduate candidates come from CONAHCYT and Fulbright. These fellowships cover registration fees, out of state tuition, health insurance, travel expenses and a monthly stipend between $1,200 and 1,500.
UCI may supplement your living expenses. This support is conditioned upon obtaining your admission to UCI and the approval of your CONAHCYT scholarship.
Graduate MGREP fellowship application process
Typically, the academic year at UCI starts around the last week of September and ends around the third week of June. It is divided into 3 quarters (Fall, Winter, Spring) that each last 11 weeks. There is also a summer term. It is strongly recommended to students wishing to start the graduate program at UCI in September (Fall quarter), to start the application process at least eleven months ahead of time. This means, in October of the previous year. The process can be divided into two major steps:
Step 1: Applying to UCI
Preparing for and submitting your application for admission to UC Irvine. To apply for admission into The Henry Samueli School of Engineering (M.S. and/or Ph.D.) or The Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (Ph.D. applicants only), you need to submit the following:
- Complete an online application which includes a Statement of Purpose (SOP). If this is your first time writing a SOP, check a guideline here.
- English scores (TOEFL or IELTS), general-test GRE scores
- Three letters of recommendation. Click here for further details.
- Original (hard copy) or official electronic version submitted directly from your school to UCI in English (or Spanish accompanied with an official English translation) academic transcript from the university you attended. A transcript that includes the most recent (or final) overall GPA on the scale of 10 is preferred.
Important. Contact the program director, Luisa Kregel at lkregel@uci.edu several weeks before you submit your application so that you can receive proper advice regarding your specific situation. It is recommended that the TOEFL (or IELST) and GRE if needed) exams be taken in November or December at the latest. Some programs have deadlines as early as December 15 (see DEADLINES below). For further details on admission requirements see Applying to UCI.
Step 2: Applying to fellowships.
Mexican citizens and residents can apply to the CONACYT doctoral fellowships. Academically qualified Mexican students who have obtained at least their bachelor’s program are provided up to five years of funding during their doctoral studies at the University of California.
Important. CONAHCYT reviews fellowship applicants only when applicants are eligible and have fulfilled all CONAHCYT application requirements, including submission of a letter of acceptance to a UCI program.
It is very important that the UCI department you are applying to receives all the supporting documents listed above no later than on the set deadlines posted for Fall Admission.
To secure an UCI Fellowship from the department you are applying, UCI must receive all your application documents (TOEFL, GRE, transcripts, letters) no later than February 1st. UCI departments usually notify the results of the admission process between March and April.
Notify the program Director Luisa Kregel at lkregel@uci.edu immediately after submitting your electronic application.