GEPA Graduate Admissions Policy Updates
Effective for the Fall 2026 Admissions Cycle. Please find the policy document here.
Key Highlights
Requests to Pause Program Admissions:
Should a program wish to suspend admission for the following admissions cycle (i.e., plan for a cohort size of zero) they must submit a formal request to the Graduate Council no later than Graduate Council’s May submission deadline.
Holistic Application Review Procedures:
Programs should have admissions committees of at least three members and conduct holistic reviews of all complete applications. Programs are required to establish consistent, program-specific evaluation criteria – such as rubrics, checklists, and rating scales – that accurately reflect their admissions goals and are compliant with applicable laws and policies.
Documentation and Record-Keeping of Admissions Decisions:
All completed application reviews – including committee notes, rubrics, and related documentation – should be retained by the program for at least three admissions cycles. This retention is critical for responding to legal inquiries, and aligns with federal and institutional expectations for fair and well-documented review processes.
Timelines for Admissions Nominations and Minimum Response Windows for Applicants:
This policy codifies current best practices around admission decision notification and deadlines for applicant decisions.
Standard Language and Timing for Decision-related Letters via Slate:
All formal offers of financial support for doctoral and MFA applicants must be issued via Slate using a GEPA-provided template. This change helps UC San Diego ensure compliance with legal, state, and federal requirements and provides a central, accessible record of all financial support offers.
Template language will also be provided for a brief nomination message that departments may issue via Slate to students who have been nominated for admission; these letters may be issued prior to the official financial support letter.
Programs are responsible for confirming financial details and issuing financial support letters in Slate once formal admission decisions have been released by GEPA.
GEPA will continue to provide guidance and support as we navigate changes in the process for financial support letters in the coming months. Updated templates and how-to videos detailing the updated process in Slate will be shared with all programs. We will also be scheduling office hours in the near future dedicated to answering questions about these updates. These invites will be sent out to the graduate coordinator listserv. We are committed to ensuring departmental staff have the resources they need to be successful and efficient while not increasing the labor spent on admissions processes.
Resources
FAQ
Where can I find information and guidance about Financial Support letters?
Please see the Financial Support Letter Guidance page.
Are all admissions committee members required to complete the Managing Implicit Bias training?
Yes, all hiring managers, search committee members and anyone participating in one or more of the functions of the selection process are required to complete the following two courses: “What is Implicit Bias?” and “Managing Implicit Bias in the Hiring Process.” The training is available online through the UC Learning Center.
Will GEPA be able to prioritize PhD/MFA nominations for faster turnaround for financial support letters?
In general we always process nominations in the order they are received. However, if your department submits your masters and doctoral nominations at the same time, you can contact your admissions liaison to let us know if you would like your doctoral nominations processed first.
How will I know when my nominations have been processed so I can move forward with sending our financial support letters?
Once the application is in the "Admit" bin, you may go ahead with sending the financial support letter to that applicant.
Do all financial support letters need to be sent manually one at a time?
If your department sends the same information to all/most admitted applicants, the Admissions team can assist you with sending letters in a batch.
Can departments send nomination notifications outside of Slate?
No, the nomination notifications should also be sent through Slate.
When sending emails to applicants via Slate, can we copy faculty program directors to the emails so they are able to communicate?
Yes, you can CC others when emailing through Slate. If the student or faculty replies to the initial email that was sent through Slate, the response goes to your regular inbox.
If the admissions committee discusses applicants without staff, are they required to send us all documentation for us to keep on file?
The policy requires that documentation/notes on reviewing applicants should be maintained for a set period of time, but does not outline any requirements for how or where that documentation is kept. This is in place to make sure that such notes are not destroyed in case it becomes necessary to refer back to them. Your department can determine what works best for your reviewers to maintain this information.
Do our review rubrics/guidelines need to be submitted to GEPA?
No - the policy states that each program is expected to have rubrics/guidelines for admissions decisions, but that information should be determined by the department and does not need to be submitted to or approved by GEPA.