The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) is committed to expanding access to graduate education and to supporting individuals who may encounter barriers to pursuing advanced study. Programs within the Office of Outreach, Access, Recruitment, and Retention (OAR²), are intentionally structured to enhance preparation and opportunity for students who may benefit from additional academic, research, or structural support—including first-generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds, individuals with limited access to research opportunities at their home institutions, and those whose prior educational environments provided limited pathways to graduate study.

The following guidance, which demonstrates compliance with all applicable campus, state, and federal regulations is provided to assist departments and admissions committees in establishing transparent, equitable, and consistent processes when selecting or nominating prospective applicants for programs such as Department Fee Waivers, SHORE Priority Housing, and Competitive Edge.

Graduate programs should develop clear, accessible, and equitable processes and criteria for offering Fee Waivers, SHORE Priority Housing nominations, and Competitive Edge nominations. 

Departments are encouraged to:

Define the process for requesting or being considered for each opportunity (e.g., email request, application form, Google Form, materials from graduate application, first-come-first-served, faculty nomination).

• For any programs for which students can self-nominate or where additional information from students will be considered, consider posting all relevant information on the department’s graduate admissions webpage, including:

  • Whether/how students can request or apply.

  • Required materials or steps.

  • Any deadlines for consideration.

  • Eligibility requirements for each opportunity.

  • The selection criteria used by the department.

• Include campus Non Discrimination Statement.

• Ensure that selection criteria and eligibility do not consider protected categories and comply with the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

• Apply criteria consistently across all applicants.

• Do not use—or appear to use—any protected categories (e.g., race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability) in selection processes. This means that you may not consider protected categories when making selections or defining eligibility.

• Ensure that information is easy to find and updated regularly so all prospective students have equitable access to the same guidance.

Departments can choose to use Department Fee Waivers, SHORE Priority Housing and Competitive Edge in accordance with department values and interests.  

The following considerations can help departments create a more equitable admissions process and support students’ successful transition into graduate school.  When departments wish to use Department Fee Waivers, SHORE Priority Housing*, and Competitive Edge as outreach and recruitment tools to make graduate school more accessible to students who may face financial, academic, or structural barriers, they may consider eligibility and selection, alone or in any combination, among others for: 

• Competitive prospective students with strong interest in the graduate program, whom the program aims to encourage to apply and yield if admitted. 

• Programs may consider providing opportunities for students who may benefit from additional academic, research, or structural support including:

  • First-generation college students

  • Students from low-income backgrounds

  • Individuals with limited access to research opportunities at their home institutions

  • Those whose prior educational environments provided limited pathways to graduate study.  

Any considerations chosen must be assessed in a way that does not consider protected categories.  

*Remember that SHORE in particular is to be used as a recruitment tool and can only be offered to admits who have not yet accepted their offer of admission.

Contact OAR² Director Angeline Yang for access to sample verbiage for general public facing websites, internal process documents, and/or rubrics at avyang@ucsd.edu.