SHORE Information (Student Housing Opportunity for Recruitment Enhancement)
SHORE Updates 2026: Updates to the SHORE program are needed to bring greater transparency and make more equitable the allocation of SHORE slots to programs. The changes also aim to address current challenges for graduate programs, including the elimination of the 5- and 3-year committed funding for UC San Diego doctoral and MFA students. With these updates, we are reaffirming the goal of SHORE, which is to recruit top UC San Diego doctoral and MFA students to our campus while also preventing some past practices where SHORE nominations were not used for the intended purpose of recruitment.
Summary of the SHORE program effective this cycle:
Eligibility: SHORE slots are reserved for UC San Diego doctoral and MFA students only. Master’s and Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) students are no longer eligible for SHORE. While some master’s and JDP programs have historically received SHORE slots, this change reflects a renewed focus on SHORE’s role in supporting doctoral and MFA recruitment. Admitted doctoral and MFA students who have not yet accepted their offer of admission may be nominated.
Allocation: SHORE allocations will be determined annually. The available 200 SHORE slots will be distributed proportionally across UC San Diego doctoral or doctoral + MFA programs according to average incoming cohort size for the past several admissions cycles (for the current cycle, the range 2019-2025 was used). The maximum number of SHORE slots to a program is 10. The 2026 SHORE allocation can be found below. The allocation may differ from year to year because of updated average cohort sizes as well as the pausing/opening of admissions by doctoral and MFA programs.
Redistribution of unused slots: After April 8, there will be a second round where unused SHORE slots will be redistributed to doctoral and MFA students from some recruitment programs as well as to all UC San Diego doctoral and MFA programs through a lottery process.
We will review these updates in more detail and address questions during the GEPA Admissions | Graduate Coordinator meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 27 at 10:15 am. Thank you for your partnership as we move forward with these changes and work to strengthen graduate recruitment across campus.
2026 SHORE Allocation:
2026 SHORE Deadlines:
Nomination Open Date: Wednesday, January 28th, 2026
Nomination Deadline: Wednesday, April 8th, 2026
2026 SHORE Presentation Recording
SHORE Nominations - How To For Departments
SHORE Program Provisions, FAQs and Offer Letter (these documents are provided to applicants once a SHORE offer has been extended):
FAQs for Campus Partners Administering SHORE
Q: Can we ask for an extra SHORE slot?
A: From time to time, we may have residual slots that were unused after the nomination deadline. We never know how many that may be. If there are residual slots, the process is as follows:
SHORE Coordinator will contact all departments with the number of residual slots remaining after the initial SHORE nomination deadline.
From the time of the email, departments will have exactly a week to nominate 1 student.
Once the residual slot deadline ends, the SHORE program will conduct a randomized lottery and send offers to those randomly selected.
Q: If my nominee declines the SHORE offer after the April 8th deadline, does my department receive that SHORE slot back?
A: No, after the nomination deadline, all unused SHORE slots are null and move to the residual slot process noted above. If a student who accepted the SHORE offer changes their mind after the residual slot process, the slot is null.
Q: Do students with children bypass the waitlist (priority access)?
A: Yes, they bypass the waitlist and receive a month-to-month contract for as long as they are a student (SHORE is not required).
Q: Is SHORE housing discounted?
A: No, SHORE students pay the same rate as non-SHORE students. These rates depend on the community and layout. Grad Family Housing rates can be found on their website.
Q: How long is the regular housing waitlist typically (without SHORE priority)?
A: It depends on the housing community and layout. Some students can expect to be on the regular housing waitlist for 2 years or so. Non-SHORE students only receive a 2 year housing contract.
Q: If the student receives the second housing offer and decides they like the first offer better, can they revert to the first offer?
A: If by chance the first offer is still an opening, the student should email Grad Family Housing to confirm. However, by the time the second offer is given, the first offer has most likely been filled by another student.
Q: Can a SHORE spot be used for an existing graduate student?
A: No, this is not acceptable under any circumstances as the program is strictly for new incoming graduate students only. It cannot be used for existing graduate students changing their degree aim - i.e. currently a MS student in Chemistry and now pursuing a PhD in Chemistry. If an existing graduate student is nearing the end of their current 2-year housing contract, we suggest they submit an appeal for a contract extension.
Q: Why haven't my nominees received an offer yet?
A: SHORE offers cannot be sent to nominees until their admission status reads “Admitted.” Once their status is updated, their SHORE offers will be released within 1 - 2 business days.