African Studies M.A.

Admissions

The applications for Fall 2026 are now closed and we are no longer accepting applications. Applying for the 2027-28 academic year? The application will be available in October 2026.

We are not accepting late applications, and applications submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed, and the application fee is nonrefundable.

The African Studies graduate program offers a Master's degree (M.A.) only, and there is no Ph.D. in African Studies offered at UCLA. Please note that this is a full-time program conducted in person, with classes held on weekdays during the day.

General admissions information, instructions about applying, and the online application for admission can be found at UCLA’s Division of Graduate Education (DGE) Website.

Please read and follow the DGE's guidance on Using AI Responsibly in Your Essays before submitting your application.

Applications are only accepted for Fall term. The deadline to apply to the African Studies MA program is December 1 at 11:59 PM (PT). The applicants will be notified about the admission decision by mid-March.

Required Materials:

UCLA Online Application: For any questions or technical difficulties with the online application, please email DGE at onlineapphelp@grad.ucla.edu. Applicants can access the DGE Admissions FAQs, including details about the application fee waiver, by clicking here.

Statement of Purpose (Up to 500 words in length. Follow the UCLA Online Application instructions.): Your statement of purpose should describe academic, Africa-related and/or professional experience. Applicants may include information about their academic achievements and goals for study at UCLA.

Personal Statement (Up to 500 words in length. Follow the UCLA Online Application instructions.): Personal statement is an opportunity to provide additional information that may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your preparation and aptitude for graduate study at UCLA. It will also be used to consider candidates for the Graduate Opportunity Fellowship. Instructions are provided in the application as well, and scroll down to see some prompts here.

Writing Sample: that demonstrates writing, research, and analytical skills (total 10 pages maximum, US letter size, double-spaced). It should be written in English and reflect your ability to communicate ideas clearly and professionally. The sample may be a research paper written for a class or another piece of academic writing that demonstrates your ability to conduct research and develop an analytical argument. Applicants should submit the writing sample that best strengthens their application. Please note that the admissions office is unable to advise applicants on the selection of a specific writing sample.

The sample should not exceed 10 pages in total, inclusive of all components of the document (i.e. title, author information, abstract, figures, tables, footnotes, references/bibliography and etc.). If the research paper exceeds the 10-page limit, applicants should submit a selected excerpt of no more than 10 pages that best represents their work and clearly indicate this at the beginning of the document.

Three Letters of Recommendation: Preferably from former or current professors or from other individuals who can attest to applicant's ability to succeed in graduate study. Letters should be uploaded via the online application system.

Transcript: An unofficial transcript may be uploaded via on-line admission application. If transcripts are not in English, an authorized translation has to be provided. Official transcript with degree award date is required upon admission to the program.

TOEFL/IELTS: All graduate applicants are required to demonstrate English proficiency for admission consideration. To find out if you are required to submit TOEFL/IELTS scores, please review DGE's English Requirements: English Language Proficiency Requirement for Admission to UCLA page.

Applicants must have a minimum overall score of 87 on the TOEFL iBT or 7.0 on the IELTS to be eligible for application review. We do not require minimum section scores for admission. Please be advised that the TOEFL/IELTS requirement is not subject to waiver. The AS MA program office won't be able to assist if your TOEFL/IELTS score is not linking to the UCLA online application portal. Please contact your testing center. The personal information on your test report (name, DOB, email address, etc.) must exactly match the information you enter on the UCLA Online Application; otherwise, the records will not be linked.

Note that GRE is no longer required of applicants to the African Studies M.A. program. Students who apply to the joint M.A. African Studies/ M.PH. Public Health program may need to submit the scores with the application to the Public Health program. Please contact the School of Public Health admissions office for information.

Financial Assistance for Entering Students

Graduate Opportunity Fellowship for Entering Students. Students submit application for the award along with the online application to the African Studies program. The fellowship offers fees, non-resident tuition (if applicable) and a stipend to qualified applicants.
African Studies Program Fellowship. Amounts vary. Application is not required. Students are awarded the fellowship based on merit during the application review process.
Information about tuition and fees can be found on the Registrar's Office website. Tuition and fees per term can be found here by selecting "Academic Master" for each of the three quarters (Fall, Winter and Spring).