Grad STAR 3+1 Access Track
Our Graduate STAR 3+1 Access Track is exclusively for students from our university partners seeking to become competitive applicants and successful students in high-ranking U.S. graduate programs within a five-year period. This program offers a unique curriculum to current fourth year / senior university students who want to accelerate their learning in fields such as Engineering, data science and analytics for business, and humanities. Students will receive integrated academic, professional, and communication skills training through rigorous credit-bearing courses. Moreover, students may be eligible to participate in a 10-week internship to boost their resumes and interaction with business professionals in the U.S. by extending their program.
Upon successful completion of the 3+1 Access Track and graduation requirements for the bachelor’s degrees issued by students’ home universities, students will continue to attend UCI or another graduate school by completing the master’s degree program that has accepted them.
STAR does not offer conditional or guaranteed admission to UC Irvine or any other university. Any STAR program information should be referred to our official website.
Important Notes
- Students who meet our preferred admission requirements may be eligible to be exempt from the Academic English courses.
- Courses are scheduled based on availability and may vary depending on university partner agreements. Course equivalent substitutions will be recommended when courses become unavailable.
- Program approval is required for enrolling in more than 12 units. The maximum number of units covered by the program tuition is 16 units per quarter.
Program Benefits
- Major-focused study plan that includes undergraduate academic and professional credit-bearing classes that may satisfy the pre-requisites of and be transferable to your desired graduate program*
- Gain exclusive networking opportunities with select graduate programs to showcase your strengths and to receive pre-admission consultation
- Enhance your skills with Intensive Academic English and advanced training in Professional Communication (e.g., interview and presentation) to help you become proficient in English language use in any formal setting
- Get specialized ACTS (Authentic, Comprehensive, Targeted, Strategic) guidance on your application process for colleges and universities in the U.S.
- Receive expert-approved standardized test preparation resources for US college admission to help you reach your target score
- Gain practical work experience in an optional Internship Experience in select fields of U.S. businesses and industries
- School partnership and scholarship opportunity: STAR is excited to partner with several prestigious institutions in the U.S, including Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, Pepperdine University Graduate Business and Law Schools, and A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management at UC Riverside. Highlights of our partnerships include priority application review and English requirement (e.g., TOEFL and IELTS) waiver. Scholarships from our partners are also available
*Final credit transfer is determined by the student's current or future institution.
Eligibility and Requirements
Minimum Admissions Requirements
- Copies of all your current official academic transcripts to prove your completion of at least three years of college education and to meet the minimum GPA requirement of 2.0 (or equivalent).
- Documentation for any educational gap since the start of university/college attendance must be supported with explanations and evidence.
- Proof of English language proficiency (one of the options below taken within the past two years):
Acceptable Test Minimum Score Duolingo 95 IELTS 6.0 Internet-based TOEFL 71 Paper-based TOEFL 530 TOEIC 685 CASEC 650 Kaplan Test of English (KTE) 450 CEFR or ISE B2 iTEP 3.5 Pearson Academic 50 GEPT High-Intermediate Advanced Cambridge Completion EIKEN Japanese Test in Practical English Grade Pre-1 English Program Completion - Kaplan International: Higher Intermediate
- FLS International: Level 16
- ELS Language Centers: Level 112
Other Program Completion Attended high school for at least 3 years where English was the main language of instruction;
or
Higher education degree taught entirely in English according to the World Higher Education Database
Notes
- TOEFL iBT MyBest Scores and Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator will be accepted as long as all exams were taken within the past two years.
- To send an official TOEFL or IELTS test score, please select the institution code B166.
- Students whose native language is not English may be required to take UC Irvine DCE’s online English-as-a-Second-Language Placement Exam before the start of the program. The exam results will determine the appropriate English language courses needed in the program.
- Our program entry requirements and English exemption are not the same as any other programs at UC Irvine.
- UC Irvine DCE reserves the right to deny acceptance to STAR. Applicants who are not accepted into STAR by UC Irvine DCE will be notified in writing.
Preferred Admissions Requirements
- 3.2 GPA or higher for Engineering and Data/Computer Sciences; 3.0 GPA or higher for other majors
- Demonstration of English language proficiency (one of the options below):
- 80 iBT TOEFL
- 6.5 IELTS
- 115 Duolingo
Program
Approximate Tuition
$32,050Format
UC Irvine CampusDuration
9 monthsPlease visit our Tuition and Fees page to view a list of associated costs
Have Questions?
Talk to an enrollment coach
Call: +1 (949) 824-5414
Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm (Pacific)
Curriculum
Required core courses, approved target courses and recommended support courses.
Required Core Courses
This course is designed to strengthen the writing skills and critical reading skills of students in preparation for university study. Students will learn conventions which are essential to academic writing and practice avoiding and correcting common writing mistakes. They will practice composing and properly citing quotations, paraphrases, and summaries and will produce two academic essays. Throughout the course, students will also read and analyze articles. They will evaluate claims and evidence, synthesize information from multiple readings, and reference passages in their own writing. Additionally, peer discussions and group work will be a regular part of this course, preparing students to engage confidently in the collaborative learning context of their future college courses.
Prerequisites: Completion of level 4 ESL or equivalent
This course introduces students to speaking and presentation skills necessary for academic settings. Speaking skills are developed through leading and participating in group discussions, debates, and an individual speaking presentation. Students will practice forming questions, reporting findings, and supporting their own arguments. Examples of learning activities in this course include class discussions, group work, and note-taking practice.
Prerequisites: Completion of level 4 ESL or equivalent
This course is designed to help graduate-level applicants with the university selection and application process. Students will be introduced to the comprehensive review process and how their academic and professional credentials impact the schools they choose. They will be guided through school selection and personal statement processes. They will explore the ethics of submitting authentic applications and be given structured information on how to write compelling narratives of their experiences under ethical guidelines that promote original, unique work. The objectives of this course will be achieved through discussions, activities, assignments, and assessments.
Prerequisites: A minimum of TOEFL 61 or equivalent English proficiency
Research and Citation
This course is designed to help international students develop the critical thinking and writing skills necessary to excel in academic, research-related writing tasks in a university-level course. In addition, the course will put great emphasis on academic honesty and plagiarism. Through course discussions, practices, and assignments, students will learn to integrate and comment on multiple academic sources to support an argument and engage with texts to understand, interpret, and evaluate what specific language and rhetorical features communicate. Students will also develop a range of sophisticated sentence structures and a strong command of academic expressions used in academic writing.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Academic Reading and Writing preferred or equivalent English proficiency level
or
Scientific Writing
The goal of this course is to help students to improve their reading and writing skills in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students will read field-related texts, including journal articles, reports, and proposals. They will become familiar with using the standard formal structure of scientific writing, IMRaD (for Introduction-Methods-Results-Discussion), in addition to related genres such as lab reports, proposals and literature reviews. They will practice vocabulary-learning strategies to improve reading comprehension and build technical vocabulary specific to their field. Students are prepared for their university classes through informal writing, brainstorming in preparation for writing, instruction in the writing process, and explicit instruction in academic discussion language when analyzing readings in class. Students will conduct research on a topic related to their field and complete a research paper using appropriate citation formats for paraphrased and quoted information from outside sources. Additionally, they will review essential structural and content rules and learn proofreading strategies for identifying and correcting errors in their own writing.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Academic Reading and Writing preferred or equivalent English proficiency level
Approved Target Courses
(based on the satisfaction of the program advancement criteria)
Intro to Python Programming course
or
Practical Math and Statistics for Data Science course
Accelerated Certificate Courses from Data Analytics for Business and Data Science
Scientific Writing
The goal of this course is to help students to improve their reading and writing skills in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students will read field-related texts, including journal articles, reports, and proposals. They will become familiar with using the standard formal structure of scientific writing, IMRaD (for Introduction-Methods-Results-Discussion), in addition to related genres such as lab reports, proposals and literature reviews. They will practice vocabulary-learning strategies to improve reading comprehension and build technical vocabulary specific to their field. Students are prepared for their university classes through informal writing, brainstorming in preparation for writing, instruction in the writing process, and explicit instruction in academic discussion language when analyzing readings in class. Students will conduct research on a topic related to their field and complete a research paper using appropriate citation formats for paraphrased and quoted information from outside sources. Additionally, they will review essential structural and content rules and learn proofreading strategies for identifying and correcting errors in their own writing.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Academic Reading and Writing preferred or equivalent English proficiency level
DCE Engineering Technology/EECS courses
UC Irvine Undergraduate Engineering courses (departmental approval is required)
UC Irvine Humanities and Global Cultures courses (departmental approval is required)
Recommended Support Courses
View professional/continuing education courses here (also includes Internship Experiences and Accelerated Certificate Programs).
Additional Information
Notes
- TOEFL iBT MyBest Scores and Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator will be accepted if all exams were taken within the past two years.
- To send an official TOEFL or IELTS test score, please select the institution code B166.
- Our program acceptance requirements are not the same as any other programs at UC Irvine.
- UC Irvine DCE reserves the right to deny admission to STAR. Applicants who are not admitted into STAR by UC Irvine DCE will be notified in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
This track is exclusively for students of our university partners that have an agreement with UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education. Any independent student who is interested in this track can contact STAR@ce.uci.edu to inquire about their eligibility.
- Complete the online Graduate STAR 3+1 application and pay the non-refundable $200 application fee.
- After you have been provisionally accepted into STAR, an official Acceptance Confirmation Letter will be sent to you. This letter is usually sent by e-mail. It will describe the STAR registration policies and request the required Program Deposit of $5,000 USD to be submitted to STAR within 15 days after the receipt of your Acceptance Confirmation letter. You will also need to submit copies of your or your sponsor’s financial statements (e.g., checking or savings accounts) that meet our financial requirements for I-20 issuance. If you are applying as a transfer-in from another US institution, you will also need to submit a completed Transfer Evaluation Form.
- After you have signed the acknowledgment form that is part of your Acceptance Confirmation letter, and STAR has received your required program deposit, you will receive an official Letter of Acceptance (LOA), Form I-20, and Welcome Packet. With the Letter of Acceptance and Form I-20, you will be able to submit a request for a student (F-1) visa from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your area.
- You will have 30 days to pay the balance of the program tuition and fees. Confirmation of enrollment must include full payment of tuition and fees.
Please see Payment Policies, Fees & Deadlines for cancellation and postponement requests.
UC Irvine DCE is committed to serving students from all diverse backgrounds. While the acceptance preference will be given to students who have met our minimum acceptance requirements, we recognize individual circumstances and offer a comprehensive review of every applicant. So, students who do not meet our minimum acceptance requirements are still encouraged to apply. It is important that students provide additional information (e.g., resume, community service, awards and achievements, and extra-curricular classes and activities) to demonstrate their unique circumstances.
Current university students should check with their universities about accepting courses and units from the STAR 3+1 track.
Every graduate admissions office holds the final determination of the transferability of the units a student earns in STAR. The STAR 3+1+1 track offers UC Irvine credit-bearing courses. Enrollment in UC Irvine courses is on a space-available basis with permission of the course instructor and/or department.
These are the key selection criteria that are taken into consideration for advancing:
- Pass every CE or P/NP graded class
- Maintain a B average or Cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Comply with the program policies (e.g., in good academic standing) at all times
- Achieve at least TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 115, or the minimum English proficiency accepted by other programs in their Entry Acceptance Requirements by the last day of the current quarter
Students who meet the above key selection criteria are expected to follow the program curriculum or their designed study plan. When students fail to meet the above key selection criteria, students will be required to follow the alternative study plan or add one or more quarters.
Program Completion clearance will not be granted for a student with an outstanding debt to UC Irvine DCE, any outstanding misconduct charges, or unsatisfactory completion of all program requirements.
Yes. The minimum full-time requirement is 12 units each quarter. An F-1 student visa is required for students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents to study in this program on the UC Irvine campus.
Please visit Program Dates for available intakes.
UC Irvine has over 100 graduate programs. 3+1+1 is intentionally designed for students who want to obtain their master’s degree within 12-15 months with professional training for their careers through experiential learning and real-world application.
Grad STAR students can also choose to apply to our partner graduate schools and other graduate schools in the U.S. during their Grad STAR studies.
Funding is currently not available for students who are enrolled in our program. However, students may find any financial assistance opportunities by contacting the consulates in their home countries. There are also scholarship websites available: IEFA, International Scholarships, International Student.
Yes. Please visit Student Resources for more information.