Graduate students

Following wherever their curiosity takes them, our graduate students make discoveries that change the world.

The force behind UC research

UC’s 26,000 graduate students are some of the brightest minds on our campuses, tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The next generation of scientists, scholars and industry leaders, they mentor and inspire countless undergrads, launch dozens of startups and create 600 inventions per year.

UC grad student Camille Gaynus swims underwater with a scuba tank
“I’ve been a swimmer my whole life. But upon seeing my first coral reef in person, I was hooked. I knew I wanted to see more.”

Camille Gaynus, UCLA
Ecology and Evolutionary biology
UC-HBCU research fellow

Emily Wheeler

Wondering if grad school is right for you?

It's never too early to start thinking about the next step. Get insider tips on what it’s like, how to prepare, where to access summer internships and funding opportunities, how to write a great statement of purpose and more.

Find your path to grad school at UC

A bite-sized taste of game-changing research

Using math to halt invasive species. Stressing out fish to help them survive climate change. Understanding the role that antennae in our neurons could play in helping us lose weight. At UC’s annual Grad Slam content, masters and Ph.D. students deploy brilliance and brevity to sum up the fruits of their research. 

Best of all: They do it in three minutes flat.

Check out Grad Slam

Student holding a giant check for $6,000
a researcher looks out through a bank of lightbulbs

The brains behind the next big thing

Forget about the image of a startup hatched by a dropout in their parents’ garage. With access to world class labs and start-up incubators to accelerate their ideas, UC graduate students are cooking up enterprises that are changing the game in fields from health care to agriculture.

10 startups to watch

Graduate degree search tool

From anthropology to zoology, whatever your interests, we’ve got you covered. Use our degree search tool to explore more than 600 programs across 10 campuses.

Find the program that’s right for you

Alumni outcomes

More than half our Ph.D. students go into academia. They also go on to lead businesses, direct award-winning productions and even become vice president of the United States. 

Explore the data on where our students go from here