Admission into the graduate program is based on past academic record, intellectual promise, and programmatic fit. Students entering the program have typically completed a linguistics B.A. or the equivalent of a linguistics minor with a major in a related area, such as anthropology, psychology, or language, with a minimum grade point average of 3.5. The minimum recommended courses for admission are an introductory course in linguistics and at least one course each in phonetics/phonology, historical/comparative linguistics, and syntax. Note that courses focused exclusively on English are less appropriate than those that focus on a range of the world's languages.

Students who do not already have a master's degree should apply to the M.A./Ph.D. program, those with an M.A. degree should apply directly to the Ph.D. program.

completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English. The minimum score for consideration is 550 when taking the paper-based TOEFL, or 80 when taking the internet-based test, some departments require a higher score. Applicants must make arrangements to take the TOEFL directly with ETS (www.ets.org). Scores should be reported to UCSB using institution code 4835. TOEFL scores must be no more than two years old at the time of application submission. UCSB also considers a minimal score of 7 on the IELTS as an alternative to the TOEFL. IELTS scores must be no more than two years old at the time of application submission