Candidates for admission to graduate programs offered by the Department of Mathematics are required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general and mathematics subject test scores. Applicants whose native language is not English, are required to take either the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. Exceptions to this requirement will be considered for those students who have completed an undergraduate or graduate education at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English. The minimum TOEFL score for consideration 80 when taking the internet-based test (IBT). The minimum IELTS score for consideration is an Overall Band Score of 7 or higher. TOEFL or IELTS scores must not be more than two years old at the time of application to UCSB.

All applicants must fulfill the scholarship requirements for graduate study. Applicants to the master's programs must hold a bachelor's degree in mathematics or a closely related field. Evaluation of the candidate's past work will be made by the admissions committee, and supplemental undergraduate courses will be required when necessary. Applicants to the master's program in Applied Mathematics must have had undergraduate coursework in linear algebra, differential equations, advanced calculus, and in some area in which mathematics is applied. Applicants to the doctoral program must have a strong undergraduate background in the mathematical sciences.