Admissions

Applications are submitted through the UCLA Graduate Division. Please see the division’s admissions requirements for the most up-to-date information about the application process. Below, you’ll find additional information specific to the UCLA MRED application.

Application Deadlines 

To be considered for our Fall 2025 start date, applications must be submitted no later than the posted deadlines by 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time. 

ROUND
APPLICATION DEADLINE
DECISION RELEASED
ACCEPTANCE / DEPOSIT
One
January 15, 2025
Mid-February
March 15, 2025
Two
March 1, 2025
Late March
April 15, 2025

Application Deadlines 

To be considered for our Fall 2025 start date:

  • ROUND ONE applications must be submitted by JANUARY 15, 2025, no later than by 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Decisions will be released in mid-February, and acceptance and deposit are due on MARCH 15, 2025.
  • ROUND TWO applications must be submitted by MARCH 1, 2025, no later than by 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Decisions will be released in late March, and acceptance and deposit are due on APRIL 15, 2025.

Please see our Tuition & Fees page for information about program cost, the value proposition of MRED and information about financing your education.

Application Criteria + Tips

The online application is designed so that you can enter and update your information at any time before you submit your application. Click here to access the online application. Under “Plans for Graduate Study,” please select “Master of Real Estate Development MRED” from the drop-down menu.

UCLA requires that graduate applicants have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0. Applicants with cumulative undergraduate GPAs below 3.0 may be admitted by exception.

We are interested in learning about your work and experiential background. Please upload your most current resume under “Supporting Documents” and be sure to highlight experiences and organizations that are most relevant to your application to a real estate program. These are typically a maximum of 2 pages in length.

Applicants are required to complete two essays. These should be well-written, succinct and provide a clear picture of yourself and your candidacy.

Statement of Purpose (no longer than 1,000 words)
Our essay question was created to provoke honest, thoughtful responses to help us get to know you. The admissions committee is interested in learning how your professional or other experiences and achievements equip you and motivate you to enroll in our program. At a minimum, the Statement of Purpose should indicate, with clarity and focus, your purpose for entering the UCLA MRED program and how completion of the program will advance your professional and personal goals. We are especially interested in understanding both your experience in and your capacity to take full advantage of an intensive, fast-paced degree program. For those applicants with less than two years of full-time post-undergraduate work experience, please discuss why you feel ready for the program at your current level of experience.

Personal History Statement (no longer than 500 words)
Anything that can give the admissions committee a sense of you as a person belongs here. Do not repeat information provided in your Statement of Purpose. You may wish to indicate where your passion for the built environment and real estate came from. This statement is also where you can give us any context that will help us better understand other aspects of your application, like extenuating circumstances that affected GPA or pauses in your work history, or personal experiences that have shaped who you are, or challenges that you have overcome,

The three required letters of recommendation provide the admissions committee with third-party, qualitative accounts of your potential for success in our program. We prefer that two letters of recommendation come from a current direct supervisor, former direct supervisor or another individual with whom you have had significant professional interaction. The third letter of recommendation would ideally come from a previous professor or someone who can speak to your academic abilities and track record. Please select individuals who know you well and who will take the time to write thorough and thoughtful letters on your behalf. The title of those you select is not important. What does matter is how closely your letter writers have worked with you and whether they can attest to your value as an employee, your professional accomplishments, your personal qualities and/or academic abilities. We have found the most helpful letters to be recent, relevant and written specifically for this application. We do not accept letters of recommendation from subordinates, family or friends. When completing the online application, you will enter the email address of your recommender and click the appropriate box to have the recommender upload their letter. You are responsible for ensuring that required recommendations are submitted prior to the application deadline.

Please see the UCLA Graduate Division’s website for information regarding demonstration of English proficiency, as this is a university requirement. Please note that IELTS and TOEFL scores should be submitted electronically. The UCLA MRED program prefers to see TOEFL scores of 100 or greater and IELTS scores in the 7.5 band or greater. We may consider TOEFL scores between 90-100 and IELTS scores in the 7 band.

While this is not a requirement, applicants may submit images of work and/or past projects with their application. Acceptable documents include presentations, pro formas, publications and design portfolios, among others. Do not submit long documents. These samples should not exceed 15 pages in length. Feel free to redact any confidential information.

GRE or GMAT scores are not required but may be submitted if they help you demonstrate skills that are otherwise not present in your application. In particular, these scores are helpful to strengthen your application if you do not have evidence in your transcripts of quantitative course work. Please self-report your scores on the application and send the official results to UCLA. For the GRE, please use institutional code 4837. For GMAT scores, please use institutional code N2V-M5-04.

Questions?

See our Frequently Asked Questions.