How to Apply

Since the program involves broad, often interdisciplinary, courses of study and a variety of emphases, the Graduate Admissions Committee will carefully judge each applicant's preparation in terms of communication skills, knowledge of subject matter, experience, and language preparation.

All applications must be submitted using the online application system.

Admissions decisions are based on four criteria:

1. The quality of the applicant's previous work and training, as evidenced in the written materials submitted to us.
2. The relation between the applicant's stated interests and the particular strengths of our faculty.
3. The ways in which the applicant's work would bring strength and diversity to our program.
4. The applicant's language preparation and experience (particularly for comparative literature).

Considerable emphasis, therefore, is placed on the applicant's statement of background and purpose and on samples of previous work, which we read quite carefully. Other criteria, such as grades and GRE scores, are also carefully considered but given less weight.

Students who seek to join either graduate program, including those who seek to change status from another program at the University, must seek admission to the relevant program as part of the regular year's admissions process. In other words, all applicants must submit the basic materials to the department, by the stated deadline, for consideration in relation to all other applicants.

The number of graduate students is limited in order to maintain an optimum number of students in residence, and normally a maximum of four students enter in any given year. Admission is therefore highly competitive, and not all applicants with good academic records can be accepted.