In addition to the admission requirements set by the Graduate School, the English Department requires all international students to have speaking, reading, and writing competence in English and all applicants to submit to the Graduate Advisor a sample of their best academic writing. Three letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the Graduate Advisor. At least two of the letters of recommendation should be academic in nature.

For both the M.A. and the Ph.D., we consider four different admission criteria: 1) GPA; 2) GRE; 3) writing sample; and 4) letters of recommendation. Prospective students should submit all the required materials and scores i.e. official transcripts, GRE scores, a writing sample, and recommendation letters in order for their application to be processed. All criteria are considered together, in a holistic way. No single factor will eliminate a prospective student from consideration. For unconditional admission, candidates must meet the following standards for at least three of the four criteria.

1. A minimum GPA of 3.0 in undergraduate work, with a minimum of 3.4 in the English major or upper-level English courses.

2. GRE scores: a minimum of 500 on the old verbal section or at least 153 on the new verbal section and a score of 4.5 on analytic writing. We will not consider the math scores. We do not require the English subject test.

3. A writing sample of 10 to 15 pages that demonstrates a sophisticated prose style and the ability to construct complex arguments.

4. Three letters of recommendation that attest to the prospective student's intellectual and scholarly potential. At least two of these should be from former professors.

1. A minimum GPA of 3.5 in the student's M.A. in English or a very closely related field. (If the M.A. is not in English, we will consider the undergraduate GPA as well as that of the M.A. Moreover, if the M.A. is not in a very closely related field, the prospective student will be admitted to the M.A. program in English, not the Ph.D.)

2. GRE scores: GRE scores: a minimum of 550 on the old verbal section or at least 156 on the new verbal scale and a score of 4.5 on analytic writing. We will not consider the math scores. We do not require the English subject test.

3. A writing sample of 15 to 20 pages that demonstrates a sophisticated prose style, the ability to engage in intellectually rigorous modes of analysis, and a strong knowledge of rhetoric, composition studies, literary studies, cultural studies, or interdisciplinary critical theory.

4. Letters of recommendation that attest to the student's intellectual and scholarly potential. At least two of these must be from former professors; at least one must be a professor from the student's Master's program.