Doctoral Application Requirements

The application deadline for the Ph.D. and A.M./Ph.D. program is December 1st. 

Selected candidates will be invited to interview with the faculty admissions committee via Zoom in early February. Admissions decisions are made in late February. Doctoral students enter the program in the Autumn Quarter.

The application will open in September.  Applicants can pay the $75 fee electronically at the time they submit their online application. The application fee is not refundable and does not apply toward tuition or other charges.

Indicate your reasons for applying for doctoral study, covering the following points:

a) this program seeks to develop scholars who will assume leadership positions in research and higher education; reflect on how you will make use of and contribute to scholarship in the field

b) describe your plans for study, including a specific statement of your academic areas of interest;

c) given your interests, why do you think this program is a good fit for you?

d) briefly describe your career plan

e) (optional) provide  any other information that may be useful for the admissions committee, such as explaining inconsistencies in your academic record.

Statements are typically 3-4 single-spaced pages. Please do not submit a statement longer than 4 single-spaced pages.

Doctoral applicants are required to submit an academic writing sample of no more than 25 pages, excluding any bibliography, endnotes, or reference pages that might be included at the end of the sample. Papers written for an academic audience (e.g., class papers, journal manuscripts, book chapters) are preferred. 

If the paper is co-authored, a paper where the applicant is the first author is strongly preferred. The committee uses the writing sample to evaluate the strength of the applicant's writing quality, conceptual/analytic thinking skills, empirical skills, and other qualities relevant to doctoral training. We realize that applicants may not have a writing sample that meets all of these criteria; please submit something you believe represents your interests and capacity to engage in rigorous doctoral study.

Transcripts are required from every institution where an applicant has taken 3 or more courses unless these courses and their grades appear on the home transcript; this includes courses taken as Pass/Fail. 

We accept electronic delivery of official transcripts provided directly by your university; transcripts should be sent to the Crown Family School at admissions@crownschool.uchicago.edu.  

You may upload scanned or digitized unofficial transcripts in support of your application only if they are accompanied by institutional grading and credit system information (most commonly found on the reverse side of paper transcripts).  If you are scanning transcripts, please include this information. If an academic program is in progress, you should submit a supplementary transcript at the end of the term.

You are responsible for securing 4 letters of reference. We especially value letters from former professors or academic advisors. References should be qualified to speak regarding your ability for graduate study, preferably those familiar with your academic ability or research skills.

Comprehensive Resume or Curriculum Vitae, outlining your entire academic and professional history.

While the GRE is not a required component of the application, students wishing to include their GRE scores should either attach their GRE Score Report to their application or send their GRE scores to the University of Chicago through the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

If you are applying for federal financial aid, you should submit your FAFSA soon after January 1st.  If you are admitted to the doctoral program, you will need to complete the University's financial forms which are available on my.uchicago.edu. This form will not be available until you have received an offer of admission.

 

Applicants to the graduate schools and divisions of the University of Chicago, regardless of citizenship, must either meet one of our waiver criteria (below) or submit proof of English language proficiency. Only the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic tests are accepted as proof of proficiency. 

The University of Chicago's English Language Proficiency test score requirements and waiver policy are available at https://grad.uchicago.edu/admissions/apply/english-language-requirements/.

Waiver Criteria:

• English has been the primary language of communication and schooling for you since childhood; or
• You were enrolled for at least one academic year in full-time status in a course of study at an accredited English-medium post-secondary institution in one of the following countries or territories within the past ten years: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States.
• Education in English-medium institutions in other countries or territories does not qualify for the exemption.
• Only full-time coursework in a degree program at a college or university in one of these countries or territories qualifies. Remote study, lab or research work, non-degree programs, intensive English language courses, or high school/secondary school do not qualify. The qualifying academic year must be completed – i.e., if you are now in a program and are planning to have completed a year by the time you enroll, it will not meet the requirement.

Minimum Required Scores:

• TOEFL IBT26: No less than 5 on Reading, Writing, and Speaking, and no less than 5.5 on Listening.
• TOEFL IBT: 104 overall, with a sub-score of 26 in each category. 
• IELTS: 7 overall, with sub-scores of 7 in each category. 

Check the TOEFL and IELTS sites for more information about the test. The test results will be sent to the University by the Testing Service. Official reports of any required scores must be received for a decision to be issued. Committees may use unofficial scores for review purposes when an official score report is unavailable. Applications will not be given final consideration until the test results have been received.