PhD Admissions

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To apply to any of our PhD programs, you must submit an online application through the Division of the Humanities by December 15 for admission in the following Autumn Quarter. Applications submitted to the Division will then be forwarded to us for review.

We welcome your applications! We are always happy to speak with and meet with prospective students. We encourage you to contact our Administrative Assistant, Kathy Fox, and individual faculty members in your area of interest to discuss your research interests, ask questions about the admissions process, and schedule appointments.

The Autumn 2022 application is now available. 

Application Requirements

We expect our applicants to have a strong background in Greek and Latin and an inquiring mind. We encourage students with undergraduate degrees in fields other than Classics to apply and explain in their application their plan for achieving language readiness.

A similarly strong background in modern languages is not a requirement. All of our students are expected to demonstrate competence at reading French and German by the end of the third year.

Applications must include the following materials:

1.  

A writing sample of 15-20 pages.

2.

A statement of purpose.

3.

Three letters of recommendation

4.  

Transcripts for all previous degrees and current course work

5.

A supplemental document listing:
I. all previous courses you have completed in Classical Studies, with full titles and grades, and
II. the Greek and Latin texts you have read in the original language.

6.

TOEFL or IELTS test scores from within the previous two years (if you do not meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement).

7.

An application fee of $90.

International applicants are considered in the same way and are eligible for the same financial aid as domestic applicants, and should read the Division of the Humanities’ information for international applicants.

Before Applying

Before you apply, you should read carefully the information on the programs we offer, including the full degree requirements, and the descriptions of current and past graduate courses.

All the members of our department are happy to talk with prospective students. We encourage you to contact faculty members to discuss your research interests and the variety of possible methods by which you will be able to pursue them at the University of Chicago. In the online application portal, you will be able to indicate with which faculty members you have discussed your application.

To understand the variety and scope of the research conducted by our graduate students and the intellectual community you will be joining, we encourage you to read our student profiles. For a record of the PhD dissertations produced by our past students and their current job placements, please visit our alumni page.

If you would like to visit the University of Chicago before you apply, please contact our Administrative Assistant, Kathy Fox, or individual faculty members to arrange meetings with faculty or to sit in on graduate classes. The university offers tour of the campus led by current graduate students every weekday. To attend a tour, please register in advance.

Completing the Application

The deadline for completing an application for admission in any Autumn Quarter is December 15 of the preceding year.

The application form must be completed online. Supporting documents can be uploaded as PDFs to the application portal. Before you begin to complete the application form, you should read carefully the application instructions provided by the Division of the Humanities.

When you complete the application form, you will have the opportunity to select your program.

If you have questions about the online application form, please direct them to the Division of the Humanities’ admissions team.

After Applying

Official admission decisions will be provided only through the online application portal during the first half of March. The Dean of Students will email applicants when the decision is ready to view. You should ensure that your contact information remains up to date in the application portal. We may communicate a decision with you before the official decision is available to view.

It is not possible to defer an offer of admission to a later year.

Each of our admitted students will be in close contact, via email or video call, with a faculty member who shares their interests. The Department will also organise and fund visit days for admitted students early in Spring Quarter of each year. During the visit days, admitted students will be hosted by current graduate students, meet with faculty members and attend graduate classes inside and outside the Department, and explore Hyde Park and the city of Chicago.

If you have been offered admission, you will be provided with a link to an online response form. You must respond to your decision by April 15.