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Admission to the Program

The following are required as part of the admission file for all students:

• Current GRE scores
• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcripts for all academic work since secondary school
• A writing sample consisting of an essay
• Evidence of language proficiency in the major language, in English, and in a third language
• TOEFL scores for students who do not speak English as their native language.

All documents must be in English or accompanied by English translations.

For students entering with the B.A. or its equivalent, formal admission to the combined Ph.D. programs is contingent upon successful completion of the M.A. degree or appropriate qualifying and review procedures. Students entering these programs with the M.A. in hand will be required to take the Qualifying Examination in accordance with the schedules and procedures established by the chosen national literature program, usually within the first year of residence.

Financial aid
Financial aid can take several forms. The Committee on Comparative Literature, the Departments involved and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences make every effort to provide worthy students in the Ph.D. programs with direct financial aid for up to five years of study. During their first year students customarily receive a University Fellowship, which includes tuition and a living stipend. In the last year of dissertation writing (usually the fifth year of Ph.D. study), students are eligible for a Dissertation Fellowship offered by the Graduate School. In the intervening years, qualified students are eligible for a combination of Teaching Assistantships and University Fellowships. M.A. students normally qualify only for teaching assistantships until formal admission to the Ph.D. program.

Washington University also has several special fellowship programs, including the Olin Fellowship for Women and the Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship Program.