Application Requests

HOW TO APPLY

Apply Online: This is the preferred method of application for graduate study at Syracuse University. Online applications can be processed faster and more efficiently than those filed on paper. Access the online application.

Apply by mail: If, for some reason, you are unable to apply online, you may download a printable application. You may also use our online inquiry form to arrange to receive further information on what interests you.

Application & Deposit Fee Payment Options
There is a non-refundable application fee of $75 for all applicants. Application fee waivers are not available. If you submit your application by mail, to pay the non-refundable $75 application fee and other fees, you may: include a check or money order payable to Syracuse University with your application, or pay by Mastercard or Visa credit card. Applicants wishing to apply to more than one program must file a separate application and application fee for each program.

Required Materials (note that in some cases different materials are required of applicants for the MA/PhD and MFA)
The following materials are due on or before January 9th for MFA & MA applicants; and on or before December 1st. for Ph.D. applicants. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all application materials arrive at Syracuse by any applicable deadlines.

• Submit online Graduate application.
  
  
• General GRE Test Score Results / TOEFL Scores
  Standard Exam Scores
  The General GRE Test Exam is required of MA & PhD applicants ONLY. GRE's are NOT required of MFA applicants.  The TOEFL is required of all students whose native language is not English. All scores for TOEFL and GRE are reported to a central location at Syracuse University . It is not necessary to request that scores be reported to more than one department. Applicants can submit a photocopied score report. Our institution code is 2823, the code of English is 2501.
  
  
• Two Official Transcripts from Undergraduate/Graduate Institution(s)
  Academic Credentials-Two copies of records of all previous postsecondary education are required. Have the institutions you have attended send the records to you in sealed envelopes, signed or stamped across the seal. If records are received in an envelope with a broken seal, it may disqualify the application. The admission of a student who has not yet earned the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree is conditional upon that student submitting a record showing that the degree has been awarded. Such records should be sent directly to GEMC, Online Application Materials, P.O. Box 35060, Syracuse, NY 13235.
  
  
• Three Letters of Recommendation All graduate programs require three letters of recommendation. We prefer that your recommenders up-load their letters onto your on-line application account. If you have a credential file, and/or if your recommenders will be mailing in their letters, please have them send their confidential letters of recommendation in sealed envelopes on which the recommender has signed across the seal. You should then forward them or have your recommenders send them to:
  
  GEMC
  Syracuse University Online Application Materials
  P.O. Box 35060
  Syracuse NY 13235
  
  If a confidential letter of recommendation is received in an envelope with a broken seal, it may disqualify the application. We prefer that recommenders use the "recommendation form" along with their letters of recommendation; however, we will accept letters from your Credential File or letters on your recommender's departmental letterhead.
  
  
• Teaching Statement (required of all applicants)
  Although you are not expected to have formal teaching experience before coming to Syracuse University, all graduate students in English with teaching assistantships or fellowships will teach at some time while at Syracuse University. Teaching may include: being a teaching assistant for an English Department lecture course, teaching composition courses in the university's independent Writing Program, and designing and teaching one's own courses as a Teaching Associate in the English Department. This teaching statement will be assessed not only for its context but as a demonstration of your writing ability.
  
  In a separate statement of no more than 600 words, please explain your interest in teaching at Syracuse University as part of your graduate program, and describe the skills and experiences that could make you an effective and committed teacher. How is teaching related to your intellectual interests and career goals? Have you ever been a tutor, classroom teacher, or coach? If not, what experiences have prepared you for teaching, including work, community service, or developing your own strategies of learning? Draw on these experiences to explain the skills and philosophy of learning that you would bring to teaching.
  
  
• Statement of Purpose (required of MFA/CW applicants ONLY)
  Describe in about 500 words your main academic interests, why you wish to study for the degree you've chosen, why you wish to study at Syracuse University, how you expect to finance your studies, and your plans for the future after you receive your degree.
  
  
• Intellectual Statement (required of MA & PhD applicants ONLY)
  Note: These instructions are specific to English and will supplement the "personal statement".
  In a separate statement of no more than 800 words, outline the intellectual history that informs your decision to pursue graduate study in English. In what historical period(s), body of texts, and/or mode(s) of inquiry are you particularly interested and why? Do you bring any relevant experience, beyond that of a student, to this course of study? What do you plan to do with your degree? Be specific in your responses.
  
  
• M.A. applicants in English must submit a 10 page writing sample on or before January 9th. Writing samples can be up-loaded onto your on-line application or mailed directly to GEMC, Syracuse University, Online Application Materials, P.O. Box 35060, Syracuse NY 13235.
  
  
• Ph.D. applicants in English must submit a 10-25 page writing sample on or before December 1st of work they hope to do in a doctoral program, due on or before December 1st. Writing samples can be up-loaded onto your on-line application or mailed directly to GEMC, Syracuse University, Online Application Materials, P.O. Box 35060, Syracuse NY 13235.
  
  
• MFA/Creative Writing applicants must submit a writing sample on or before January 1st.
  The "Basic Information Sheet" is to accompany your writing sample in fiction or poetry.  You can devise your own by including the information we are requesting below, under “Basic Information Sheet” or you can print a copy of it from your on-line application.
  
  All writing samples are to be typed, double spaced for fiction. 

  Writing samples are to be mailed directly to: Christopher Kennedy, Director of Creative Writing, English Graduate Office, 420 Hall of Languages, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-1170 .  Do not up-load your writing sample to your on-line application and/or send it to GEMC.

Name.
E-mail address.
Permanent Home Address.
Present Mailing Address.
Until what date can we reach you at your present mailing address?:
Home telephone number.
Work/School telephone number.

Academic background: List all postsecondary education, beginning with the most recent degree you earned or expect to earn before coming to S.U. For each institution listed please include the following information:
Institution
Credits earned
Dates Attended
Degree Received or Expected and Date
Major Subject
Overall Average of Grades (GPA)

Writers with whom you have studied or worked with?
Briefly describe why you wish to study for the degree you've chosen and why you wish to study at Syracuse University. (If you wish you can provide a copy of your Statement of Purpose.)

Please also note, once writing samples have been submitted to Syracuse University, they cannot be returned to the applicant.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Qualifications for Admission
2. Application Fee
3. Costs of Attendance
4. Need-based Financial Aid
5. Financial Support from Syracuse University
6. Financial Documents
7. Graduate Awards
8. Notice of Admission Decisions
9. Interviews/Campus Visits

3. Costs of Attendance
General information regarding estimated graduate costs for the academic year may be found on the SU financial aid site: See our cost page for program specific costs of attendance.

4. Need-Based Financial Aid
Need-based financial aid for graduate students who are US citizens or permanent residents is administered by the Office of Financial Aid, Syracuse University, 200 Achbold, Syracuse NY 13244: 315-443-1513.
Those interested in helping to finance their graduate studies with loans or work-study should file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1st. The FAFSA is available at most US college admissions office and high school guidance offices, and at many banks.
Applicants are advised not to wait for an admission decision before filing. For more information on need-based aid, see the Financial Aid section of the application booklet or contact the Office of Financial Aid.

5. Financial Support from Syracuse University
If you wish to be considered for a financial support/award (SU fellowship, TA'ship, Tuition Scholarship, or CW departmental fellowship) from SU, please be sure to check off all the appropriate boxes on the application form. Please be advised there are no separate application forms or paperwork to fill out--your graduate application will serve as the application for these awards.

6. Financial Documents
International applicants must show sufficient funding for at least the first year of graduate study in order to have a student visa authorized. Admitted international applicants receiving full support (full tuition and full stipend) from SU meet this qualification. Privately sponsored applicants must provide two separate documents: an original, signed letter of support from a sponsor, including the US dollar amount of support; and a certified bank statement indicating that the sponsor has sufficient funds to pay atleast first-year expenses. Government-sponsored applicants must submit an original copy of the award letter indicating the US dollar amount of the award per year, the length of time for which the award is valid, and any special billing instructions. Fax copies and photographs of financial documents will not be accepted. Financial documents cannot be returned to the applicant.

7. Graduate Awards
Students applying for graduate awards are urged to submit complete admission applications as early as possible. Deadlines for various kinds of awards vary by academic department. Consult specific deadlines for merit-based and need-based awards in the individual applications.

The deadline for the Syracuse University Graduate Fellowship competition and the University African American Fellowship competition is January 9th. A limited number of awards are available and late applicants will be considered only if funds and appointments remain. All parts of the application package must be received by the University for a candidate to meet deadlines.

8. Notice of Admission Decisions
You will be notifies of a decision on your application as soon as possible. Expected notification is generally between March 1st and no later than April 30th. Applications will not be reviewed until they are complete.

9. Interviews
Interviews are not required. We gladly welcome any prospective student, or applicant, who wishes to visit the campus and/or sit in on any graduate level course.

Additional questions, concerns or clarification on any of the above can be directed to:
Terri A.G. Zollo, Graduate Studies Coordinator
English Graduate Office
420 Hall of Languages
Syracuse NY 13244-1170
315.443.2174
tazollo@syr.edu