English Graduate Application and Admissions
Ph.D. Applications
(M.A. not required for admission, all admitted Ph.D.'s are funded):
January 3, 2022
Spring M.A. Applications (without financial aid consideration):
December 1, 2021
Summer M.A. Applications (without financial aid consideration):
January 4, 2022
Fall M.A. Applications (without financial aid consideration):
Accelerated Admission M.A. Program
Recommended Deadline: April 4, 2022
Rolling Admissions Begin: April 5, 2022
Statement of Intent
Your Statement of Intent should characterize your identity as a literary scholar and your aspirations as a graduate student of literature at Fordham. It should detail your intellectual preparation for such study in an undergraduate and/or Master’s degree program, and describe in specific terms your current research interests—the questions, texts, authors, genres, periods, and/or traditions in which you are most engaged (500 words). Apply through The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences online application. Completed applications include:
Ph.D. Applicants must select an Area of Interest from:
| Ph.D. in English |
| Early American Literature Early Modern/Renaissance Literature Medieval Literature Nineteenth-Century American Literature Nineteenth-Century British Literature Old English Rhetoric and Composition Twentieth and Twenty-First Century American Literature Twentieth and Twenty-First Century British Literature |
Writing Sample
Instructions: Your writing sample should be an original scholarly essay between fifteen (15) and thirty (30) pages, preferably written for an upper-level literature course. Ideally, it should reflect your scholarly interests and intellectual potential. The sample must be written in English and may be uploaded either as a Word or PDF document. Note: applicants who do not have a 15-page sample may submit two shorter samples (for example, 2 papers of 10 pages each would be acceptable).
- Three letters of recommendation: Submitted directly via the online application. Enter the following information for each of your recommendation providers: name, address, email address, phone number, institution. Make sure you enter your recommenders' email addresses correctly so that they each receive an automated email instructing them on how to submit their recommendations online. Mark the waiver statement for each recommender you enter.
- Official Transcripts: Please be sure to order official final transcripts from all previously attended institutions confirming degree conferral (if applicable) at least one month before the posted application deadline. Transcripts should be sent directly from your prior institution(s) via secure electronic delivery to the Office of Admissions at fuga@fordham.edu.
If electronic delivery is not available, please request that your transcripts be submitted by postal service in a sealed envelope from the institution to:
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Office of Admissions
Keating Hall Room 216
Fordham University
441 E. Fordham Rd.
Bronx, NY 10458
Please note: We strongly recommend that you upload unofficial copies of your academic transcripts to your application while the Office of Admissions awaits receipt of your official transcripts.
Please ensure that all official transcripts from previously attended post-secondary institutions are submitted in English, or are accompanied by a certified English translation. For academic transcripts from institutions outside the United States, applicants are strongly encouraged to obtain a course-by-course credential evaluation. Transcripts and credentials conversion information is available on the GSAS International Students page. - CV or resume: Include your full legal name, permanent and local/current addresses and contact numbers, and any relevant professional and scholarly experience (max 5 pages).
- Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores: Due to the impact of COVID 19 on standardized testing, GRE scores are optional for both the Ph.D and M.A. programs for the 2022-2023 admissions cycle. Applicants who wish to submit GRE scores may do so, but scores are not required (scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences – Code #2259)
- GRE Subject Test in Literature: NOT required for M.A. or Ph.D. applications.
- Application fee of $70 or as otherwise posted on GSAS Admissions.
- TOEFL test results must be submitted by International Applicants:
International applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete and submit to GSAS prior to matriculation their official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). GSAS will also consider a student’s International English Language Testing System (IELTS)—Cambridge English Proficiency Level language testing results and the Duolingo English Test (DET) as an assessment of your English competency.Official TOEFL, IELTS, or DET scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences – code #2259. Please consult the English Proficiency web page for additional information.
Minimum score requirements for most programs:
Exam Score TOEFL iBT 100 IELTS 7.0 band score DET 120
Note: Students who have completed a degree (undergraduate or graduate) at an English-language university are exempt from the TOEFL requirement.
For questions about the Graduate Program, please write to gradenglish@fordham.edu.
For questions about the online application, contact the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at fuga@fordham.edu.