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Admissions
- For information on application deadlines, please refer to the Division of Graduate Studies Admissions website.
- Use the online application form - available as of October 1, 2023. The department accepts applications to the PhD and MA programs during the regular admissions period for the UCSC campus.
- Application materials - (upload with application)
- Resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
- Writing sample
- Statement of Purpose
- Personal History Statement
- Letters of recommendation, minimum of 3
- GRE scores are not required for the MA or PhD application.
- International students
- Take the TOEFL or IELTS English Proficiency Test by November 2023. TOEFL/IELTS waivers may be requested by applicants who have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree at an English-speaking institution. Please see the Graduate Division website for more information.
- Translate application materials and documents (particularly the transcripts).
- What we look for in an application:
- Strong letters of recommendation.
- A depth and quality of prior training in linguistics.
- The degree of fit between the applicant's interests (as described in the statement of purpose) and the department's strengths.
- Writing sample which need not be in the area of linguistics, but should ideally reveal the applicant's ability to address abstract issues and formulate and investigate precise hypotheses.
- An undergraduate degree in linguistics or a demonstrated excellence in some related discipline (e.g., psychology, mathematics, computer science, language studies, anthropology, or philosophy) and have the equivalent of a minor in linguistics. Applicants should in any case have a foundation in at least one of the central theoretical fields of linguistic structure: phonology, morphology, syntax, or semantics.
- A demonstrated ability to conduct original research.
- All application fee waivers have been claimed for this admissions cycle.
The department will provide up to four application fee waivers to PhD applicants who meet the following criteria, on a first-come, first-served basis:
- Applicant does not qualify for the fee waiver or exemption offered by the UCSC Division of Graduate Studies
- Has not yet paid the application fee
- Has completed and uploaded the following documents to their application: statement of purpose, personal history statement, CV, and writing sample
AND
- Is the first person in their family to attend college
- To apply for a departmental fee waiver, please complete this form.
- For general information about the graduate application process at UCSC, go to the campus Graduate Division page.
- General questions about the Linguistics graduate program should be sent to the Linguistics Graduate Coordinator, LingGrad@ucsc.edu.
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