Graduate Program Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I apply online or should I use a paper application?
The Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison now requires the use of the online application. Students must apply through the department’s website. Once in the graduate pages of our website, click on How to Apply and first make note of the list of the supporting documents we require to complement the standard application form, then click on the direct link to the online application. This will take you to the Graduate School’s information page where you follow the instructions for completing and sending the electronic form. Please note: While there is a place to enter your Reasons for Graduate School, we request that you also send your Statement of Purpose as a hard copy when you mail your writing sample. (See Question #13 for further tips.)

2. How will I know if you got my application? How will I know if it is complete?
You will receive an email at the address listed on your application when the form is received by Com Arts. If you have not paid your application fee, we cannot open the form. The electronic list is refreshed and checked daily. When your fee is received by the Grad School, the block is removed from your electronic file and it can be printed in Com Arts. You will be notified via email that it has been received. We will send you another email informing you when your application is complete and ready for review.

3. What is the deadline to apply?
It is better to think of it as the date by which all supporting documents must be received by us. An applicant’s file must be complete by December 15 in order to be included in the initial review and considered for financial aid. It is a postmark deadline, but remember that this is the busiest season of the year for the US Post Office. Why tempt fate and risk a possible black mark against your name for failure to comply with a deadline. Be on the safe side and aim for December first.

4. What supporting documents do you require beyond the application?
These are listed under the heading How to Apply. They are: Statement of Purpose, a sample of scholarly writing (in English) up to 15 pages long, GRE results (we are institution number 1846), three letters of recommendation, and two copies of transcripts from each educational institution that you have attended. Your application cannot be reviewed until all of the above items are in your file. Be sure to start the process far enough in advance, say mid-October, to be sure that everything gets here on time.

5. Can I send published articles for my writing sample? How about my Senior Honors Thesis? I have a video/DVD of my work; shall I send that?
No to all. The best writing sample is an academic paper you wrote for a class related to the area in which you apply. It should have citations and footnotes. Videotapes, DVDs, newspaper articles and film reviews, as well as any bound works will not be used for your application file and will be discarded. You may send a portion of a longer thesis if you wish, but please select a representative sample no longer than 15 pages. Include a cover page identifying it as a chapter or section of a longer work.

6. Where can I find the recommendation form to use for my letters of recommendation?
No specific form is necessary. The best letters are from academic sources written on school letterhead with the writer’s name and title clearly printed at the bottom. The recommendation should speak to your potential for success in graduate school: they are not an assessment of your character or work history.

7. Do I send the $56 application fee to the department or the Graduate School?
The application fee goes to the Graduate School. It is best to pay the application fee online (credit card or debit card) at the same time you file the application. If you wish to mail a check to pay the application fee, please be sure to write on it your student ID number (assigned to you when you file the online application) and mail it directly to Graduate School Admissions Office, 228 Bascom Hall, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706-1380.

8. Do you require a resume as part of the application?
We do not require one at this time but if you have one, please include it when you mail your Statement of Purpose and writing sample.

9. Do I have to send all supporting documents in one envelope at the same time?
No. You can have transcripts and letters of recommendation mailed directly to the Graduate Program Office, 6134 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1497. If you choose to collect everything and mail it all together, please be sure the transcripts and recommendations are in sealed envelopes with a signature or tamper-proof seal across the flap to ensure confidentiality.

10. What happens if my transcripts or letters of recommendation are mailed separately and arrive before I file the application?
All documents are date-stamped when received and kept alphabetically in a general file until they can be matched to an applicant.

11. If I am applying to more than one department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, can I send just one copy of everything to the Graduate School and ask the departments to get copies of what they need?
No. It is your responsibility to know which documents each individual department requires and then send those documents to the correct department. The list of required documents for Com Arts can be found at How to Apply. Departments will not ask each other for copies of any application materials for applicants they have in common, nor can the Graduate School supply them to departments.

12. What is your minimum GPA and GRE scores for admission?
The Graduate School minimum GPA is 3.0 but we like to see at least a 3.25 in courses relevant to the area in which you apply. As for GRE scores, we don’t set absolute numbers because each year’s applicants are judged against all others in that year only. Given that our programs are very competitive and highly selective, you will want to be sure that you do the best you can on all areas of the Graduate Record Examination.

13. What is the most important part of the application?
Each student’s file is considered as a whole. There is no single thing that will either get you into our program or keep you out. Be most careful, however, when crafting your Statement of Purpose so that we know what you want to study and why you think you can do it at UW. We encourage you to send your Statement of Purpose as a separate document when you mail us your writing sample. We have found that when the Statement of Purpose is submitted online, it can take on the worst characteristics of an email message. Misspelling and poor syntax detract from the quality of your statement, and sometimes formatting errors occur through no fault of your own. Although it cannot be said to be the most important part of your application, the Statement of Purpose is certainly our introduction to you as a student and as such, you will want it to be as persuasive as possible and put your application in the best light

14. I will need financial assistance to continue my education. Do you have financial aid, and what form does it take?
Yes. Our principal means of financial assistance is in the form of teaching assistantships. Some students may get a fellowship or project assistantship for part of their graduate career, but the balance of the support guarantee would then be a teaching assistantship. Be sure to complete the Funding Form that is part of the online application and get all supporting documents to the Graduate Program office by December 15.

15. I am an international student who requires financial assistance. Am I eligible for a teaching assistantship?
Yes, if your English is good enough by our standards. Eligibility is contingent on faculty evaluation of your English speaking skills. If you are admissible by all other criteria, a faculty member will make telephone contact for an initial evaluation of your ability. Before you assume your teaching duties, we will also require that you take the UW-administered SPEAK test once you arrive on campus. You may also be subject to further interview by appropriate course faculty. Your first semester of teaching will be probationary. If you perform your teaching responsibilities in a satisfactory manner and maintain at least a 3.5 GPA in your coursework here, support will be guaranteed at the level specified in your offer of admission.

16. I am an international student from Asia. Will you accept my computer-based GRE scores?
Acting on information we have received from the Educational Testing Service, this department will not accept computer-based GRE scores from China, Hong Kong, Korea, or Taiwan taken prior to November 23, 2002. Please take your GRE by October 15 to be sure the results are received by the application deadline. It is always helpful when international applicants include a photocopy of their GRE and TOEFL results with the other required documents.

17. I am an international student. Do you require the TOEFL exam? Is there a minimum score? Do you waive the TOEFL requirement if I have an advanced degree from an English-speaking institution?
An official TOEFL or IELTS result is required for all non-native English speaking applicants and our minimum score is 580 on a paper based examination, 237 on a computer-based exam, 92 on an internet-based exam; IELTS minimum of 7. We will waive the TOEFL requirement if you have a BA or MA from an English-speaking institution. In order to hold a teaching assistantship, you will still be subject to the terms and conditions of all non-native English speaking graduate students outlined in Question #15 above.

18. Is a visit to the Madison campus recommended prior to application?
It is neither recommended nor discouraged but you are welcome to visit UW-Madison any time. Thursday is the preferred day during the academic year because you will be able to sit in on a choice of classes and attend the afternoon colloquia where all faculty and currently enrolled grads gather to hear a presentation a topic of interest specific to their area concentration. Some faculty may be available for a personal visit with you during their regularly scheduled office hours, but in any case you would be able to make contact at colloquium.
Please email or telephone the Graduate Program Coordinator prior to your anticipated visit. We will do our best to ensure that your experience is informative.