Applicant Checklist

The application is completed online using the CollegeNET online application system: http://www.rackham.umich.edu/admissions/apply-annarbor.

Please indicate one of these four subfields on your application: Archaeological Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, or Sociocultural Anthropology. 

Please be aware that joint programs have separate applications. 

The fee for United States citizens and permanent residents is $75. The fee for non-United States citizens is $90. The fee for current Rackham students, regardless of citizenship, is $10. The application fee is non-refundable and is subject to change.

In an email to anthro.grad.program@umich.edu, please provide an explanation of your eligibility and any necessary documentation based on the criteria listed below. 

Fee Waiver requests will be evaluated between mid-August and 2 weeks before the application deadline (November 15th, 2024). Fee Waivers are limited.

We offer application fee waivers for both domestic (U.S. citizens and permanent residents) and international applicants. When submitting your information, indicate which type of fee waiver you are requesting. 

Application Fee Waiver Criteria:

You have a record of superior academic achievement AND must meet at least one of the following:

• Come from an educational, cultural or geographic background that is underrepresented, in graduate study, in your discipline, in the United States or at the University of Michigan;
• Have demonstrated a commitment to diversity in the academic, professional, or civic realm through your work experience, volunteer engagement, or leadership of student or community organizations. By diversity, we mean efforts to reduce social, educational or economic disparities based on race, ethnicity or gender, or to improve race relations;
• Have experienced financial hardship as a result of family economic circumstances;
• Are a first generation U.S. citizen or first generation in your family to graduate from a four-year college. 

Please keep in mind race, ethnicity, gender, or national origin may not be used as criteria for requesting an application fee waiver.

The Description of Interests area of the graduate application allows you to indicate your topical and geographical areas of interest and the names of faculty members you are interested in working with.

Please do not write an essay in this section, but rather provide “bullet points” of your interests.

This section is not evaluated for content as it will allow us to better determine the degree to which our faculty members’ areas of expertise match your interests. 

The Statement of Purpose is the single most important item in your application. This essay should be 1000-1500 words and give the admissions committee a clear idea of:

1. Why you want to pursue a career in anthropology;
2. What anthropological questions or problems interest you; 
3. How you want to address these questions; 
4. Why you want to pursue your graduate degree at the University of Michigan.

Submit your Statement of Purpose electronically by uploading it with your online application.

The Personal Statement is a brief essay (maximum of 500 words) on how your personal
background and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan.

This is not an Academic Statement of Purpose, but a discussion of the personal journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree. 

Submit your Personal Statement with your online application.

Three letters of recommendation are required for a complete application. While we strongly prefer letters from faculty or advisors who are familiar with your potential for graduate study, letters from employers are also acceptable.

It is required that you submit your letters through the online application system so they will be automatically accessible to the admissions committee. You can only register referees for access to the system while filling out your application. Select "Yes" under Use Online Recommendation System? to submit your letters electronically and send requests to referees. 

If necessary, hard copy letters should be sent to the Department of Anthropology in a sealed envelope with the signature of the referee across the seal. 

Please request your letters of recommendation sufficiently early to ensure your referees submit their letters to you in a timely fashion and to guarantee that your application will be completed by the deadline.

Hard-copy letters should not be sent to Rackham. Letters sent by email will not be accepted.

An applicant to the Department of Anthropology is expected to have at least a grade average of B+ (approximately a 3.3 GPA) in their undergraduate course work and some preparation in anthropology. Although it is important, the grade record is not an exclusive criterion for admission and additional factors in the applicant's academic record are taken into consideration (e.g., a trend toward better grades or graduation from a school known for its rigorous grading practices).

Transcripts: Upload scanned or electronic copies to your online application. (If you are an international student, please upload English translations as well.) Note: Screen shots of your grades from an online student account are NOT acceptable. We must have scans of the transcripts that are from your institution.

All applicants are required to mail one set of official academic records/transcripts to the Rackham Graduate School. Find specific transcript requirements by country for Non-U.S. institutions on Rackham's website. E-transcripts may be sent from the institution awarding the degree to rack-etranscripts@umich.edu

Use the following address to mail your official transcripts:

Rackham Graduate School
Attn: Transcripts/UMID# (if known) or Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)
915 E. Washington Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1070 USA

A transcript received from a personal e-mail address will not be accepted. If your school requires a Rackham mailing address, use the one indicated above. Applicants who have attended a Non-US institution should send their academic records/transcripts with the Academic Record/Transcript Submission Form. The form can be found here. For international applicants, if your transcripts are in any language other than English, please also include translations, from a certified translation service, with both the scans and hard copies of your transcripts.

Domestic applicants: Domestic applicants can submit final official transcripts with your graduate application OR after you are recommended for admission. Although official transcripts are preferred, unofficial transcripts can be uploaded with your application. This is only for domestic applicants. If you do not submit a final official transcript with your application, you will be required to submit it to Rackham Graduate School if you are recommended for admission. 

International applicants: International students must submit official transcripts by the application deadline to ensure timely processing of your application.

The Writing Sample is OPTIONAL. While not required, applicants are strongly encouraged to upload a writing sample to their online application. Your writing sample should provide the admissions committee with a substantive piece of scholarly work and demonstrate your ability to write clearly and make a cogent argument. Applicants may submit a short research paper, an excerpt from a thesis, a journal article, an essay, etc. The writing sample can range anywhere from 5 to 30 pages in length.

Please do not send more than 30 pages. Please do NOT send CDs, DVDs, or photography portfolios as they will not be considered during application review.

For non-native English speakers:

Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency. If an applicant does not meet one of the criteria listed for an exemption, they are required to submit scores from tests like TOEFL, ECPE, IELTS, or MET. Language test scores are valid two years from the test date. The official scores must be received from the testing agency no later than the graduate program application deadline. 

Please contact TOEFL and have an official copy of your TOEFL score sent to the Department (Institution code 1839, Department code 81) at least 4 weeks prior to the application deadline.

TOEFL: Institution code 1839, Department code 81. (Even if the department code cannot be entered, entering the institution code will ensure receipt of your transcripts by Rackham.)

IELTS: Official IELTS scores are sent electronically to the Rackham Graduate School.

You qualify for an exemption from taking an English proficiency examination if one of the following criteria are met:

• You are a native speaker of English (i.e. U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia);
• You are an applicant from Puerto Rico;
• You completed all of your undergraduate education and earned an undergraduate degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English only;
• You completed all of your graduate education and earned a graduate degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English only;
• You are a current U-M student

You do not qualify for an exemption if:

• You earned a one year graduate degree;
• You completed a Master’s degree that was strictly research and no academic classes. This type of Master’s degree is generally awarded at a non-U.S. institution

See Rackham's website for more information on test scores and submissions.