Application Info

New students are offered admission into the graduate program beginning fall term only.  Applications open in early September and must be completed by December 1, 2023.

The application process for the graduate program in Comparative Literature is administered by the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. You should consult Rackham’s website for Rackham-specific admissions requirements. Once your application is submitted, our department will have access to view your materials for review by the Admissions Committee.

The Department does not require a separate application for fellowships administered by the Department.  However, other forms of aid — other fellowships, work/study, and student loans — will require separate applications and other financial statements. Consult the web pages of the Office of Financial Aid.

You must submit the application and all other required materials by December 1 to be considered for admission to the graduate program for the following academic year. Incomplete and late applications will be considered whenever possible, but in most years decisions are made shortly after the deadline. The Department admits new graduate students for entrance only in September. All decisions are made by March 15 and you will be able to see in Wolverine Access (in the New and & Prospective Student Center) that decisions have been made. Admitted and wait-listed students will be contacted directly via phone or email. All others will receive notification via email.

To apply to the Ph.D. program, please fill out an application online. Whatever you submit online will then be available to both the Department and the Rackham Admissions Office and so will not have to be submitted by mail (with the exception of one set of official transcripts which must be sent to Rackham, please see item #7 under Application Requirements, below).

Rackham program code for Comparative Literature:
Ph.D. program: 00140

If you received a degree from a non-US institution, be prepared to send:

• Official certification of degrees and dates awarded, issued in the original language.

If your first language is not English, please send one of these scores:

• TOEFL
• IELTS
• MELAB

Please consult the Instructions for First Time Enrollee Applicants Whose Native Language Is Not English

Fee waiver applicants should first review the guidelines and instructions for Rackham’s Application Fee Waiver.  If you meet the criteria for the Rackham Fee Waiver, you must complete Rackham’s waiver application before submitting a request to Comparative Literature.

Please review the following criteria and complete the form below if you qualify. Fee waivers are limited and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Application Fee Waiver Criteria:

1. A record of superior academic achievement (demonstrated by unofficial transcript);
2. The application fee poses a financial hardship; 
3. AND you must meet one or more of the following:

• Come from an educational, cultural or geographic background that is underrepresented in graduate study in your discipline;
• Come from a country or territory currently facing severe economic, social, or political instability (including conflict zones);
• Have demonstrated a commitment to diversity in the academic, professional, or civic realm through your work experience, volunteer engagement, or leadership of a student or community organization. By diversity, we mean efforts to reduce social, educational or economic disparities based on race, caste, ethnicity or gender;
• Are a first-generation U.S. citizen;
• Are the first generation in your family to graduate from a four-year college.

Click Here to Apply for a Fee Waiver

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