Application Info

The following materials are required for consideration to the Ph.D. program. You should submit all materials by uploading them into your online application. All materials are due on December 1. 

Please note that you are responsible for the submission of a complete application.  You will be able to keep track of which materials for your application have arrived and which ones are still outstanding by consulting your Web Application Status page in Wolverine Access (in the New and & Prospective Student Center).

1. Completed Rackham application
2. Three letters of recommendation - Please make sure that you register three recommenders when you fill out the online application even if you don’t yet know who the third will be.  If you only enter one or two and click submit you will be unable to go in the ApplyWeb system and enter a third later.  We recommend that you enter a placeholder name which you will be able to go in and make a change later.  Information on changing recommenders or resending requests can be found here. 
3. Statement of Purpose - The statement should be about 500 words long and should delineate your intellectual trajectory, your scholarly plans and general interests in the humanities, as well as the reasons for choosing to apply to the PhD program in Comparative Literature at the University of Michigan. This statement should also include an indication of the fields to be studied, e.g., major field: French; minor field: Women's Studies. 
4. Personal Statement - Please use this statement to help us understand how you have come to be interested in Comparative Literature, what special challenges you might have faced, what relevant experiences you might have had, and what aspirations you have for the future. 
5. Curriculum Vitae/Resume. The CV should describe the applicant's education, work experience, research and teaching experience, professional affiliations, volunteer activity and community engagement, honors and awards. The CV should be no more than 4-pages in length.
6. REVISED FOR THE FALL 2026 ADMISSIONS CYCLE Writing Samples. Your writing samples should consist of two papers. The first writing sample should be a critical essay written in English (15-25 pages). You may make edits to academic papers that have been previously graded; an excerpt from a thesis is also acceptable. The second writing sample (10-25 pages) should demonstrate your proficiency in a language other than English (for example, this could be an original essay that you wrote in another language; an English translation that you have created of a literary text in another language, with your own critical introduction; or a critical analysis written in English, citing and interpreting a work in another language).  We expect both writing samples to be written by the applicant (without use of AI).
7. Transcripts – Upload an electronic version of your transcript(s) for each Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, or Doctoral degree earned or in progress through your ApplyWeb application account. If you are attending or have graduated from a Non-U.S. institution, review the Required Academic Credentials from Non-U.S. Institutions for requirements by country.  If you are recommended for admission, the Rackham Graduate School will require official transcript(s). Recommended applicants will receive an email notification when the official transcript(s) are required for submission.  

Note: GRE scores are not required.  Scores sent to U-M will NOT be reviewed by CompLit the admissions committee.  

The Application Fee Waiver Cycle for Fall 2027 will open in September 2026. Prospective students seeking a waiver are encouraged to check back at that time for detailed information on eligibility and the application process. Criteria for receiving a waiver will be posted once the cycle opens