Graduate Admissions

New students are admitted to the doctoral program once each year to begin in the Fall term. Application materials for all potential students must be submitted no later than December 1. The materials that students submit to Rackham are final. The Department of Linguistics will not add, switch, or modify application materials.

Application materials must include:

Completed Rackham School of Graduate Studies application
Statement of Purpose
Personal Statement
Official transcripts of previous study
Three letters of recommendation
Sample of written work
English Proficiency Exam Important: The Department of Linguistics test score requirements differ significantly from Rackham’s.

Information about the process of submitting an application is available from Rackham Graduate School Admissions. Look for the "University of Michigan-Ann Arbor" link under campus applications; applications open by the third week of September.

Prospective students should be sure to consult the Graduate Program Requirements, Faculty, and Research sections for information about fields of study at Michigan and/or faculty specializations.

Additional questions?

Frequently asked questions about graduate admissions
For questions about the application process, contact linggradadmissions@umich.edu.

*Please do not share application materials or private personal documents through email.

Financial Assistance

Students in the graduate program are offered a funding package for up to five years of support. The financial package includes stipend, tuition remission, and health insurance.

Additional Details on Financial Assistance

For students admitted for the coming academic year, funding is expected to include a first-year fellowship and four subsequent years of a combination of teaching, research and fellowship support. The department also offers Rackham Merit Fellowships to students from culturally, geographically or educationally underrepresented groups in our discipline or at the University. Provision of each year of the funding package is conditional on satisfactory progress toward the degree, timely advancement to doctoral candidacy, and fulfillment of teaching responsibilities.

Although financial support is guaranteed for five years (pending satisfactory performance), students are required to apply for other sources of support for which they are eligible. Many of our students have been successful in competitions for university-wide and external fellowships.

Prospective students with outstanding records are also encouraged to investigate sources of financial support external to the University. Exceptional applicants who are U.S. citizens or nationals or permanent residents should particularly consider applying for a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship or an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship. Be aware that both fellowships have early application deadlines.

Dual PhD Program for PhD Students from other Departments

The Individual-Initiated Doctoral Program (IIDP) is available to students who are already enrolled as PhD students in other programs at the University of Michigan and would like to simultaneously pursue a doctoral degree in Linguistics as well.

The Linguistics Department IIDP Application Process is specified here.

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