Criteria for Admission to the Graduate Program in the Department of Comparative Literature
I. Required materials for applicationThe following must be submitted by all applicants for admission:
• Official transcripts of grades for all colleges and universities attended.
(These should arrive in sealed envelopes from the institution.)
• Official GRE General Test report.
• Three confidential letters of recommendation.
• A 10-15 page writing sample in English. Additional writing samples in languages
other than English may also be submitted, but are not substitutes for the writing sample in English.
• A list of all foreign language coursework.
II. Minimum Requirements for Admission
A. Students with the equivalent of a B.A. in Comparative Literature or in language and literature must have:
• Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.
• GPA in language and literature courses of at least 3.5.
• Linguistic competence for the study of literatures in two languages, one of which may be English.
Linguistic competence is defined as the ability to read and comprehend a literary text in the language with ease.
B. Students with advanced standing in language and literature must have:
• GPA in graduate work of at least 3.6.
• Indication of comparative study interests.
• Linguistic competence in at least two languages.

