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Admission Information

Please see the Comparative Literature Graduate Manual.

Application for admission is made by 1) submitting an electronic application and a $60 (domestic)/$75 (international) application fee via a secured server and 2) by submitting the following by mail to the Graduate Secretary of the Comparative Literature Program.

  • Official transcripts of your previous academic record.  International applicants must include both the original language documents and English translations of both the transcript and diploma. Must be sent to:  Graduate Studies Office, Comparative Literature Program, Purdue Univeristy, Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education, Room 1289, 100 North University Street, West Lafayette, IN  47907-2098.

  • Official GRE scores from the Testing Center.

  • Three confidential letters of recommendation. There is a form on the electronic application to submit reviewer names.  An email request will be sent to them directly.  Electronic copies may also be sent to dkgraham@purdue.edu.

  • A writing sample of ten pages in English (2500 words, 4-5 pages, no binding).  This can be uploaded with your ApplyYourself application.

  • A writing sample submitted as part of a class and graded with professor's comments, without revision (2500 words, 4-5 pages, no binding).  This can be either uploaded with your ApplyYourself application or sent electronically to dkgraham@purdue.edu.

  • A 2-page personal statement of purpose.  This is uploaded with your ApplyYourself application.

  • If you are interested in an assistantship in School of Languages and Cultures: Send an essay in the language in question and a taped recording in that language that includes an autobiographical statement and a brief reading from a text.

  • Eligibility for a teaching assistantship in the Department of English is determined by the Director of Freshman Composition. International students applying for a teaching assistantship must have a minimum TOEFL score of 620 or higher (or 260, computer based) and a TOEFL iBt score of 27. All test scores must be official from the testing center. If you wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship, we encourage you to include, either in your statement of purpose or among your letters of recommendation (or in both), an indication of your experience and/or interest in teaching. Comparative Literature also accepts the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. An overall band score of 6.5 is required for admission. A score of 7.0 in the speaking section is required if you wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship in the English Department.

    Graduate Secretary
    Comparative Literature Program
    Purdue University
    Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education, Room 1289
    100 North University Street
    West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098 USA

Admission Requirements

Domestic Applicants

We are pleased with your interest in our graduate program. Before you continue with the electronic application for admission, we wish to ensure that you are familiar with the minimum requirements for admission to graduate degree study in Comparative Literature. It is important to recognize that although satisfaction of these basic requirements does not guarantee graduate admission, failure to satisfy these requirements may lead to automatic denial of admission.

Those applying for a teaching position: If English is not your native language, send a cassette tape demonstrating your spoken English and a copy of a discursive essay written in English, graded and marked, from a previous course. If you intend to apply for a teaching assistantship in a language other than English, please use the other side of the tape to give an autobiographical sketch in that language (without notes, please) and a reading passage of your choice. Also include a literary essay written in that language with comments and markings from the professor for whom it was written.

Master's Degree Program

  • Undergraduate cumulative grade point average: 3.0 or equivalent required

  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Required - no minimum score set

Doctoral Degree Program

  • Undergraduate cumulative grade point average: 3.0 or equivalent required

  • Master's Degree Completion: Required, with a grade point average of 3.0 or equivalent

  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Required - no minimum score set

Deadline for all applications:
Fall entry - January 10 (For financial support; rolling admissions continue after this deadline.)

If you do not meet the basic requirements described above, please do not submit an electronic application until you have contacted our graduate program staff.

International Applicants

Master's Degree Program

  • Undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average: 3.0 or equivalent required
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Required -- no minimum score set
  • TOEFL for Non-Native English Speakers: Minimum Score Required: 620 or 260 computer if seeking a teaching assistantship in the Department of English
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Comparative Literature also accepts IELTS scores. An overall band score of 6.5 is required for admission. A score of 7.0 in the speaking section is required if you wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship in the English Department.

Doctoral Degree Program

  • Undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average: 3.0 or equivalent required
  • Master's Degree Completion: Required, with a grade point average of 3.0 or equivalent
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Required -- no minimum score set
  • TOEFL for Non-Native English Speakers: Minimum Score Required: 620 or 260 computer if seeking a teaching assistantship in the Department of English
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Comparative Literature also accepts IELTS scores. An overall band score of 6.5 is required for admission. A score of 7.0 in the speaking section is required if you wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship in the English Department.

Deadline for all applications:
Fall entry: January 10 (For financial support; rolling admissions continue after this deadline.)

If you do not meet the basic requirements described above, please do not submit an electronic application until you have contacted our graduate program staff.

Application questions may be directed to:

Graduate Studies Office
(765) 496-9629