How to apply
Apply online via the UI Graduate and Professional Admissions website.
After you submit your application, you will receive email instructions on how to establish your HawkID and password in order to access your Admissions Profile on MyUI, our online portal for students. All supporting materials can and should be uploaded through your Admissions Profile. If your academic program requires letters of recommendation, you will be asked to provide the contact information of your recommenders on your profile. The recommender will then receive an email from the Office of Admissions instructing them on how to upload a recommendation letter and/or recommendation form.
Applicants for admission to the graduate program must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College and the department offering the degree program (review the General Catalog for departmental requirements). See the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College on the Graduate College website for additional information.
Important deadlines
Application deadline: Jan. 1 (for all programs)
Requirements for admission
Applicants for fall semester whose application materials are received by Jan. 1 have the best chance to be admitted and receive financial aid. All applicants must submit:
- Academic transcripts
- Letters of recommendation from three persons familiar with their past academic work
- A statement of purpose
- One or more samples of original writing (one of which should be in SUBJECTHERE) that show their ability to pursue graduate work in SUBJECTHERE (an honors thesis, term paper, seminar paper, or other course papers)
- International students must also submit TOEFL, or IELTS or Duolingo, scores according to the English Proficiency Requirements of the Graduate College
FreeApp waiver request Form for U.S. citizens and permanent residents with GPA over 3.0
Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC)
Headquartered in the Midwest, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation is a consortium of the Big Ten member universities plus the University of Chicago. For more than half a century, these world-class research institutions have advanced their academic missions, generated unique opportunities for students and faculty, and served the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programs. Governed and funded by the Provosts of the member universities, CIC mandates are coordinated by a staff from its Champaign, Illinois headquarters.
FreeApp is designed to increase access to graduate education for students who possess qualities and experiences that enhance the diversity of the intellectual, cultural, and social environments at CIC universities. Through this program, prospective students can request a graduate application fee waiver for Ph.D. or Master of Fine Arts programs at participating universities (see below).
The priority deadline for requests is November 15. You are responsible for obtaining graduate applications directly from the institutions where you plan to apply.
- University of Chicago
- University of Illinois
- Indiana University
- University of Iowa
- University of Maryland
- University of Michigan
- Michigan State University
- University of Minnesota
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Northwestern University
- Ohio State University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Purdue University
- Rutgers University
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
Do you have cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)? Are you currently a U.S. citizen or permanent resident? If yes, please apply!