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Application FAQ

How do I apply?

What is the deadline?

If I uploaded my supplemental materials online, do I need to send them in the mail as well?

May I be admitted to the program without receiving financial aid?
If I'm accepted, may I wait until winter or spring to begin graduate study?
Do you have a master's degree program?
If I don't receive a University fellowship, may I get a teaching assistantship?
How can I get more information about the Department of Philosophy?

Q. How do I apply?

A. The only way to apply for Admission and Financial Aid is ON-LINE through the following linked site from The Graduate School at Northwestern . The on-line application for the 2011-2012 year will be available September 2, 2011. Please note that all application materials are now submitted via the online application system, Apply Yourself.

The Department of Philosophy requires the following supplemental materials:

• Transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended. This means that students working toward a master's degree at another institution should submit transcripts of all undergraduate work as well as transcripts of all graduate work completed at the time of filing the application. The department accepts the uploading of unofficial transcripts when you apply. Once accepted into the program, The Graduate School will require the submittal of official (bearing the registrar's signature and/or the institution's seal) transcripts.
  
• At least two letters of recommendation (more are acceptable and, if you have access, encouraged). The recommendation form is available as part of the online application and are sent directly to the admissions office through the online application system. Prior to requesting that your providers complete the recommendation online, be sure to check with them to ensure they have a personal email address and access to the Web.
  
• Statement of Purpose - The statement should not exceed 5,000 characters.
• Writing Sample - 10-20 pages.
• GRE Scores - Official scores must be less than five years old and must come directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The institutional code assigned to The Graduate School at Northwestern is 1565.
• TOEFL Scores are required for applicants whose undergraduate education, in whole or part, was taken at an institution in a country where English is not the native language . The language examination will be waived only for those who have completed all four Undergraduate years in a U.S., British, Australian, or New Zealand institution, or in an English-speaking institution in Canada or South Africa. Official scores must be less than two years old and must come directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The institutional code assigned to The Graduate School at Northwestern is 1565. The minimum TOEFL score for admission is 577 for the paper-based test and 233 for the computer-based test. The minimum score required for the iBT TOEFL is 90. The Graduate School will accept the results of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) as a substitute for the TOEFL, with a floor of 7.0. For information regarding the internet based TOEFL exam and an explanation of the exam, please consult http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/admission/requirements/test-scores/index.html.

Q. What is the deadline?

A. Your application and all supplemental materials must be received by December 31.

Q: After I've uploaded my supplemental materials online, do I need to send them in the mail as well?

A: No. We only need one copy of your Statement of Purpose, Writing Sample, CV, and Diversity Statement (if applicable). Tthere is no need to send a duplicate copy.

Q. May I be admitted to the program without receiving financial aid?

A. No. All admitted students receive funding in the form of a University Fellowship (12-month stipend plus tuition waiver) for the first year. It is our policy to support graduate students through at least the fourth year, contingent on satisfactory progress in the program, in the form of teaching assistantships (9-month stipend plus tuition waiver). We also offer summer grants for continuing students, years 2-4 who are in good standing, to help them continue their research or obtain language instruction.

Q. If I'm accepted, may I wait until winter or spring to begin graduate study?

A. No. Entering graduate students must begin their studies in the fall quarter.

Q. Do you have a master's degree program?

A. No. The department does not offer a terminal Master's Degree. You may, however, be awarded a Master's Degree en route to the Ph.D. Students who have completed two years of course work and satisfied the department's logic requirement are eligible for a Master's Degree.

Q. If I don't receive a University fellowship, may I get a teaching assistantship?

A. Teaching assistantships are awarded only to second-, third-, and fourth-year graduate students in good standing. Often such support is available to fifth-year students as well.

Q. How can I get more information about the Department of Philosophy?

A. Complete information about the department is available on this website. There is no other brochure or catalog produced by the department at this time. If you have questions that were not addressed in this site, write to the Graduate Secretary, Department of Philosophy, Kresge Hall Room 2-335, 1880 Campus Drive, Evanston, Illinois 60208-2214, phone 847-491-3656, send a fax to 847-491-2547, or e-mail the department at philosophy@northwestern.edu.