International Students in Graduate English Programs
Language Requirements
Every International applicant whose native language is not English is required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) given through the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey. The TOEFL must be taken and satisfactorily passed in the student's home country prior to being considered eligible for admission to the UW-Madison Graduate School. The TOEFL examination is an essential part of the student's application and must be taken at least six months before the proposed date of enrollment but no more than two years before the program application deadline.
How to Apply
1. Submit application form and fee to the Graduate School
Please read the Graduate School's admission requirements and the detailed instructions for the online application before you begin.
You will need to know:
- The numeric department code for the English Department is 405 and Creative Writing is 243.
- The email address of your three recommenders.
- Your Intended Major Field of Study. **see table below
| Academic Program | Intended Major Field of Study |
| Doctoral Program in Literary Studies **beginning at the MA level | English MA |
| Doctoral Program in Literary Studies **beginning at the PhD level | English PhD |
| Afro-American Studies Bridge Program | Afro-Am MA & English PhD |
| Doctoral Program in Composition and Rhetoric | English PhD |
| Composition and Rhetoric Bridge Program | English MA |
| Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing | Creative Writing MFA |
| Doctoral Program in English Language and Linguistics | English PhD |
| Master's Program in Applied English Linguistics | English MA |
You can pay your fee by credit card when you apply online. Otherwise, send your check or money order to:
Office of Graduate Admissions
228 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Do not send your fee payment to the English Department.
Paper application forms are no longer available. However, an exception to this rule may be granted if you are unable to submit an online application. Please make your request in writing to the Admissions Office, 7195H Helen C. White Hall, 600 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706.
2. Submit materials to the English Department
Three letters of recommendation are required. Letters of recommendation will be submitted electronically through the Graduate School beginning September 15th. Please contact the Admissions Office if your recommender is unable to submit their letter electronically to make alternate arrangements.
All printed materials listed below must be submitted directly to:
Admissions Office
English Department - Graduate Division
600 N. Park St.
Madison, WI 53706-1403
- Academic Program Selection – Supplemental Application Form (download)
- Reasons for Graduate Study (may be submitted with your online Graduate School application)
- An 8-10 page academic writing sample (or an appropriate writing sample for the MFA program)
- Two copies of official transcripts from every post-secondary institution attended. International academic records must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Documents must be issued by the school in a sealed envelope with the official seal/stamp and official signatures. Please note: Some transcripts list vague or generic course titles. For example, it might be useful to know that "English II" was a course on 17th and 18th century British writers, or that "American Literature I" was a course on Hawthorne, Melville, and Twain. Please supply such descriptions if possible.
To ensure that all of your materials are received, we suggest that you collect all your application materials and send them in one complete package. We receive hundreds of applications each year and may not be able to check on the completeness of your application or notify you if your application is incomplete.
The professors on our Admissions Committee carefully read hundreds of files from many talented applicants. Please be practical – if you send excess materials they are unlikely to be read. However, be sure that the Admissions Committee knows everything that you want them to know about your accomplishments and potential. In addition, if you are a currently enrolled student, some idea of the courses you are currently taking (or plan to take in the upcoming semester) would be useful.
Please see the Application FAQ for more information.
3. Arrange to have your TOEFL/GRE scores sent to University of Wisconsin-Madison
Institution Code: 1846
Department Code: 2501
International applicants are not required to take the GRE (though they are encouraged to do so) unless they have spent a year or more at an anglophone institution. If the applicant has spent a year or more at an Anglophone institution, scores are required. Please arrange to have official copies of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical scores sent to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. If GRE scores are required, applicants to the program in Literary Studies also need to take the GRE Literature in English Subject Test. All candidates will need to take the exams early enough for the scores to arrive before our deadlines.
Finances
All International applicants are required to certify that they have sufficient funds to completely cover their expenses while attending the University of Wisconsin – Madison. The Graduate School has detailed information about financial requirements as well as information about the cost of attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Do not send any financial information to the English Department. The Graduate School will request documentation when needed.
Housing
For information about housing in the Madison area, please contact the Division of University Housing office.
International Student Services
The International Student Services office (ISS) provides information to International students about the campus, the community, cross-cultural education and orientation, eligibility for employment, government regulations (including immigration status), Visa regulations, and matters related to studying in the USA.
Further information is available at
217 Armory and Gymnasium (Red Gym)
716 Langdon Street
(608) 262-2044
Email: intstudents@redgym.wisc.edu
Web site: http://www.intstudents.wisc.edu
(rev. 8/2005)
