Thank you for your interest in the graduate program in Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Following is a description of our application process.

Program information is available online at http://ls.berkeley.edu/dept/complit/. Paper application packets for admission and fellowship may be obtained by contacting the Comparative Literature Graduate Office. The electronic version application will become available on September 10. Paper applications are no longer being produced, but you may download and print the application from the web and submit it as hard copy. The electronic application may be found by navigating from the Graduate Division’s admission website. Complete instructions are included with the application. Please note that you may apply to only one graduate program at UC Berkeley for any given term.

The criteria for admission to our program include not only competitive undergraduate/graduate GPAs and GRE scores, but also strong statement of academic purpose and personal statement essays, writing sample in English, and letters of recommendation. Preparation in at least one language other than English is required, with additional language preparation strongly preferred.

The Department of Comparative Literature at Berkeley admits for the fall term only. All applications for fall 2008 admission must be electronically submitted or postmarked no later than December 5, 2007, or hand-delivered by 5 p.m. on that date. It is important that an applicant begin the process—soliciting supporting documents such as transcripts and letters of recommendation, and taking the required Graduate Record Examination—well in advance of the deadline. The Department cannot guarantee that materials received after the deadline will reach the applicant’s file in time for review by the Committee on Admissions and Fellowships.

A minimum of three letters of recommendation, two copies of official transcripts—in their original, sealed envelopes—from each institution previously attended, and a writing sample, in English, of no more than ten pages are required. In addition, along with the application forms provided by the Graduate Division, the Department of Comparative Literature requires that applicants provide us with the information requested on the Statement of Background in Languages and Literatures. Please complete the form and return it along with the rest of your application materials by the application deadline. All applicants, both domestic and international, must take the general test of the GRE. Subject tests are not required. We strongly recommend that applicants take the GRE no later than October to ensure the timely reporting of scores. Please remember that the GRE requires pre-registration, and be certain to designate UC Berkeley (institution code 4833) and Comparative Language and Literature (department code 2902) as a score recipient. Students from countries where the principal language is not English and who have not enrolled in a degree program at a university in an English-speaking country are also required to take the TOEFL.

Forms to apply for University fellowships are included in the graduate application. As competition for University fellowship support is highly competitive and funds are extremely limited, applicants are encouraged to explore other sources of financial support. We encourage all applicants to consider applying for the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program, which provides up to four years of support for graduate study at the doctoral level in a selected field of the arts, humanities, or social sciences. In addition, application for need-based financial aid may be made by submitting a Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Support in the form of teaching assistantships in Comparative Literature or related departments on campus may be available on a very limited basis in the student's first year in the program.

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Erica Roberts in the Graduate Office, Department of Comparative Literature, 4125 Dwinelle Hall # 2510, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2510, telephone 510/642-2629, email complit@ls.berkeley.edu.

GRADUATE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

APPLICATION DEADLINE: All applications must be electronically submitted or postmarked no later than December 5, 2007, or hand-delivered by 5 p.m. on that date. The following is a list of materials needed to complete a graduate application:

Complete all sections of the Graduate Divison’s Application:

• Proposed Degree Program
• Personal Information
• Educational Background
• Language Proficiency
• Survey
• Departmental Application /Statement of Background in Languages and Literatures
• Exam Scores—GRE scores (all applicants)—general test only; institution code 4833, department code 2902; TOEFL is required of all international students who have not spent at least one year in a degree program at an institution where all instruction is conducted in English.
• GPA—please calculate your GPA for work done after the first two undergraduate years, [and at the master’s level, if applicable]
• Personal Statements
• Courses in Progress
• Recommendations—please see below
• Academic Interests—Comparative Literature does not require that you contact faculty during the application process, but if you do, you may list those names in this section of the application.
• Fellowship information

In addition, be sure to include:

• Writing sample in English (maximum 10 pages in length)
• TWO sets of official transcripts, in original sealed envelopes, from each institution attended
• Application fee, following online instructions on the Graduate Division Application

Any application materials not sent electronically (i.e., transcripts, letters of recommendations not generated electronically, your writing sample, and Statement of Background, hard copy [if you choose] versions of your two Personal Statement essays) should be mailed to the Department (see address below). These items may arrive after the December 5 deadline, but no later than January 4, 2008. N.B.—the application itself must be submitted by the December 5 deadline. No application submitted later than December 5 will be considered for the 2008–09 academic year. All supporting application materials should be addressed to: Graduate Assistant, Department of Comparative Literature, 4125 Dwinelle Hall #2510, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2510.

TO ALL APPLICANTS: You are responsible for obtaining three letters of recommendation to support your application. The Graduate Division Application now includes the option for your recommenders to submit their letters online. Please check instructions in the 2008–09 online application for details. If you plan to use paper recommendations and your former institution offers a centralized letter service, please have them send the letters to us directly. Otherwise, give the paper recommendation forms and self-addressed stamped envelopes to your recommenders, with the request that they enclose the completed letters in the envelopes, seal them, sign them across the seal, and return them to you. Include the three sealed letters with the rest of your supporting application materials. If it is not possible to include the letters with the application, the recommenders may forward their letters (signed across the seals) directly to our department.

Two sets of sealed official transcripts from each institution attended must also be included with each application. International applicants must be sure to follow the instructions directed to them in the Graduate Division online application.