How to Apply

Important note

As of 2025, we are not admitting students into our M.A. programs.

Application + Admission

Our department welcomes all who have decided to pursue an advanced degree in the Indiana University Department of Linguistics.

Admissions requirements

  • All students should arrange to have each of their institutions send official transcripts directly to Indiana University when applying.
    • International applicants can use non-official transcripts during the admissions process, but official transcripts must be submitted if they are admitted.
    • More information on which documents are required for international students can be found on the international transcripts and credentials page.
  • Students entering the graduate degree program must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education. 
  • Please note that GRE scores are not required for admission into any of the graduate degrees in the Department of Linguistics.

Application requirements

For application requirements for each Linguistics track, please see below: 

Admission to the Ph.D. program will be based upon evaluation of:

  • TOEFL exam (International students) – Passing score of 92 IBT (580 paper-based) or 7.0 on the IELTS
  • Official transcript(s) – listing grades in each course taken at accredited institutions of higher learning 
    • Note: Domestic applicants must have their transcripts sent directly from the institution to our department (IU Linguistics Graduate Admission, Ballantine Hall 504, 1020 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47405) during the admissions process.
    • International applicants can use non-official transcripts during the admissions process, but official transcripts must be submitted if they are admitted. When submitting official transcripts, international applicants must submit their transcripts to: Office of International Services, Indiana University, Ferguson International Center, 330 N. Eagleson Ave, Bloomington, IN 47406.
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose (300-700 words) – This should provide a thoughtful, informative statement detailing your reasons for wishing to pursue a graduate degree in the Department of Linguistics and the direction of study you intend to pursue.
  • Writing sample
  • Previous exposure to linguistics and related course work
  • Compatibility of interests with those of the faculty
  •  

Admission to the Ph.D. program will be based upon evaluation of:

  • TOEFL exam (International students) – Passing score of 92 IBT (580 paper-based) or 7.0 on the IELTS
  • Official transcript(s) – listing grades in each course taken at accredited institutions of higher learning 
    • Note: Domestic applicants must have their transcripts sent directly from the institution to our department (IU Linguistics Graduate Admission, Ballantine Hall 504, 1020 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47405) during the admissions process.
    • International applicants can use non-official transcripts during the admissions process, but official transcripts must be submitted if they are admitted. When submitting official transcripts, international applicants must submit their transcripts to: Office of International Services, Indiana University, Ferguson International Center, 330 N. Eagleson Ave, Bloomington, IN 47406.
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose (300-700 words) – This should provide a thoughtful, informative statement detailing your reasons for wishing to pursue a graduate degree in the Department of Linguistics and the direction of study you intend to pursue.
  • Writing sample
  • Previous exposure to linguistics and related course work
  • Compatibility of interests with those of the faculty

Admission to the Ph.D. program will be based upon evaluation of:

  • TOEFL exam (International students) – Passing score of 92 IBT (580 paper-based) or 7.0 on the IELTS
  • Official transcript(s) – listing grades in each course taken at accredited institutions of higher learning 
    • Note: Domestic applicants must have their transcripts sent directly from the institution to our department (IU Linguistics Graduate Admission, Ballantine Hall 504, 1020 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47405) during the admissions process.
    • International applicants can use non-official transcripts during the admissions process, but official transcripts must be submitted if they are admitted. When submitting official transcripts, international applicants must submit their transcripts to: Office of International Services, Indiana University, Ferguson International Center, 330 N. Eagleson Ave, Bloomington, IN 47406.
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose (300-700 words) – This should provide a thoughtful, informative statement detailing your reasons for wishing to pursue a graduate degree in the Department of Linguistics and the direction of study you intend to pursue.
  • Writing sample
  • Previous exposure to linguistics and related course work
  • Compatibility of interests with those of the faculty

Admission to the Ph.D. program will be based upon evaluation of:

  • Previous academic record
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Previous exposure to TESOL/Applied Linguistics and related course work
  • Required TOEFL / IELTS Scores (international applicants only) 
    • Scores must reach a minimum of 100 on the TOEFL / 7.5 on the IELTS
    • Scores must be no more than 2 years old at the time of application
    • By policy, we are unable to grant any waivers to this requirement 
  • Statement of purpose
  • Statement of research interests
  • A single-authored writing sample
  • Curriculum vitae (CV)
  • Optional results from Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test
    • GRE results must be no more than 5 years old at the time of application

Admission to the M.S. program will be based upon evaluation of:

  • Undergraduate grade record
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose
  • Undergraduate exposure to linguistics and related course work
    • Students not satisfying this requirement may be admitted but may be required to do course work prerequisite to introductory graduate courses.

Applicants must meet both university and program requirements

  • Optional results from the Graduation Record Examination or GRE (General Test)
  • International students must demonstrate a high degree of proficiency in English before being admitted to the Department by taking the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and receiving a score of 600 or higher on the paper-based test, 250 on the computer-based test, and 100 on the IBT. TOEFL scores are valid for 2 years after the date of the test. The Institution Code for the TOEFL is 1324. The Department Code for the TOEFL is 99. There is no waiver for the TOEFL.
  • Applicants must provide three letters of recommendation.
  • Applicants must provide two copies of all official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. These transcripts should bear the official seal of the institution registrar, and show grades for all courses in which the student was enrolled.
  • All applicants should include a statement of purpose of at least 300-500 words and a Curriculum Vitae. Ph.D. students must also include a 5 page statement of research interests.
  • A single-authored writing sample.

The program does not offer conditional admissions. Applications are only accepted for fall admissions. The deadline for application by international students is December 1. The deadline for domestic students is January 1.

International applicants (Ph.D. and M.S.)

Our Fall 2027 (August) application deadline for all international applicants is December 1, 2026.

Apply now

 

Domestic applicants (Ph.D.)

Our Fall 2027 semester application deadline for domestic Ph.D. applicants is January 5, 2027.

Apply now

 

Domestic applicants (M.S.)

Our Fall 2027 (August) application deadline for domestic M.A./M.S. applicants is January 25, 2027.

Apply now

 

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