Graduate Application Information

Applying to Our Graduate Programs

What follows are requirements, and downloadable information/application materials for Graduate Programs in French and Italian Studies at the University of Washington.

Please e-mail Sabrina Tatta, sabri@u.washington.edu, if you have any further questions after having read the material.

Division Requirements for Admission to the Graduate Program

Applications for Autumn Quarter 2013 are due by December 15, 2012. Applicants who submit all required materials to the Division of French and Italian Studies by December 15 will be included in the initial selection process and thus will be given full consideration for funding in the form of Teaching or Research Assistantships. 

For international applicants: suggested deadline is November 1, 2012, in order to allow ample time for document processing. Please contact us if you have missed the November 1st deadline but would still like to apply. 

The TOEFL & TSE or TOEFLibt is required of all international applicants and permanent resident applicants who do not hold a degree from a U.S. or other English-speaking institution in accepted countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom).

TOEFL scores are valid for two years and must be sent directly to the University of Washington (school code 4854). Include a photocopy of the score report in your application packet that you send to the Division of French & Italian Studies. For more information about this exam, contact TOEFL/ETS Services at toefl@ets.org or call 877.863.3546. For registration information and testing locations, call 800.468.6335 or visit the TOEFL web site.

International students should take their TOEFL and TSE (or TOEFLibt) by December 15th in order for the UW to ensure score availability by the time application decisions are made. TAships and RAships include a tuition waiver as well as health insurance.

Applicants for admission to graduate study of French or Italian at the University of Washington must provide the following to the Division of French and Italian Studies:

  1. Application for Graduate Admission, along with supporting documents. You will also need to send this form and accompanying documents directly to the Graduate Admissions Office. You can apply to the Graduate School online- just be sure that the Division of French and Italian Studies receives copies of your application and supporting documents, such as official transcripts.  

  2. Three Letters of Recommendation. When applying online, please submit the names and contact information of three persons acquainted with you and your academic work (and your teaching experience, if any), whom you will ask to write recommendations for you. Please also list these names on the Assistantship and Fellowship Application form if you are applying for an assistantship, or on a separate sheet, if you are not. If you have recommenders that would prefer to submit a hard copy recommendation, please see forms below (take care to fill out the upper part of the enclosed recommendation form before providing it to a recommender).
  3. Statement of Academic and Professional Goals. Briefly discuss, in English, your undergraduate or prior graduate academic work in French or Italian studies, as well as in any other areas that might be relevant to your continued studies (whether academic or otherwise). What projects/research do you intend to pursue at the UW? Specify the objectives of your graduate study, including degree(s) you are seeking and your professional aspirations. (Title IX of the U.S. Education Act of 1972 prohibits discrimination in admission on the basis of marital and parental status; therefore, we ask you not to mention these in your application.)
  4. Audio Recording. Please provide a recording (digital format preferred) of you reading a text of your choosing in French or Italian. If you wish, you may read from your writing sample. Please forward your recording by email to frenital@u.washington.edu.
  5. Writing Sample. A sample of your work in French or Italian, depending on the program you're applying for: this may be a copy of a paper written for a course that you have taken.
  6. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. You will need to take the GRE and submit your official scores as part of your application. While no particular score is required, the Admissions Committee will consider your score in its evaluation of your application. Please consult the GRE website at http://www.gre.org/ for information on how to register. Please note that foreign applicants are not required to take the GRE for admission to programs in French & Italian Studies.
  7. If you are an International Student, please review the information on additional requirements.

    The following graduate school links may also be of interest to international applicants:

Please forward materials to:

Sabrina Tatta, Academic Counselor
Division of French & Italian Studies
University of Washington, Box 354361
Seattle, WA 98195-4361

Financial Assistance

When submitting materials to the Division of French & Italian Studies please indicate if you are interested in being considered for a Teaching Assistantship.

Teaching Assistantship Description (PDF)

Graduate students in other departments may apply for Teaching Assistantships in French and Italian Studies.