PhD Admissions and Financial Support

We are excited to receive your application!

Deadline: December 1st, 11:59pm EST. This deadline is firm. No applications, additional materials, or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

Read this entire page! Admission to the PhD in Literatures in English at Cornell University is highly competitive (view our program statistics). The Graduate Admissions Committee considers several factors for admission to the graduate program, and all applicants must meet the general admission requirements set by the Graduate School. 

The Department of Literatures in English enrolls an average of ten PhD students each year. Our small size allows us to offer a generous financial support package for six years. We also offer a large and diverse graduate faculty with competence in a wide range of literary, theoretical, and cultural fields. Each student chooses a special committee that works closely alongside the student to design a course of study within the very broad framework established by the department. The program is extremely flexible in terms of course selection, the design of examinations, and the election of minor subjects of concentration outside the department.

Our application process reflects the field’s commitment to considering the whole person and their potential to contribute to our scholarly community.  Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of academic preparation (e.g., performance in relevant courses, completion of substantive, independent research project). An applicant’s critical and creative potential will be considered: applicants should demonstrate interest in extensive research and writing and include a writing sample that reveals a capacity to argue persuasively, demonstrate the ability to synthesize a broad range of materials, as well as offer fresh insights into a problem or text. The committee will also consider whether an applicant demonstrates a commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity and offers a substantive explanation for why study at Cornell is especially compelling (e.g., a discussion of faculty research and foci). Admissions committees will consider the entire application carefully, including statements and critical writing, as well as transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a resume/cv (if provided). Please view the requirements and procedures listed below if you are interested in being considered for our PhD in English Language and Literature program.

Deadlines and Details:

• Please use the Graduate School's online application. The application for Fall 2026 will be live on September 15, 2025.
• The application deadline is December 1, by which all application materials must be submitted, including Letters of Recommendation. This is a firm deadline.
• You can find information about the application fee and waiver process on the Graduate School's website.
• We only accept students for the fall semester. We do not have a spring admissions cycle.
• All materials need to be uploaded to the application. No hard copy materials will be accepted.
• Be sure to read through our FAQ at the bottom, as well as the Graduate School's admissions and admitted student FAQ. The Graduate School's admissions team can be contacted via their form.
• The English Language proficiency policy is set by the Graduate School. Please their website for further specifications, including information on exemptions.
• We ask that applicants not reach out to faculty and current students. Among the factors we consider as part of the admissions process is whether applicants have a fit with faculty research interests and goals. Prospective students are encouraged to investigate field faculty members’ research areas before applying and identify those faculty members with whom they might be interested in working. The application allows you to "tag" faculty and it is also helpful if you mention names in the research statement. This represents the collaborative approach Literatures in English takes to admissions. Moreover, we share a commitment to interacting with prospective applicants in the fairest way possible.
  
  Eligibility: Applicants must currently have, or expect to have, at least a BA or BS (or the equivalent) in any field before matriculation. International students, please verify degree equivalency here. Applicants are not required to meet a specified GPA minimum.
  
  To Apply: All applications and supplemental materials must be submitted online through the Graduate School application system. While completing your application, you may save and edit your data. Once you click submit, your application will be closed for changes. Please proofread your materials carefully. Once you pay and click submit, you will not be able to make any changes or revisions.
   

Academic Statement of Purpose

Please describe (within 1000 words) in detail the substantive research questions you are interested in pursuing during your graduate studies and why they are significant. Additionally, make sure to include information about any training or research experience that you believe has prepared you for our program. You should also identify specific faculty members whose research interests align with your own specific questions.  Note that the identification of faculty is important; you would be well advised to read selected faculty’s recent scholarship so that you can explain why you wish to study with them. Do not rely on the courses they teach.  Please refrain from contacting individual faculty prior to receiving an offer of admission.

Personal Statement

Please describe (within 1000 words) how your personal background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree and the research you wish to conduct.  Explain, for example, the meaning and purpose of the PhD in the context of your personal history and future aspirations.  Please note that we will pay additional attention to candidates who identify substantial reasons to obtain a PhD beyond the pursuit of an academic position. Additionally, provide insight into your potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn (productively and positively) together.

Critical Writing Sample

Your academic writing sample must be between 3,000 and 7,500 words (12-30 pages), typed and double-spaced. We accept excerpts from longer works, or a combination of shorter works.

Three Letters of Recommendation

We require 3 letters of recommendation.  At the time of application, you will be allowed to enter up to 4 recommenders in the system.  Your application will be considered “Complete” when we have received at least 3 letters of recommendation.  Letters of recommendation are due December 1.

Please select three people who best know you and your work. Submitting additional letters will not enhance your application. In the recommendation section of the application, you must include the email address of each recommender. After you save the information (and before you pay/submit), the application system will automatically generate a recommendation request email to your recommender with instructions for submitting the letter electronically. If your letters are stored with a credential service such as Interfolio, please use their Online Application Delivery feature and input the email address assigned to your stored document, rather than that of your recommender’s. The electronic files will be attached to your application when they are received and will not require the letter of recommendation cover page. 

For more information please visit the Graduate School's page on preparing letters of recommendations.

Transcripts

Scan transcripts from each institution you have attended, or are currently attending, and upload into the academic information section of the application. Be sure to remove your social security number from all documents prior to scanning. Please do not send paper copies of your transcripts. If you are subsequently admitted and accept, the Graduate School will require an official paper transcript from your degree-awarding institution prior to matriculation.

English Language Proficiency Requirement

All applicants must provide proof of English language proficiency. For more information, please view the Graduate School’s English Language Requirement.
 

GRE

General Test and GRE Subject Test are NO LONGER REQUIRED, effective starting with the 2019 application. In March 2019, the faculty of English voted overwhelmingly to eliminate all GRE requirements (both general and subject test) for application to the PhD program in English. GRE scores are not good predictors of success or failure in a PhD program in English, and the uncertain predictive value of the GRE exam is far outweighed by the toll it takes on student diversity. For many applicants the cost of preparing for and taking the exam is prohibitively expensive, and the exam is not globally accessible. Requiring the exam narrows our applicant pool at precisely the moment we should be creating bigger pipelines into higher education. We need the strength of a diverse community in order to pursue the English Department’s larger mission: to direct the force of language toward large and small acts of learning, alliance, imagination, and justice.

 

Upon admission, each PhD student is awarded a six-year financial support package (including a stipend, full tuition fellowship, and student health insurance), which is guaranteed provided the student remains in good academic standing and performs satisfactorily in any assistantship capacity. Support is typically as follows:

• A first-year non-teaching fellowship
• Two years of teaching assistantships
• A fourth-year non-teaching fellowship for the dissertation writing year
• A fifth and sixth-year teaching assistantship
• Summer support for five years, including a first-year summer teaching assistantship, linked to a teachers’ training program at the Knight Institute. Summer residency in Ithaca is required.
   

For more specific details on funding review the funding section of the procedural guide!

Students have also successfully competed for Buttrick-Crippen Fellowship, Society for the Humanities Fellowships, American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), Shin Yong-Jin Graduate Fellowships, Provost’s Diversity Fellowships, fellowships in recognition of excellence in teaching, and grants from the Graduate School to help with the cost of travel to scholarly conferences and research collections.
 

Check out the questions below and review program timeline and procedural guide for more information! If you have other questions after reviewing all the supplied materials reach out to English_Grad@cornell.edu. 

Can I have an application fee waiver?  

Visit the Graduate School for information regarding application fees, payment options, and fee waivers. Please do not send inquiries regarding fee waivers.

What is the status of my application?

When you submit your application, the status will be listed as "In Progress."  When all materials, including 3 letters of recommendation, are received, the status will be updated to "Complete".  Applications with missing LORs or holding for official language test scores will be updated to "Incomplete". Please do not inquire about the status of your application.

Should I "Waive Access" for my Letter Writers?

If you are comfortable, our department encourages applicants to waive access.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 allows you to review letters of recommendation submitted on your behalf after you enroll at Cornell University. You can waive your right to inspect your recommendations by checking “waive access” below each recommender’s address and before you submit the request. Waiving your right lets your recommenders know that you will not view their letters and lets the review committee know that your recommenders have provided their candid and truthful support. Read more here.

Can I have an English-Language Equivalency Exemption?

This is a Graduate School policy that all applicants are required to fill out for both domestic and international directly on the application. Read about the process here including exemptions. The Department of Literatures in English cannot grant exemptions. 

Have my Language Test Scores arrived? 

Applications will be reviewed using self-reported tests submitted with the application. Official test scores must be sent to Cornell through ETS. Before an offer of admission is made, test scores must match self-reported scores. Tests must be taken prior to Dec 1.

Can I have feedback on my application?

The admission review committee members are unable to review application materials or applicant credentials prior to official application submission. Once the committee has reviewed the applications and made admissions decisions, they will not discuss the results or make any recommendations for improving the strength of an applicant’s credentials. Applicants looking for feedback are advised to consult with their undergraduate advisor or someone else who knows them and their work.

When does the review process start?

Application review begins after the submission deadline. Notification of admissions decisions will be made by email or by telephone by the end of February.

Can I talk to current students and faculty?

Unfortunately, due to the volume of inquiries we receive, faculty and current students are not available to correspond with potential applicants prior to an offer of admission. Applicants who are offered admission will have the opportunity to meet faculty and students to have their questions answered prior to accepting. Staff and faculty are also not able to pre-assess potential applicant’s work outside of the formal application process. Please email english_grad@cornell.edu instead, if you have questions.

Can I visit the campus? 

The department does not offer pre-admission visits or interviews. Admitted applicants will be invited to visit the department, attend graduate seminars and meet with faculty and students before making the decision to enroll.

Can I transfer credits?

Students matriculating with an MA degree may, at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies, receive credit for up to two courses once they begin our program.

Can I do this program online/remote?

No, the PhD is an in-person program. Residence in Ithaca, NY is required.

What classes can I take?

Refer to the program timeline and procedural guide  for more required course information, and review Cornell Course Roster for classes offered.

Can I do the PhD as part of the Employee Degree Program?

The PhD program does accept Employee degree applicants.