Application Information

Late applications and applications for spring admission may be accepted, with permission of the Graduate Associate Chair.  Please contact the Graduate Program Assistant or Graduate Associate Chair with inquiries about late applications. All applications should be submitted online. Supporting materials should be submitted to CU's Graduate Admissions department.

Students may complete the Graduate Application Fee Waiver (please note that application fees are not required for students on a CU exchange program).

Please answer each of the following questions in 300 words or less:
1.) Tell us about a course you particularly enjoyed or a project that you worked on during your studies. This does not have to be something you did for a German studies class. Your response could focus on research or creative work, a community engagement project, or a set of readings or discussions in a class that left an impression on you.

2.) What academic fields and topics interest you? What do you hope to learn more about and explore during your graduate studies?

3.) What is it about the German Program and graduate offerings at the University of Colorado Boulder that interests you?

4.) The German Program encourages students to prepare for careers in many fields. Tell us about at least two possible career paths you might pursue after completing your degree.

5.) Optional: Have you faced any particular barriers or challenges to your education that you would like to discuss?

6.) Optional: Do you bring a critical perspective rooted in a non-traditional educational background, an understanding of experiences of groups historically under-represented in higher education, and/or a commitment to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in German studies? If so, we would be interested in hearing about how you imagine bringing this perspective to bear on your graduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded to the online application.  This includes community colleges, summer sessions, study abroad programs, and extension programs.
For review and decision purposes you are required to upload an unofficial copy of your transcript(s) in the online application. Graduate Admissions requires one copy of the scanned transcript from each undergraduate and graduate institution that you attended. This includes community colleges, summer sessions, study abroad programs, and extension programs. While credits from one institution may appear on the transcript of a second institution, unofficial transcripts must be submitted from each institution, regardless of the length of attendance, and whether or not courses were completed.  Failure to list and submit transcripts from all institutions previously attended is considered to be a violation of academic ethics and may result in the cancellation of your admission or dismissal from the university.  If you are admitted and accept, you will then need to provide official transcripts from each university attended. Official transcripts should be emailed directly from the university to gradprocessing@colorado.edu or send to the address below. 

Three letters of recommendation are required. You will enter your recommenders’ contact information into the online application system. Once you submit your application, emails will go out to your recommenders asking them to upload a letter of recommendation to your application.

It is recommended that applicants submit a sample research paper of no more than 20 pages in length (research paper is required for PhD applicants). The paper may be in English or German, and applicants should submit what they consider to be their best piece of academic writing. The paper serves not as a language evaluation, but as a sample of the applicant’s critical thinking ability, so in most cases applicants whose native language is English should submit a paper in English. Not required for students on a CU exchange program.

For minimum TOEFL (scores, see the Graduate School English Proficiency website, under “all others” category. For fall 2021, CU will be accepting the online version of TOEFL offered by ETS through Proctor U and will accept English language proficiency demonstrated through Duolingo. A minimum score of 100 (on the 160 point scale) is required for Duolingo. To report your official DuoLingo scores, please click ‘Send Results’ from inside the application, and then choose, ‘University of Colorado Boulder – Undergraduate.’

Teaching Assistantships are available on a competitive basis for qualified students pursuing full-time graduate studies. Teaching assistants normally teach three four-hour beginning German courses during the academic year. (First year students usually teach one in the fall and two in the spring.) Each full-time (50%) teaching assistant receives a stipend of approximately $22,000-$25,000 per academic year and a tuition waiver for up to eighteen credit hours each semester. CU will pay for approx. 90% of the student health insurance plan for students on qualifying appointments. Each full-time teaching assistant receives a tuition waiver for up to eighteen credit hours each semester. Renewal of the assistantship is not automatic. GSLL prides itself on excellent teaching and expects no less from its Teaching Assistants, who receive training in language pedagogy; however, every graduate student must remember that his/her primary responsibility is to do the best possible work toward the degree. Applicants interested in applying for a Teaching Assistantship should fill out GSLL's Teaching Assistantship application.

Graduate students are eligible for the graduate exchange programs in Goettingen and Regensburg in their first year of study.  For more information on these programs see the Study Abroad section of our website (information on the graduate exchange programs is at the bottom of this page).  If you are interested, notify the Graduate Associate Chair and the Graduate Program Assistant by February 1.

Graduate Admissions
University of Colorado at Boulder
3100 Marine Street, Rm A122
553 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0553

Official transcripts can also be emailed directly from the university to:  gradprocessing@colorado.edu

Graduate Admissions/International
University of Colorado at Boulder
3100 Marine Street, Rm A122
65 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0065

During the first semester of your studies at CU, you will need to submit any missing official transcripts on your record (to see what is missing, go to MyCUInfo, click on the "To Do" box on the right hand side).  If your university will send official transcripts, have the university send the transcripts directly to admissions (addresses above).  If your university does not send out official transcripts, bring your original transcript (or Scheine) to Admissions (first floor of Regent Hall), and have them make an official copy for Graduate Admissions (make sure they give you back your official transcript/Scheine).

Please submit the following to the Graduate Program Assistant by the January application deadline:  personal statement,  writing sample, unofficial CU transcripts, and three letters of recommendation (letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to the Graduate Program Assistant by the recommenders).