Apply

The Department encourages PhD applications from strong applicants with any interests served by the range of specializations within the department. All applications will be closely reviewed.

Apply using the online Graduate School application

Application requirements

  • Statement of purpose
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Writing sample, for PhD applicants
  • TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores, for international applicants
  • GRE scores (optional)

Statement of purpose 
Your statement should explain your interest in pursuing a graduate degree in linguistics and might discuss: 

  • your background or past work that is relevant to your current interests; and
  • how you see your interests developing now and in the future.

You do not need to include detailed plans. The admissions committee is looking for your thoughts on the issues you are passionate about within linguistics and the ways in which our graduate program will support them.

Unofficial transcripts 
Your application must include unofficial transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution that you have attended. See the instructions for uploading unofficial transcripts to your application. You will only need to provide official transcripts  after you are recommended for admission. 

Letters of recommendation 
Request letters from faculty or mentors who know your work and understand your goals for graduate study. The most impactful letters are those that speak to your past performance, your preparation, and your potential as a student and researcher. It is usually helpful to share your draft statement of purpose with your recommenders so that they can directly address your interests and plans.

Writing sample (for PhD applicants)
Your writing sample should be no more than 15 pages. You are welcome to submit an edited term paper from a previous class or an excerpt from a BA or MA thesis that fits the 15-page length limit.

English proficiency scores 
International applicants whose language of post-secondary education was not English must show evidence of English proficiency by providing a score of: 

Please consult CU Boulder's English proficiency requirements for international students for full details.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores 
GRE scores may be optionally uploaded. Visit the Educational Testing Service GRE website for information about the format of the GRE, exam dates and locations, registering for the exam, and ordering score reports.

  To receive more information, click here 

Application Fee Waivers

The Graduate School offers fee waivers based on affiliation with a number of programs and organizations, as outlined here. 

The Linguistics department also offers a limited number of application fee waivers. 
To apply, please submit to the department:

  • a brief statement explaining why you would benefit from a fee waiver;
  • a draft of your statement of purpose; 
  • unofficial transcripts from any post-secondary institutions you have attended. 

The deadline to apply is Nov. 1. All students requesting waivers must have an open and (near) complete application on the Graduate School site. Applicants receiving a waiver will be notified by mid-November. 

Current MA Students applying to the PhD program

Current MA students can apply to the PhD program in their second year of matriculation in the MA program. 
All materials must be received by the department by the Dec. 15 application deadline.

How to apply:

  • Submit the Department Application Form, to which you will attach your statement of purpose and your current unofficial transcripts. You may also upload a writing sample (optional).
     
  • Fill in the Waiver Form, save a copy of the completed online form (screenshot or PDF), and send it to the three people who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for you. They should send their letters directly to the department by the Dec. 15 deadline. 

Eligibility 

Master’s Degree Program

Admission requirements are not rigid, and the Department encourages applicants with varying backgrounds. A BA in linguistics is not the most usual preparation for the MA program in Linguistics, nor is it necessarily more desirable than other possible preparations. Linguists traditionally have identified their interest in the field relatively late; successful linguists have come from areas as diverse as teaching, English literature, foreign languages, law, anthropology, history, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science. Applicants who have not taken at least one general linguistics course should work through a modern introductory text on their own before beginning the application. Your statement of purpose should reveal knowledge of the field of linguistics, even if you have not as yet trained in the field.

Despite the Department's flexible entrance requirements for the MA, the admissions committee does give strong preference to those applicants who are able to demonstrate focused interests in linguistics and a general understanding of what linguistic analysis entails, as well as aptitudes that facilitate success in linguistic analysis.

Upon entry into the MA program, native speakers of English are required to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English; MA students who lack this level of proficiency will need to acquire it in addition to their linguistics training.

To be eligible for consideration to enter the doctoral program, an applicant must demonstrate substantial preparation in linguistics and present a record that suggests a strong capacity to perform original research in the field. The application dossier must include a writing sample that demonstrates this capacity, in addition to the statement of purpose, eligibilty statement, letters of recommendation, transcript(s) and test scores. Admission to the doctoral program is highly competitive, with less than 10 percent of applicants admitted each year. Note that the admissions process does not consider financial need; all applicants will be evaluated in the same manner, whether they will require funding from the Department or have independent means of support.

In order to be considered for admission to the PhD program you must have taken at least four of the following five qualifying courses: phonetics, phonology, morphology & syntax, semantics & pragmatics, and diachronic linguistics. Courses that study mostly one language (e.g., Syntax of English) are not adequate. Please append an eligibility statement to your statement of purpose describing courses that you have taken that satisfy the above prerequisites. Exceptional applicants may be considered with three of the five qualifying courses. If you are accepted having satisfied fewer than four of the prerequisite courses, you will be expected to satisfy the remaining deficiency within the first two years of matriculation in the PhD program.

In addition, you must show that you have proficiency in at least one language not native to you. PhD applicants with preparation in related areas, but with less background in linguistics and/or little knowledge of other languages, or who have not completed enough of the prerequisite courses, may be considered for admission to the MA program rather than the PhD. Students enrolled in the MA program will have the opportunity to apply to the PhD program by submitting an internal application, typically at the beginning of the second year of MA study. However, admission to the MA program in no way guarantees eventual admission to the PhD program. If you have questions about any of these policies, please contact the Department.

The Colorado Linguistics graduate program participates in the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). Through the WRGP, graduate students who are residents of 15 participating states may enroll in select programs at public institutions like Colorado Linguistics on an in-state resident tuition basis. The following states currently participate in the WRGP: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Also included are Guam and the Commonwelth of Northern Mariana Islands. If you are currently a non-resident of Colorado and believe you are eligible for the WRGP benefit, answer 'yes' to the WRGP question in the Supplemental Information section of the online application, or email tuitclass@colorado.edu, Tuition Classification Officer, in the Registar's office. Click here for more information about the WRGP.

The MA admissions process in Linguistics is competitive, and the PhD admissions process is highly competitive.

Deadlines

For admission to the following Fall term:

PhD Applicants: the deadline is December 15 for all applicants.

MA Applicants: the deadline is January 5 for all applicants. 

CLASIC Applicants: the deadline is December 15 for international applicants and January 15 for domestic applicants.

These deadlines are when all materials, including letters of recommendation, should be received. Requests for recommendation letters are sent to the people you specify in the online application only after you submit your application. Therefore, you are advised to begin the application process well in advance of the deadlines.

Admission to our PhD program is very competitive. If you are submitting an application for doctoral study, but would potentially be interested in our MA program, you can opt to be considered for it in addition to the PhD in your application, without paying an additional fee.