We are pleased that you are considering joining the English MA or PhD program at The University of Iowa. Our next admissions cycle is for fall 2024 admission; applications are accepted between September 1, 2023 through December 14, 2023. Online application and all documents (transcripts, letters of recommendation, writing sample, and statement of purpose) must be received by Thursday, December 14, 2023, by 4:00 PM CST). All admitted applicants will be notified by phone or email around the middle of March. We do not accept applications for spring semester admissions.

The Department recommends that:

  • Applicants to the MA and PhD programs have at least a 3.5 GPA;
  • Effective July 1, 2020, due to COVID-19, applicants are no longer required to submit any GRE test scores; and
  • Applicants whose native language is not English, please see list below:   
    • Paper-based (PBT) 637
    • Internet-based (iBt) 110
    • DuoLingo (DET) 135
    • IELTS Overall scores of 8 with no subscore less than 7

Application Procedures

To apply to the MA and PhD Program, you will need to upload your pdf documents directly to the University of Iowa’s Office of Admissions. The $60.00 application fee is paid by using a credit card ($100.00 for international applicants).  Please note that it could take up to 24 hours for the online application to be processed and for you to receive your HawkID. 

After you submit your application, you will receive email instructions (within 24 hours) on how to establish your HawkID and password in order to access your Admissions Profile on MyUI, our online portal for students. You will then upload the required supplemental pdf documents through a secure portal.

Applicants for admission to the graduate program must meet the Admission Requirements of the Graduate College and the department offering the degree program (review the General Catalog for departmental requirements). See the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College on the Graduate College website for additional information.

All pdf documents listed below are due no later than December 14, 2023, by 4:00 PM CST:

  1. Your unofficial academic records/transcripts from all post-secondary institutions. If you are formally admitted, you will need to submit official records/transcripts prior to entering the program.  
  2. Three letters of recommendation.  You will be asked to provide the contact information of your recommenders on your Profile. The recommender will then receive an email from the Office of Admissions instructing them on how to upload a recommendation letter.  Letters should be written by persons familiar enough with your intellectual attainments to evaluate your potential as a graduate student in English (preferably instructors of your college English courses or professionals familiar with your writing abilities and work habits). Letters of Recommendation may be submitted through a dossier service (such as Interfolio), please inform the service to submit the letters via email to cherie-hansen-rieskamp@uiowa.edu.
  3. A brief statement of purpose (1-2 pages) explaining your intellectual interests, qualifications, and reasons for choosing Iowa’s MA or PhD program.
  4. Official TOEFL scores for non-native speakers of English.*  
  5. A writing sample.  The sample should be your best critical or scholarly writing, originally written for a class, with the original instructor’s comments included (if available, not mandatory). Because of the number of applications we receive, we ask applicants to submit only one paper, of moderate length (10-25 pages).
  6. CV/Resume

* Non-native speakers of English should note that most students are funded through teaching, and the Iowa Board of Regents mandates that all non-native speakers of English pass an oral English test in order to teach; the equivalent of an iBT speaking section score of 26 is required. If you are a non-native English speaker, we consider your TOEFL scores and, additionally, we will conduct a telephone interview with you at an appropriate time in order to discern mastery of spoken English. For electronic submission of TOEFL test scores, the University of Iowa Institutional Code is 6681.

Please send direct questions about applications to cherie-hansen-rieskamp@uiowa.edu.  We look forward to receiving your application.