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| Berkeley Linguistics Admissions for the Graduate Program Undergraduate Admissions are handled by the University Procedures for Application Beginning with the Fall 2005 Admissions Cycle application materials are only available on-line. Applicants for admission to the graduate program in the Department of Linguistics must submit the Graduate Division’s on-line Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships on or before the deadline of January 5, 2008. Please note that there are no exceptions to this deadline, i.e., no application submitted after January 5th will be accepted. The on-line application will become available beginning September 10, 2007 for the Fall 2008 admission cycle at http//www.grad.berkeley.edu/prospective. For a checklist of all required materials, please see below. APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR THE FALL 2008 IS AS FOLLOWS:
Deadline for "admissions only" consideration: JANUARY 5 Although the above date applies specifically to the completed on-line application itself, we encourage you to have all supporting documents (transcripts, letters of recommendation, GRE and TOEFL score results, sample of written work, etc.) submitted as early as possible. We will accept letters of recommendation in separately sealed envelopes along with your other application materials. Documents mailed near the deadline for submission of applications should be sent by some form of express mail. There are only a few weeks after the deadline for your file to be organized and presented to the Graduate Admissions and Fellowships Committee for its consideration. Based on the past two years’ applications, most incomplete domestic applications lacked one or more letters of recommendation; most incomplete foreign applications lacked official TOEFL scores. Though the Graduate Admissions and Fellowships Committee will examine all files for which an application form has been submitted, they cannot give full consideration to a file that is incomplete. Foreign applicants are urged to examine closely the requirements for certification and translation of records provided in the general application at http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/prospective. Also, since TOEFL scores take 6 to 8 weeks to be mailed after a request has been made, we suggest that you mail us a photocopy of your score reports, if available, so that the Graduate Admissions and Fellowships Committee can make a preliminary examination of your file. (Note: official copies must still be submitted before a student can be admitted.) Within a few weeks after submission of the application to the Department of Linguistics, applicants will be sent email acknowledging receipt of their application and indicating any documents that have not yet been received. Most admission and fellowship decisions will be made by mid-March. Admissions Decisions All applicants to the U.C. Berkeley Linguistics graduate program are required to take the GRE general exam, and to submit a representative writing sample (if possible in some area of Linguistics) with their application. It is not necessary to have a B.A. degree in Linguistics or in a language-related field in order to be admitted into the Linguistics program. Knowledge of a foreign language is helpful but not required. There are no specific undergraduate course requirements that must be fulfilled before applying to the graduate program. While the Department of Linguistics has not established a minimum grade point average for the B.A. degree, nor minimum acceptable GRE scores, admission into the program is highly competitive. Domestic applicants recently accepted into the program had an average of 1400 for their combined Verbal and Quantitative scores and an average GPA of 3.8; foreign applicants who were accepted had an average of 1490 for their combined Verbal and Quantitative scores and an average TOEFL score of 650. (The University has established a minimum TOEFL score of 570 for the Paper-and-Pencil Test and a minimum score of 230 for the Computer-Based Test (CBT) for admission; no exceptions will be made.) The Graduate Admissions and Fellowships Committee will examine applicants’ files for other strengths, such as detailed letters of recommendation from people who show familiarity with the student’s work, a well-focussed Statement of Purpose indicating the student’s current interests and past accomplishments, and a carefully considered and composed writing sample. Foreign applicants should examine the section of the application form entitled "Evidence of English Language Proficiency" carefully in order to determine if they will be required to take the TOEFL exam. The Department of Linguistics urges all foreign applicants to take these exams as early as possible. We do not receive results from GRE or TOEFL exams taken after December in time to make fellowship decisions (although we might still be able to consider your file for general admission). If you have taken an exam early enough and feel that the score you have received is not indicative of your capabilities, you may retake the exam. We will use the highest score obtained in each category during any of your exams in computing your GRE score (instead of taking an average or using only your most recent scores). Please advise us if you have retaken an exam so that we will know to expect an update of your scores. APPLICATION CHECKLIST: Additional instructions for completing the on-line Graduate Division Application for Admission and Fellowships can be found at the Graduate Division website. Note: you are responsible for reading and complying with all application guidelines. 1. (Admission forms) 2. (Fellowship for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents) 3. (FLAS and Restricted Endowment fellowship, if applicable) 4. (Fellowship application for International applicants only) 5. (Statement of Purpose) In addition to the instructions at the top the following specific areas should be addressed: a. Describe any relevant research experience, and note any publications you have authored or co-authored. b. Include the names of any faculty members in the Department of Linguistics whose research is of interest to you and briefly discuss why, in terms of your overall interests and objectives. (Go to /People/Faculty on our website for more information on each faculty member.) 6. (Letters of Recommendation) Recommenders may now submit their letters on-line or in paper form using 'Form G' or their own letterhead. Note: on-line submission is preferred. If in paper form, letters of recommendation may be mailed directly to the Department by the recommender or sent by you with other necessary materials in separate envelopes, sealed and signed by the recommenders. Transcripts Two (2) sets of original, official transcripts (photocopies are not sufficient) are required from all university/college level institutions attended, regardless of whether or not you received a degree (this requirement applies to both domestic and international applicants). Transcripts from foreign institutions in a language other than English must be accompanied by official English translations. Note: Request transcripts early! Many institutions require several weeks or longer to issue transcripts. You may have the transcripts sent directly to the Department, or you may submit them along with other necessary materials. Again, if submitted by you they must be sent in their original sealed envelopes. Official GRE Scores GRE scores must be less than five (5) years old. No additional subject tests are required. Plan on taking the general test early-- preferably by November 2004, but definitely no later than mid-December 2004. It usually takes two to three weeks for scores to be reported. You must request that the Educational Testing Service (which administers the GRE) send a score report directly to UCB. The institution code is 4833, and the Linguistics code is 2903. Note: The GRE is required of all applicants, both native and non-native speakers of English. To obtain more information go to the ETS website at http://www.gre.org Official TOEFL Scores Plan on taking the test early-- preferably by November 2004, but definitely no later than mid-December 2004, as it can take up to four weeks for scores to be reported. If you are an international student and have never attended an English-speaking university/college, you must submit TOEFL scores which are less than two (2) years old. The results of tests taken before August 2002 will not be accepted. You must request that the Educational Testing Service (which administers the TOEFL) send a score report directly to UCB (Institution code is 4833, Department code is 04). Your most recent score must be at least 570 for the paper-and -pencil test or at least 230 for the computer-based test. To obtain more information go to the TOEFL Web site at http://www.toefl.org Writing Sample A writing sample is required of all applicants. Ideally, this sample would be a research paper on a linguistic topic, but it should in any event demonstrate the applicant’s competence in writing analytic expository prose. |
