Do you accept IELTS in place of TOEFL scores?

Yes, we will accept IELTS scores in place of TOEFL scores to determine English proficiency. To be considered for admission, you must have a minimum score of 7.5.  Please note, however, that as with the TOEFL, your competition for admission will have scored considerably higher than the minimum.

For further information about minimum IETLS scores, please click here.

How many copies of my transcript/s shall I send?

We will only need ONE official copy of your transcript. However, we will need one copy of each transcript from every institution you have attended post-highschool. If you took one course at a community college, or did a semester at an overseas institution as part of a study abroad program, we will need one transcript from each of these schools.

It is not enough that your degree granting institution lists these as transfer credits: we need one original, official transcript from each institution.

If you did earn credits at an institution outside the US, please download, print, complete and mail a copy of the Supplemental Application for Admissions to us at:

Graduate Secretary
800 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN 47405

Is a Resume or CV required for application?

One of the required elements of your application dossier is a resume or CV.

Please combine this, along with your Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose, and your Writing Sample into a SINGLE document. Cutting a pasting of all three into a single file is fine. Upload this SINGLE document from the Personal Statement area in the online application.

I have a Bachelor's degree. May I apply directly to the PhD program?

To apply for our PhD program, you must hold, or be on track to hold an MA or MS degree before you begin your PhD studies (MA or MS by August of 2011 to matriculate as a PhD student fall 2011). If you hold, or will hold only a BA or BS degree by August, you must apply for our MA program.

If, after being admitted to the MA program, you decide to seek a PhD, you will apply for that program in December of your second year of MA studies.

What Kind of Writing Sample Is Required?

We want to read your best scholarly work, such as your best paper in a humanities-oriented course in which you demonstrate a critical ability to engage with both wider literatures and substantive material (i.e., texts, media, ethnographic data). Examples might include a senior/masters thesis or chapters from a thesis, a particularly good class paper, or a convention paper. An article from a scholarly journal may also be a good choice. Please remember that your sample should not be more than 7000 words or 20 pages.

No matter how well written they are, we are not interested in course syllabi, newspaper articles, non-scholarly literature or film reviews, marketing studies, product advertising, or projects developed for media industry. Under no circumstances will a CD, DVD, or YouTube video be accepted in place of a scholarly writing sample.

Please Note: Please combine your Writing Sample, your Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose, and your resume/CV into a SINGLE document and upload this SINGLE document from the Personal Statement area of the application. It is fine if you just cut and paste these three elements to create a SINGLE document for upload.

What is the minimum TOEFL score required for admission?

The Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences minimum required internet-based (preferred method) score is 79 or 80; the minimum computer-based score is 213; the minimum paper score, 550.

Please note that the average internet-based TOEFL score for CMCL applicants is well over 105. Your competition for admission to CMCL will score considerably higher than the 80 required by the College.

I'd Like to Visit CMCL before Applying. What Should I Do?

We are happy to schedule pre-application visits to Bloomington on Fridays.

If you are planning a visit to Bloomington, please contact us at least two weeks before your arrival. We will send you a brief questionnaire about your educational background, your goals, and your interests. With this information, we will try to arrange a fruitful visit.

If you absolutely cannot come on a Friday, let us know in your initial query. We will try to accommodate visits on other days, but you are less likely to be able to see and do what you'd like.