How to Apply:

Please note that the Department is no longer accepting applications for Fall 2013 admissions.

Fall 2013 applicants: The online application dashboard is not accurately reflecting the status of applications at this time. The Department will be in contact with individual applicants if elements of applications have not been received and are needed by the admissions committee.

Application to the graduate program in English at Case Western Reserve University is initiated  online through the School of Graduate Studies here.

We accept applications for the fall semester only. If you have any questions about the application process or the graduate program in English, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Kurt Koenigsberger, directly by email or by telephone (216-368-6994).

Application checklist:

Submit to the Graduate School online

- a complete School of Graduate Studies application
- Statement of Scholarly Purpose (pdf format, please)
- Writing Sample (pdf format, please)
- Three letters of recommendation (if recommenders submit electronically, the preferred method)
- University application fee
- GRE scores (report General Scores to the University, not to the English Department)
Please note: We do not require the GRE Subject Test in English, though we welcome the evidence of comprehensive preparation in the field that strong scores attest.

To the Department
- Three letters of recommendation (electronic submission to Graduate School preferred - see above; otherwise, should be sent in signed, sealed envelopes by recommenders)
- Transcripts from all institutions previously attended (certified copies)

Please send any hard-copy transcripts or letters to:

Kurt Koenigsberger, Director of Graduate Studies
Department of English, Case Western Reserve University
106B Guilford House
11112 Bellflower Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44106-7117

Official, certified transcripts may be sent to the Director of Graduate Studies.

International Applicants
International applicants are required to submit TOEFL scores with their application. TOEFL scores are good for a maximum of two years, after which the applicant must provide fresh scores.

Deadlines
Applications received before January 15th will be given full consideration for funding in the form of Graduate Assistantships.

Applications received after the deadline cannot be guaranteed full consideration. Very late applications will not be read but may be transferred to the next admissions cycle, with the permission of the applicant.

Admitted applicants will be notified in mid-March and informed of their status as either fully funded or waitlisted for funding by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Reviewing Process
Upon receiving a complete application, the Director of Graduate Studies circulates the applicant's file among members of the English faculty’s Graduate Admissions Committee. Multiple members of the committee read and evaluate each file.
Applications receiving positive evaluations are read in turn by the full Graduate Admissions Committee and considered for Graduate Assistantship funding.

Reviews of application files are confidential and are not shared with applicants. Faculty who serve on the Admissions Committee receive no additional compensation for their work.

Who to Contact
All inquiries about the status of an application should be addressed to the Director of Graduate Studies. Questions about the online application system and application fees should be directed to the School of Graduate Studies.