Requirements for Admission
*The application deadline for Fall 2025 admission to the EALC graduate program is December 15, 2024 11:00 PM CDT. Applications must be complete by that date.
Applicants to our graduate program are advised to make direct inquiries with the individual faculty member or members you are most interested in working with in EALC. When contacting EALC faculty members, be sure to mention your research interests and ask if they are planning to accept new students.
The EALC Department also encourages, but does not require, applicants to submit GRE scores as part of the application process to help us assess each applicant’s overall preparedness for graduate-level study. In this sense, low GRE scores will not in themselves be taken as a disqualification for admission.
* Click here to view Graduate College Application Instructions
* Click here to apply to the Graduate College at Illinois You will be asked to select a citizenship category and directed to the appropriate instructions, supplemental application forms, fees, and application.
* If you have further questions about admissions to the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies:
Professor Roderick Wilson riwilson@illinois.edu
* For questions about application procedures, please contact Lynn Stanke at Graduate Services.
Lynn Stanke
Graduate Student Services Office
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
707 S. Mathews, Rm. 3070
Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: 217-333-6269
Email: stanke@illinois.edu
Applicants to the graduate program must submit a completed application for admission, including three letters of reference from faculty members, advisers, or recent employers; and full transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work completed. Applicants are expected to have earned a minimum grade point average of 3.3 (A=4.0) or the equivalent for the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework and any graduate work previously completed. Applicants are expected to have a strong background in at least one East Asian language; normally, this means a minimum two years of formal study. Students whose native language is not English must score 103 or above on the TOEFL iBT to be eligible for admission with full-graduate standing.
Note: Financial aid awards are contingent upon passing an approved test of spoken English. For details on approved tests and minimum acceptable scores, visit the web site of the Center for Teaching Excellence http://cte.illinois.edu/testing/oral_eng/main.html Foreign students should take an appropriate test at the earliest possible date, ideally before applying to the Program. Doing so will expedite acceptance and financial aid decisions and speed up the visa application process. Note that applications and test scores may be submitted separately.
Please note: The application deadline for full consideration is December 15, 2024 for Fall admission. East Asian Languages and Cultures does not accept Spring admissions.
Equal Opportunity Policy
The commitment of the University to the most fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of opportunity, and human dignity requires that decisions involving students and employees be based on individual merit and be free from invidious discrimination in all its forms, whether or not specifically prohibited by law. Among the forms of invidious discrimination prohibited by the University policy but not law is discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of sexual orientation. Complaints of invidious discrimination in violation of University policy are to be resolved within existing University procedures. The policy of the University of Illinois is to comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action laws, orders, and regulations. The University will not engage in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, unfavorable discharge from the military, or status as a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam era. This nondiscrimination policy applies to admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in University programs and activities.
Disability Services
Campus facilities at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are among the most accessible in the nation for disabled persons, and applications from persons with disabilities are always welcomed. The Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) coordinates services for U of I students with disabilities. For further information, contact DRES at 1207 South Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820, phone: 217-333-1970 (V/TDD).