Requirements for Admission

*The application deadline for Fall 2023 admission to the EALC graduate program is December 15, 2023 11:00 PM CDT. Applications must be complete by that date.

The EALC Department requires GRE scores as part of the application process. However, low scores are not in themselves taken as a disqualification for admission. We are primarily interested in receiving applications that make a strong case for how an applicant’s interest in joining our department intersects with the strengths and orientation of our current faculty. Our department is in a moment of transformation, as retirements open space for a significant cohort of new faculty to begin shaping the focal orientation of the department. Given this dynamism, applicants are advised to make direct inquiries with the individual faculty member or members you are most interested in working with here, towards understanding their sensibilities regarding the future of EALC at UIUC, and using that to make a case for how your work here will align with that future vision.

Click here to download a letter inviting applications to the Graduate Program in East Asian Languages and Cultures at UIUC.

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 Interim 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, 2023 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) 333-4603 (V/TDD).