Admissions - Ph.D. in Literature

The 2025-2026 Graduate Admissions Application is now open!
https://grad.ucdavis.edu/apply

The deadline to apply to our program is January 5, 2025

The Graduate Studies Application Components page covers many admissions questions, but feel free to contact our program's staff if you need more information. Regarding your application status, please check online or contact us.

Application Requirements
In preparing your materials, please note the department implements holistic review of applications, which considers every element of the application in an effort to reach a contextualized assessment of students' accomplishments an potential.

• Writing sample (see below for details)
• Statement of Purpose
• Personal History & Diversity Statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• TOEFL or IELTS scores, if applicable
• Copies of transcripts
• Application Fee
• Admissions Requirements and Eligibility as set by UC Davis Graduate Studies
   

Writing Sample

• One-two research or term papers written for English courses; the total should not exceed 30 pages excluding images and bibliography.
• If your research or term paper(s) are not recent (e.g., written in the past 2-3 years or so), it is advisable that you revise the papers to include more current research/sources on your topic.
• Be sure that you closely proofread any research or term paper(s) you submit in order to present your best work possible.

We are actively recruiting graduate students with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance.

There is no independent application for admission to the M.A. program, emphasis in Literature; this degree can only be earned by those admitted to the Ph.D. program, en route to their Ph.D.

International applicants, please review the following application information.

Graduate Studies only offers application fee waivers to applicants who have participated in specific graduate preparation programs.  Applicants who are affiliated with these programs must indicate their participation AND must provide the name and contact information for their program coordinator in the relevant section of the online application system to receive a fee waiver.

• Statement of Purpose

• Please highlight your academic preparation and motivation; interests, specializations, and career goals; and fit for pursuing graduate study at UC Davis.

  Preparation and Motivation: may include your academic and research experiences that prepare you for this graduate program (for example coursework, employment, exhibitions, fieldwork, foreign language proficiency, independent study, internships, laboratory activities, presentations, publications, studio projects, teaching, and travel or study abroad) and motivation or passion for graduate study.

  Interests, Specializations, and Career Goals: may include your research interests, disciplinary sub-fields, areas of specialization, and professional objectives.

  Fit: may include how your preparation, experiences, and interests match the specific resources and characteristics of your graduate program at UC Davis. Please identify specific faculty within your desired graduate program with whom you would like to work, how their interests match your own, and how you would benefit from engaging with their research.

• Personal History and Diversity Statement

• The University of California Davis, a public institution, is committed to supporting the diversity of the graduate student body and promoting equal opportunity in higher education. This commitment furthers the educational mission to serve the increasingly diverse population and educational needs of California and the nation. Both the Vice Provost of Graduate Education/Dean of Graduate Studies and the University of California affirm that diversity is critical to promoting lively intellectual exchange and the variety of ideas and perspectives essential to advancing higher education and research. Our graduate students contribute to the global pool of future scholars and academic leaders, thus high value is placed on achieving a diverse graduate student body to support the University of California’s academic excellence. We invite you to include in this statement how you may contribute to the diversification of graduate education and the UC Davis community.

  The purpose of this essay is to get to know you as an individual and a potential graduate student. Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. You may include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, community service, outreach activities, residency and citizenship, first-generation college status, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field; or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and under-served segments of society with your graduate education.

Three Letters of Recommendation

• From professors or other persons situated to speak about your potential for graduate study. In general, letters from professors or instructors involved in post-secondary academic studies who can speak to your research and/or the potential for your research profile, as well as any other aspect of your academic profile (e.g., any experience teaching, tutoring, or mentoring others) are preferred. These persons may also address your extra-curricular and personal histories as applicable.

Transcripts

• Copies are allowed. Once admitted, Graduate Studies requires official transcripts.
• UC Davis requires academic records from each college-level institution you have attended - instructions can be found here.

Prospective students may also submit a Fellowship Application after applying to the program.

Past Admissions Data
During the 2023-24 cycle 135 applications were submitted and 13 of them received an admission offer. Six of them declined and one decided to defer. For our Fall 2023 cohort, out of the 137 applications, the program admitted 19 and 6 of them matriculated.

• Funding Your Ph.D.

• All students admitted to the Ph.D. program are provided guaranteed funding for 5 years in the form of Teaching Assistant and Associate Instructor positions. These appointments provide a tuition waiver which covers the Resident Regular Tuition and Health Insurance and pays a monthly salary. A limited amount of Graduate Student Researcher positions are available.

  Departmental funds are also available, such as the Miller Travel Fund, for students to attend conferences, interviews and conduct research. Additional progress-based and summer stipends are awarded with funding allocated to us by Graduate Studies.

  The UC Davis Humanities Institute offers various fellowships students can apply for to fund their projects. Admitted students are also considered for University-wide fellowships.

 Questions? Contact Us