Admission and Fellowships
A general knowledge of ancient history and literature is required, as well as a reasonable competence in reading both Greek and Latin prose and poetry, as indicated by the successful completion of an undergraduate major in classics or its equivalent. Students may apply just for the M.A., without fellowship. Students may also apply directly to the Ph.D. program, in which case the M.A. is awarded upon completion of the requirements; if a student enters the Ph.D. program with an M.A. in Classics, a limited number of transfer credits can be awarded.
All students admitted to the Ph.D. program will receive a Henry M. MacCracken Fellowship. This comprehensive five-year award includes a nine-month (September-May) stipend ($29,500 for 2020-21) as well as a full tuition scholarship, student health insurance premiums, remission of all fees, and a $1,000 one-time fellowship for start-up expenses.
Teaching is not a requirement of this fellowship, but it is expected that students in the Classics program will teach during their doctoral studies, for which they will be compensated above the stipend received as a MacCracken Fellow.
Classics doctoral students are eligible for grants for travel and study abroad from the Department, the Graduate School of Arts and Science, and the Center for Ancient Studies. Students working on their dissertations may also apply for the Lane Cooper Fellowship and the Dean's Dissertation Fellowship.
Deadlines
Application deadlines for Graduate Admissions are as follows:
January 4 for both PhD and MA Programs.
All deadlines that fall on a weekend or official holiday are rolled to 5 pm on the Monday directly following the official deadline.
Required Application Materials for Classics
- Online Application
- $110 Application Fee
- Statement of Purpose (usually 1-2 pages)
- Resume or CV
- 3 Letters of Recommendation
- Academic Transcripts (please note, GSAS prefers that you scan a copy of your official transcript and upload it into your online application. But before matriculating all students must submit official transcripts in hard copy form)
- New (updated October 8, 2020): The GRE general test is no longer required. Please do not send us GRE test scores. If you do, the scores will not be reviewed or considered by the department's admissions committee.
- Official test scores for the TOEFL if the applicant is not a native English speaker (NYU GSAS code: 2596. Department code closest to your field of study or 99.) For enquiries about the TOEFL requirement, please contact gsas.admissions@nyu.edu
- Writing Sample: An academic writing sample is required. It may be a term paper, parts of an undergraduate or MA thesis, a lecture delivered at a meeting, or a published article. This should be your strongest piece of work and should not exceed 35 double-spaced pages. If your writing sample contains Greek or other non-standard characters, please double-check whether it prints properly as part of the online application. Should there be a problem, you may send your writing sample both as a pdf document as part of your online application and as a separate hard copy (with a brief cover letter) directly to the department, in care of the Director of Graduate Studies.
Where to Apply
Apply to the Graduate School of Arts and Science online.
For information about the application process such as using the online application; submitting supporting materials such as the GRE or TOEFL, transcripts, and letters of recommendation; applying as an international student; or preparing your application, please first visit the Graduate School's helpful Application Resource Center. If your question is not answered through the Application Resource Center, contact Graduate Enrollment Services at gsas.admissions@nyu.edu.