*FALL 2024 APPLICATION PROCEDURE IS NOW OPEN*
The online application can be accessed in the NYU GSAS Application Portal.
This information and more can be found at the GSAS Application Resource Center and on the Programs, Requirements, and Deadlines page. Join one of our virtual open houses by signing up here and clicking this link when it is time to join. .
*Please note that NYU offers both an MA in French, based in the Department of French Literature, Thought and Culture, and an MA in French Studies, based in the Institute of French Studies. To avoid any mistake in your application, please make sure to select the program you are interested in.*
Application deadlines are as follows, all application materials must be received BY 5 P.M. EASTERN TIME on the deadline date. If an application deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal U.S. holiday, then the next business day will be the deadline date:
Joint Ph.D. Applications in French Studies/Anthropology:
DEC. 1 (Final deadline date, fall only admission)
Joint Ph.D. Applications in French Studies/French and French Studies/History:
DEC. 18 (Recommended date, fall only admission), JAN. 4 (Final deadline date, fall only admission)
M.A. Applications:
MAR. 1 (Fall only admission)
Joint M.A. in French Studies and Journalism*:
JAN. 4 (Fall only admission, late applications will be considered if space remains)
M.A. in French Studies and Advanced Certificate in Digital Humanities:
MAR. 15 (Fall only admission)
Dual Degree Programs (M.A./J.D and M.A./M.S): students will submit TWO SEPARATE APPLICATIONS, an M.A. application by MAR. 15 to French Studies, and a J.D. application per the Law School deadlines** or an M.S. application per the LIU deadline***
*Please consult the Journalism Requirements page for more information on Journalism-related deadlines.
**Please consult the NYU Law Admissions site for the most up-to-date information on Law School application deadlines.
***Please consult the LIU site for the Palmer School of Library and Information Science application deadline.
Late master’s applications may be considered. Please email the Graduate Student Affairs Coordinator upon late submittal.
International Students: For the answers to frequently asked questions about application information for international students, please visit the GSAS International Student FAQ page.
A complete application includes the following components*:
The online application
Academic transcripts
Three letters of recommendation
A résumé or curriculum vitae
A Statement of Academic Purpose
Writing Sample
The application fee
Optional: a short Personal History Essay
For non-native English speakers or those who do not have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an institution where English is the language of instruction: TOEFL or IELTS test scores
*GRE Testing Requirements
- Ph.D. Applicants: GRE general test not 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.
- M.A. Applicants to French Studies and Dual Degree Programs (Law or Library Science): GRE general test not required for French Studies application, nor reviewed if submitted. Because submission is required to each school separately for dual degree programs, please consult our partner program about their test requirements.
- Joint M.A. Applicants to French Studies/Journalism: GRE general test not required.
- M.A. Applicants to French Studies/Advanced Certificate in Digital Humanities: GRE general test not required.
The Online Application
The online application can be accessed in the NYU GSAS Application Portal. You will be prompted to select which program you wish to apply for. Please follow all of the instructions within the portal. You can find more information regarding the completion of the online application on the GSAS Application Resource Center website.
Academic Transcripts
As part of your online application, you will be asked to upload your academic transcripts. For more information and answers to frequently asked questions regarding this process please consult the GSAS Academic Transcripts FAQ page.
Letters of Recommendation
You are required to submit three letters of recommendation from persons who know your academic qualifications.The most effective letters are from professors or advisors with whom an applicant has studied. If you are unable to provide letters from three academic references, professional references from people who can discuss your abilities as a researcher or writer are acceptable. We do not recommend character references from friends, family, or religious advisors. For the answers to more frequently asked questions regarding letters of recommendation, please consult the GSAS Letters of Recommendation FAQ page.
Statement of Academic Purpose
In a concisely written statement, please describe your past and present work as it relates to your intended field of study, your educational objectives, and your career goals. In addition, please include your intellectual and professional reasons for choosing your field of study and why your studies/research can best be done at the Graduate School of Arts and Science at NYU. The statement should not exceed two double-spaced pages. Additional program-specific instructions can be found below, if applicable.
Statement of Academic Purpose (Joint Ph.D. in French Studies/Anthropology): The Statement of Academic Purpose should offer a clear sense of your training in anthropology, French Studies or related fields, your strengths as a scholar, and the reasons you are applying for the doctoral degree. It should refrain from lengthy personal anecdotes. While applicants need not indicate a precise dissertation topic, it will be helpful to the admissions committee to have a sense of their main area(s) of topical and geographic interest and the critical theoretical questions and/or conversations that drive their interest in pursuing the degree. Finally, applicants should address their particular reasons for wanting to work within the Department of Anthropology and the Institute of French Studies at New York University. The statement may not be more than 1,500 words.
Statement of Academic Purpose (Joint M.A. in French Studies/Journalism): In addition to the Statement of Academic Purpose instructions described at the top of this section, Journalism requires applicants to write a personal essay. The essay is an extremely important part of the application, so treat it accordingly. The essay should be 1,000 to 1,500 words in length. In addition, all applicants must submit at least three samples of their work, whether published or not.
The goal of the essay is to give the Admissions Committee a concrete sense of who you are as someone who aspires to a career as a professional journalist, writing and reporting for print, online or broadcast media. It should address the following questions: What do you expect to get from the program? What aspects of your experience are most relevant to your interest in journalism? Tell us about your background--your academic degree, intellectual interests, work experience, life experience, and other sources of inspiration--and explain how this background informs what you want to do as a journalist.
Applicants should also describe their existing "body of work" as a journalist, critic or just someone who writes. We are mostly interested in published work, but if you have yet to break into print, then tell us what kind of writing you have done. What have been your major themes? What issues and phenomena most engage you? What publications do you read regularly and why? Which journalists do you admire, which do you dislike, and which have influenced you?
Please append to your essay a brief statement of your plans for financing your graduate work. This statement must be included, whether or not you are applying for financial aid.
Writing Sample
A writing sample is required. It should be limited to 25 double-spaced pages, perhaps drawing from a larger work. For the joint Ph.D. in French and French Studies, it should be written in French. For all other programs, it may be written in French or English. It may be a term paper, essay or publication that demonstrates your capacity to conduct research and/or social historical, political, cultural, or literary analysis. It need not have been published. Additional program-specific instructions can be found below, if applicable.
Writing Sample (Joint Ph.D. in French Studies/Anthropology): A writing sample is required. It may be a term paper, excerpt from an undergraduate or graduate thesis, or other example of academic writing, preferably with some relevance to French Studies and anthropological analysis. It must be written in English. It should be double-spaced and not exceed 35 pages, including all images, notes and bibliography.
Writing Sample (Joint M.A. in French Studies/Journalism): In addition to the writing sample described at the top of this section for all applicants, three additional writing samples are required for Journalism. The writing samples need not have been published, although if you have clips you are proud of, please do submit them. The samples should represent your best overall work and your aptitude for journalism. Clips from your college newspaper, personal essays, academic research papers, and short fiction are all acceptable.
Application Fee
A complete application includes payment of the $110 application fee. NYU GSAS offers fee waivers for a variety of different circumstances that can be found on the GSAS General Application Policies page. In addition, the Institute of French Studies grants fee waivers to TAPIF Alumni. If you are a TAPIF Alum and you wish to have your application fee waived, please contact Peyton Vann at pnv227@nyu.edu.
Optional: Personal History Essay
The purpose of this optional essay is to get to know you as an individual and as a potential graduate student, and to understand how your background will add to the diversity of our school. Please describe how your personal background has motivated you to pursue a graduate degree. You may discuss educational, familial, cultural, socioeconomic, or personal experiences or challenges; gender identity; community services, outreach services, first-generation college status or other matters relevant to your decision to pursue graduate education. Please note that the Personal History Statement is not meant to be a general autobiography.
The statement is optional and should not exceed two double-spaced pages. It should not duplicate the Statement of Academic Purpose.
TOEFL/IELTS
Either the TOEFL or the IELTS is required of all applicants who are not native English speakers or who do not have a bachelor's or master's degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English. For more information on this testing requirement, please consult the GSAS Testing Requirements FAQ page.
For any additional questions regarding admissions or the application process please contact Peyton Vann at pnv227@nyu.edu.