General Procedures for Application

To be considered for admission, each applicant must submit to the Dean of Students the following documentation:

• A completed Divinity School Application for Graduate Admission, including the required application fee. Applicants to the A.M., A.M.R.S., and M.Div. programs must submit an essay reflecting intellectual influences and professional goals. Applicants to the Ph.D. program must, in addition to this essay, submit an essay outlining their proposed course of study.
• Official transcripts of academic record from every institution of higher learning that the applicant has attended.
• Four letters of recommendation. A minimum of two recommendations must be academic in nature. In some cases, the other two recommendations may be of broader scope and may concern the applicant's interests and motivation, character, and general intellectual abilities.
• Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. Scores more than five years old are unacceptable. Applicants should take the October GRE examinations when possible, although December scores usually arrive in time for admissions and aid decisions.

Information regarding the GRE may be obtained from:
Graduate Record Examination
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6000
The school code for the GRE is 1832; the department code is 4901.
Credentials of non-matriculants and applicants not admitted are retained by the Divinity School for two years; if the application has not been reactivated by the end of that period, all materials are destroyed. Applicants are not encouraged to submit written materials in addition to those requested in support of their application. All questions regarding applications should be directed to the Dean of Students' Office.

Applicants from foreign countries should follow the General Procedures for Application.
In addition, they will need to submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in place of the GRE, and follow the important guidelines listed below for submitting official academic records for each year of international post-secondary education.

English Language Requirement
International applicants for admission to the University of Chicago must meet the English language requirements outlined below. Please note that the University policy states minimum requirements. Individual Divisions or Schools may require higher minimum scores.

The University of Chicago accepts either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for the purpose of meeting the English language requirement.

New calibrations expected for autumn 2005 will result in a minimum required score in the TOEFL of 100 overall, with sub scores of 26 each.
Minimum required scores in the IELTS are an overall score of 7, with sub scores of 7 each.

The English language requirement may be waived if the applicant studied in full-time status for at least one academic year within the last five years in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or English medium universities in Canada or South Africa. Students who studied in English in other countries, for example, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc., are not exempt from the English language requirement.

Please note: TOEFL or IELTS Score Reports are valid for two years and scores will be considered expired if the test was taken more than two years prior to the application deadline. Photocopies of TOEFL or IELTS Score Reports will not be considered valid.