Information for International Students

As much of the teaching in the Department is conducted in English, candidates who are not native speakers should have strong abilities in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding English, as indicated by scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB).

For non native speakers of English, a combined score of at least 550 (paper version), 220 (computer version) (preferably higher) on the TOEFL or a result of at least 80 on the MELAB.

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For information about housing, expenses, and other important information, please visit the Office of International Education.

Criteria for admission

The following criteria are guidelines for prospective applicants rather than absolute criteria; the Graduate Studies Committee takes into account many factors in deciding whether to admit candidates to the program. Note that fulfilling the criteria is not a guarantee of admission to the Department:

- A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.3 (preferably higher) on a 4.0 scale, with at least 3.5 (preferably higher) in Russian and related subjects. Applicants should have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale on any previous graduate coursework.

Students graded otherwise than on the 4.0 scale should have grades that show comparable excellence in the given system.

Procedures for applying to the Graduate School

The Department strongly prefers graduate students to matriculate in the Fall Quarter, although it will consider applications for the other quarters. Financial aid for the first year of graduate study is ordinarily awarded only to students who enter in the fall.

Applications received by November 30 will receive first priority. Only applications received by that date will be considered for Graduate School fellowships.

The application procedures are as follows:

The applicant must provide the Ohio State University Graduate Admissions office (1800 Cannon Drive, Columbus, OH 43210) with the following materials:
• A completed and signed Ohio State University Graduate School Admission application
• Transcripts for all previous post secondary academic work;
• Official scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test;
• Official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB). The Department requires applicants to submit the TOEFL or MELAB results regardless of whether they have an American university degree.

The applicant must provide the Graduate Studies Chair of the Department with the above four sets of materials, as well as the following:

• A statement of purpose in English (at least two typed pages, double spaced) explaining why the applicant wishes to pursue a graduate degree in the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures at The Ohio State University, including career goals, special interests, probable major field of study (literature or linguistics or undecided), and any other information that the applicant considers relevant;
• A sample of academic writing in English (typically, an essay or term paper written as an undergraduate, preferably on a subject related to Russian or Slavic studies). Papers written in a Slavic language will be considered if nothing is available in English.
• At least three detailed letters of recommendation from persons acquainted with the applicant's scholastic ability (preferably professors or other college instructors). At least one of these letters must provide a detailed evaluation of the applicant's knowledge of Russian based on recent knowledge.

In accordance with Graduate School policy, the Department must receive original letters of recommendation directly from their authors. Letters of recommendation need not be translated if written in English, Russian or any other Slavic language, German, or French. Translations (if any) must be sent to the department by the recommenders themselves; translations provided by applicants cannot be considered.

Interviews

The Department encourages all applicants to visit the Department. Please call the Graduate Studies Coordinator to arrange meetings with professors and current graduate students.

The Graduate Studies Chair may contact prospective students who are short listed for admission to arrange an interview with the Graduate Studies Committee. During the interview (which can be by telephone or in person), the Committee will examine the applicants' general intellectual abilities and their level of proficiency in Russian.

For information about funding opportunities, please click here.