Admissions and Funding
Application Details
French and Francophone Studies
The fall admissions application deadline is January 15. Applications will also be considered on a rolling basis until all spots are filled.
Applications must be completed online using the Graduate School's website. Please note that when you apply electronically, the application fee will be waived. To obtain a waiver of the application fee, please contact Ms. Linda Rule via email at linda.rule@nd.edu or by phone at (574) 631-6887.
In addition to the general Graduate School requirements, the French Section of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures requires the following materials which should be submitted as part of the Graduate School's online application:
- Curriculum vitae
- Statement of intent (maximum 750 words)
- Three letters of recommendation, preferably by professors with whom the candidate has recently studied
- Results of GRE (note that the GRE is optional)
- Results of the TOEFL or IELTS (non-native English speakers)
- Two writing samples (maximum of 20 pages each)
Please also supply a one- to two-minute MP3 file demonstrating your competency in oral French. (You may read a short passage or poem.) Send this file directly to Linda Rule via email at linda.rule@nd.edu.
Iberian and Latin-American Studies
The fall admissions application deadline is January 15.
If you wish to apply to the Ph.D. and M.A. programs, your applications must be completed online using the Graduate School's website.
All applicants are required to submit a writing sample and a minimum of three letters of recommendation with their online application to the Graduate School.
Italian Studies
The fall admissions application deadline for both the M.A. and the Ph.D. is January 15.
Applications must be completed online using the Graduate School's website. Please note that when you apply electronically, there is no application fee to pay this year. To process the waiver please contact Ms. Linda Rule via email at linda.rule@nd.edu or by phone at (574) 631-6887.
In addition to the general Graduate School requirements, the Italian section of the Department of Romance Languages & Literatures requires the following materials which should be submitted along with the Graduate School's online application (not sent to the Graduate School or the Department):
- Curriculum vitae
- Statement of intent (maximum 750 words)
- Three letters of recommendation, at least two of which must be submitted by professors with whom the candidate has recently studied.
- Results of the GRE (optional)
- Results of the TOEFL or IELTS (non-English speakers).
- Two academic writing samples, one in English and one in Italian (maximum of 20 pages each).
Applying for the M.A.
In addition to the above requirements, M.A. applicants are required to record a one- to two-minute MP3 file, which should demonstrate your competency in Italian if you are native speaker of English, or in English if you are a native speaker of Italian. You need not prepare an original speech for this purpose but may simply read aloud. The file should be sent to Linda Rule, linda.rule@nd.edu, by the application deadline.
Funding and Financial Support
Notre Dame stipends are competitive with those of other universities, and many students find the stipends even more attractive when the cost of living here is considered. Housing and other living costs in the South Bend area are below the average for urban areas throughout the country. Over half Notre Dame's advanced students live in campus housing on or directly adjacent to the University.
Ph.D. Funding
Students admitted to Ph.D. programs are awarded a full five-year funding package that includes tuition remission, a competitive stipend, and health benefits. Students can apply for additional funding for research and conference travel. Many students also receive additional funding in the form of premium fellowships and other top-up funds.
Guaranteed Sixth-year Post-doctoral Fellowship
As part of Notre Dame's 5+1 Program, students who complete the Ph.D. in five years (namely, complete all requirements for the degree at least 10 days before the start of what would otherwise be their 11th semester) are guaranteed a fully-funded one-year postdoctoral fellowship with a teaching load of no more than one course per semester.
M.A. Funding
Students admitted to the M.A. programs receive support packages that typically include teaching assistantships, tuition waivers and/or stipends, and health benefits. Students can apply for additional funding for research and conference travel.