Admission to the Graduate German Program

Candidates for admission to the graduate program should have exceptional fluency in German, an excellent undergraduate and (if applicable) postgraduate record, strong letters of recommendation, competitive GRE scores, and superlative writing skills.

The required components of the application, which must be received by the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences no later than January 3 are:

• Copies of all undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation from academic recommenders
• A personal statement about intellectual interests
• A writing sample, preferably in German (10-15 pages in length)
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores from all international students who are not native speakers of English (unless they have received a post-secondary degree at a US college or university)

Applicants should arrange to take the GRE test by a date that guarantees that scores will be forwarded to Columbia University by the January 3 deadline or soon thereafter. For testing dates and locations, please refer to the Graduate Record Examination web site. For questions about the TOEFL see the Educational Testing Service web site.

International students should consult the GSAS page on admissions, as well as the comprehensive site maintained by the Columbia Office for International Students and Scholars.

All students are encouraged to apply online to the graduate program.