Application Process

Admission to the Graduate School requires the completion of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Applicants for admission are required to submit the following:

1. Official transcripts from all institutions where undergraduate and graduate work has been undertaken (sent directly from the undergraduate and graduate institutions);
2. Official score report from the Graduate Record Examination, taken within the last five years (sent directly from the testing agency);
3. Three letters of recommendation;
4. A sample of written work;
5. A concise statement of interest which should include a short intellectual autobiography – a statement of the applicant’s intellectual development and how it influenced the applicant’s desire to study in Hillsdale’s graduate program – and how the degree fits into the applicant’s career plans (not to exceed 500 words);
6. A completed application (submitted online);
7. Application fee of $25.

Submit an application online.

Deadlines

For the Fall semester, applications must be completed by January 15. Decisions will be sent out no later than March 1.

For the Spring semester (M.A. only), applications must be completed by October 15. Decisions will be sent out no later than November 15.

All materials, including test reports and letters of recommendation, must be received by the deadline. Files missing one or more item(s) will not be considered for admission and will not be acknowledged.

While the graduate program has no set requirements for GRE scores and GPA, as a general rule those admitted to the program are among the highest achievers in both categories. In order to offer some guidance, the median scores of those admitted to the most recent class are provided below. It is emphasized that these are median scores, not minimum scores – in other words, half of those admitted stood below these numbers, and half stood above. The GRE and GPA, while critical, are not determinative; an applicant's letters of recommendation also weigh heavily, as do the personal statement and other relevant history. While the entire GRE score is considered, the verbal portion of the GRE is given, by far, the greatest weight.

• Median Verbal GRE, Ph.D.: 166, 97% below
• Median Verbal GRE, M.A.: 164, 94% below
• Median Undergraduate GPA, Ph.D.: 3.868
• Median Undergraduate GPA, M.A.: 3.644
• Median Graduate GPA, Ph.D.: 3.835
• Median Graduate GPA, M.A.: 3.75