Listed below are a number of questions that are often asked by applicants to our graduate programs, and answers to those questions. If your question is not answered here, or if you need any more information, please contact the EALC departmental administration.
The domestic application deadline for EALC's MA and PhD programs is January 1. All your materials must be received by this date. If you are submitting any materials by regular mail (rather than online), please do so sufficiently far in advance of the deadline to ensure they arrive at the following address no later than December 15:
Graduate Admissions
Hamilton Lugar School of Global & International Studies
Indiana University
355 N. Eagleson Ave, Room 2075
Bloomington, IN 47405-1105
Please send any electronic attachments to: hlsgrad@iu.edu.
Notifications of admission are typically sent out to applicants in early or mid-March. If you are admitted to an EALC graduate program, you will need to notify the department of your decision by April 15th.
As a graduate student at EALC, you’ll have a variety of financial support options to choose from and pursue. Our graduate students find support through fellowships and grants, student academic appointments (SAAs), and student loans. (General information is available at the university graduate school website here.)
EALC typically has several competitive Associate Instructor (AI) positions available. Each applicant to an EALC graduate program will be automatically considered for an AI position. If you are selected to receive an “AIship,” the department will notify you before the April 15th deadline.
The Hamilton Lugar School has a number of Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships available for students who wish to study Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. These FLAS Fellowships are offered through the East Asian Studies Center (EASC) and the Center for the Study of Global Change. We encourage all domestic applicants to apply for FLAS support. If you are thinking of applying for either of these, please be sure to check the FLAS box on the online application so that the department knows to forward your materials to the appropriate review committees.
Several competitive Graduate Assistant (GA) (part-time, paid working positions) are also available in HLS and across the Indiana University Bloomington Campus. Residential Centers and various other campus facilities also offer various employment opportunities for students.
Please see the financial aid link provided above for more detailed information about financial aid available at Indiana University.
For MA applicants: Although a BA in an East Asia-related field is listed as a requirement for admission to EALC’s MA programs, it is not unusual for the department to admit applicants who do not meet that specific degree requirement but have a strong background in East Asian studies (e.g., language or other relevant topical expertise in Chinese, Japanese or Korean studies). We encourage you to apply even if your undergraduate degree is in another field, but be sure to explain in your personal statement why your past experiences have prepared you well for a graduate program focused on East Asia.
For PhD Applicants:Students with an MA in an unrelated field are welcome to apply for the PhD program, but should be aware that admission to the program without a very strong background in an East Asian field is unlikely.
There is no minimum GRE score to be considered for admission to our graduate programs. GRE scores are not required and will not be reviewed for admissions decisions.
However, if you are not a native speaker of English, to be considered for departmental financial aid, you must score at least the following on the TOEFL:
The ETS code for Indiana University is 1324. For the department/program code, please use 2601 for "Asian Languages". You can have your scores submitted electronically or in a paper format, but official scores must come directly from ETS. Student-reported scores (including photocopies of score reports) are not considered official and will not be accepted by the University Graduate School.
Yes. The university requires that applicants submit official transcripts of all college and university coursework. This is true even if the classes on a transcript have no relation to the particular degree program to which you are applying, and even if the credit appears as transfer work on another school's transcript.
To be accepted, all official transcripts must be sealed, original copies in English or be sent directly as an electronic transcript from a verified transcript service.
If your undergraduate degree is "in progress" at the time of application and you are admitted to an EALC graduate program, you must submit an official copy of your transcript upon completing your undergraduate degree.
No. Since the admissions committee is made up of several faculty members, some of whom might not read Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, all letters of recommendation must be submitted in English. Since letters of recommendation are confidential, it is not appropriate for you, as the applicant, to translate the letters yourself.
Your recommenders can submit their letters of recommendation online (preferred), or they can submit hard copies directly to the school. Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the school receives all three letters of recommenders no later than the application deadline.
Unfortunately, no. All application materials are considered final upon submission. Please be sure to proofread your materials carefully before submission.
If you choose to submit any of your materials in hard copy, rather than online, please ensure that all materials arrive at the address below no later than December 15:
Graduate Admissions
Hamilton Lugar School of Global & International Studies
Indiana University
355 N. Eagleson Ave, Room 2075
Bloomington, IN 47405-1105
HAMILTON LUGAR SCHOOLBLOOMINGTON
355 North Eagleson Avenue