Admission Requirements for the PhD in English
Deadline: December 1st (Fall Matriculation only)
Application Requirements
Applications and all application materials must be submitted online through The Office of Graduate and Health Sciences Admission via the SLATE platform. Required components of the online application package include:
1) A Statement of Purpose (Here is one of many online resources offering advice on how to compose personal statements.)
2) A Writing Sample of approximately 20 pages.
3) Three Letters of Recommendation from current or former instructors or persons otherwise qualified to comment on your academic performance and potential for graduate study.
4) Official Transcripts from each educational institution you have attended.
5) Test Scores for applicants with international credentials only.
TOEFL Exam or IELTS: Students whose first language is not English must also submit official scores for
either the TOEFL OR the IELTS exam. When you sit for your exam, please make arrangements with ETS to send official score reports to Stony Brook University using school code: 2548.
Important Information About Transcripts:
Official transcripts are only valid when they are issued by the school you attended
directly to the university/office of graduate admissions. They have an official seal/stamp
and an official signature by an appropriate academic administrative officer. They
are sealed by the university. Official electronic transcripts, sent by authorized
delivery agents, are also accepted. Transcripts issuesd to the student are NOT official.
Photocopied documents are NOT official. Final transcripts state that a degree has
been conferred and provide the date of conferral.
Official transcripts can be mailed to:
Office of Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions, Stony Brook University, HST, Level 2 - Rm. 271. 11794-8276
Official electronic transcripts can be sent to: gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu
If you are in the process of completing a degree, please send an official transcript
that shows your progress to this point. You will need to send a final, official transcript
once your degree is conferred. Transcripts that do not show a degree awarded will
not delay application processing, but failure to submit final documentation about
conferral will result in a registration block.
Applicants with international credentials must submit an official English translation of all coursework showing a complete
course-by-course record, GPA, degree, and institution, in addition to the original
documents. SBU graduate admissions personnel will evaluate coursework, GPA, degree
requirements and institutional equivalence. In some instances where the coursework,
degree equivalency, GPA, and/or institution cannot be verified, a course-by-course
evaluation from one of Stony Brook University's approved NACES members listed below, may be requested from the applicant.
- World Education Services (WES)
- International Education Evaluations, Inc. (IEE)
- Education Credential Evaluators (ICE)
Unofficial copies for both domestic and international credentials are acceptable for an admission decision to be made. If admitted, the applicant must submit final official transcripts/evaluations sent directly from the college/university or evaluation agency as noted above.
College-level courses completed outside the United States and recorded on official transcripts will be evaluated for transfer credit, provided that the institution where the courses were taken is accredited by the Ministry of Education in that country. International transfer students who have completed college level courses outside the United States may be requested to submit proof of accreditation by the Ministry of Education or provide a WES evaluation.
Academic records from international universities that are not in English must be accompanied by an official English translation. Academic records must be translated by an authoritative party. We will accept translations from any of the accredited agencies that can be viewed at www.atanet.org or naces.org. We will also accept translations from SBU faculty members or the institution from which the degree was conferred.
If your official transcript (or mark sheet) does not specifically state that a degree (or its equivalent) has been conferred, you will also need to submit an official (attested) diploma or an official certification of degree(s) awarded.
Educational systems that cannot be compared to the United States must be evaluated by a US credentials evaluation service before admission can be finalized. The transcript evaluation service accepted by Stony Brook University is World Education Services (WES), which can be accessed at http://www.wes.org/.
Applicants are encouraged to contact the Graduate Program Director with any questions that they may have!