Admissions FAQs
1. When is the deadline for applications?
December 12, 2023 at 11:59pm (Eastern Time) is the deadline for all applications. Since the Admissions Committee gets to work right away, it is strongly recommended that all of your application materials reach us by this deadline.
2. Can you add, delete, or replace any pages within my submitted application?
No. Even if you submit your application before our December deadline, we are unable to add, delete, or replace any of its pages or documents. However, please see here for the Graduate School’s policy and instructions on how to upload updated unofficial transcripts from your current institution, if applicable, after submitting your application. Should you have questions about the upload process, please email the Graduate School at gradadmissions@unc.edu.
3. What financial support is offered to graduate students?
We guarantee 5 years of funding for every student we admit (presuming, of course, that the student remains in good standing). In practice, students receive an additional year of support, if they need it in order to be well prepared to go on the job market.
The Department provides each graduate student with a non-service fellowship during her first year and another year of non-service fellowship support while she is writing her dissertation. (“Non-service” means that the graduate student is not teaching any classes.) To complement these fellowships, graduate students receive stipends first as teaching assistants and then as teaching fellows (when they are teaching their own courses). Our graduate students find that the fellowships and the teaching stipends allow them to live in reasonable comfort. In addition, the Graduate School makes various fellowships available on a competitive basis; our students have been quite successful in these competitions. Additional funding details are here.
4. If I am an international student, do I still receive financial support?
Yes, international students receive exactly the same financial support as domestic students.
5. If I am an international student, do I have to show that I can support myself financially?
Yes, the INS (not the Department, and not the University) requires that you be able to show that you are able to support yourself. However, you may legitimately count the fellowships and stipends that you would receive from us, should you come, as among the resources available to you. Given the cost of living in Chapel Hill, this is generally sufficient to qualify applicants financially in the eyes of the INS.
6. Does UNC offer application fee waivers?
Yes, in certain cases, the Graduate School will grant fee waivers to eligible applicants. Please see here for additional information. You may contact the Graduate School directly at gradadmissions@unc.edu should you have any questions about the application fee waiver process.
7. It would present a hardship for me to pay the application fee and I am not eligible for the Graduate School’s fee waiver program. Is there anything else?
You should email the Director of Graduate Admissions before submitting your application and before November 15, 2023 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) with the following information. You will be notified shortly thereafter whether the Philosophy Department will pay your application fee. Since we can only do this for a limited number of applicants, we won’t be able to make a commitment earlier. You will have plenty of time to submit your application after being notified about the fee waiver. The deadline for completed applications is December 12, 2023 at 11:59pm (Eastern Time). To apply for a fee waiver, you should provide:
i) an informal transcript (pdf or image file is fine) showing your grades from your most recent two completed semesters of study,
ii) the name of the school at which you completed these courses
iii) the semester and year in which these courses were taken
iv) the reason you are not eligible for the graduate school’s fee waiver program
v) a short paragraph (150 words maximum) explaining your reason for requesting the Philosophy Department pays your application fee.
vi) a rough draft of your writing sample. This draft will only be used to decide on the fee waiver, not for the admissions process itself. It will not be passed on to the admissions committee. You should submit your finished writing sample with your application whether or not we can offer you a fee waiver.
Fee waivers are not guaranteed and will be offered at the Department’s discretion. Applicants whose application fees will be paid by the Philosophy Department will be notified via email. Once notified, they should choose the “Check or Money Order” payment option within the online admissions application and submit their application by the posted deadline. Please note that the Graduate School and the Philosophy Department cannot refund application fees once they are paid.
8. How important is the GRE? What is the average GRE score for admission? Is there a minimum required score?
Our Department no longer requires GRE scores as part of our application for admission, and does not consider GRE scores during the admissions process.
9. What is the average GPA of successful applicants? Is there a minimum GPA?
The Graduate School requires a minimum GPA of 3.0. For the Philosophy Department, the GPA is just part of the mix, so there is no fixed requirement. We are particularly interested in your philosophy GPA. Successful applicants will typically have a very strong background in philosophy, with a very high philosophy GPA (usually 3.8 or higher).
10. Can letters of recommendation be submitted electronically? Can I submit more than three?
Yes, all application materials, including letters of recommendation, will be accepted electronically through the Graduate School’s online application system. Recommendation letters should be uploaded by your letter writers by our deadline. The Graduate School’s website details this process here. You may have more than three letters submitted on your behalf. Predictably, letters are generally especially valuable if they are written by philosophers who know your work and your abilities well. Please note that UNC does not accept the electronic submission of letters of recommendation via Interfolio.
11. Is a statement of purpose required? How long should it be?
Yes, the Graduate School requires a statement of purpose. A typical statement is 1-2 pages in length, but we have no fixed limits. We suggest that you use the opportunity to indicate your philosophical interests and, if necessary, to address any aspects of your application that you suspect might be weak or require explanation.
12. What is the recommended length of a writing sample?
Writing samples vary widely in length – some are 10 pages, others are much longer. We have no fixed length requirements. We recommend that you simply send us an example of your very best philosophical writing. Successful applicants have often spent considerable effort in rewriting a paper they wrote for a course (or a chapter from their undergraduate thesis) in light of comments and suggestions made by their advisors. The quality of the writing sample plays a very significant role in our admissions decisions.
13. How many students are in an entering class each year?
A typical entering class is composed of 6-8 students. We admit only students whom we fully expect to complete the Ph.D. Normally we offer admission to approximately 15 people.
14. What if my undergraduate degree is in an area other than philosophy?
The students we admit have all had a proven academic record in philosophy, even if it wasn’t their major. So although we have sometimes admitted students who have majored in another subject, these students have all taken a good deal of philosophy.
15. May I come to UNC just for an M.A.?
No, we do not have an M.A.-only program. Students obtain an M.A. en passant, at the end of their second year, before continuing on to the Ph.D.
16. What if I already have an M.A.?
Every student we accept follows the same course of study, whatever degree they come with – whether a B.A., or an M.A. or a BPhil. As a result, every student entering with an M.A. is usually required to obtain another M.A. with us, whether or not they already have a graduate degree from another institution. However, students who enter with an M.A. may very occasionally be able to count some of the coursework they have completed elsewhere towards the satisfaction of our distribution requirements. In addition, some students who enter with an M.A. have found themselves able to move through the program more quickly than they might otherwise have been able to manage.
17. Can graduate courses taken elsewhere be transferred?
Those students who have completed appropriate graduate courses from other universities or colleges may (with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies) be able to use some of those courses to fulfill our Department’s course distribution requirements – but not to reduce the overall number of courses they take.
18. Do I have a better chance of being accepted with an M.A. from another institution?
A number of our graduate students have M.A.s from other institutions. An M.A. from a strong program does tend to increase the competitiveness of a student who did not major in philosophy or who came to philosophy relatively late in his or her undergraduate career.
19. How much of the program can be completed through online classes or distance learning?
None of our program requirements can be completed through online classes or distance learning. Our program is designed for in-person learning.
20. Can the program be completed with a part-time schedule?
No. The program is full-time and intensive. It is not manageable on a part-time basis.
21. May I take classes at Duke?
Yes, with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies.
22. What areas of philosophy does UNC specialize in?
Our faculty cover all the major areas of analytic philosophy. You can find faculty research interests here and here.
23. Should I visit Chapel Hill to meet with faculty and students?
Applicants are welcome to visit the UNC campus (via the Visitors Center). However, we do not encourage students to meet with faculty members until they have been offered admission. This ensures that all of the applications we receive are reviewed without bias. Once we have offered admission, faculty and graduate students are happy to meet with prospective students during our annual three-day “Prospective Graduate Student Weekend”. During this time, we are able to subsidize prospective graduate students’ travel expenses and also to arrange airport transportation and accommodations, usually with a graduate student host.
24. What is the M.D./Ph.D. Program?
The Department co-operates with the School of Medicine in a program that leads to obtaining both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. One applies completely separately to both the School of Medicine and the Philosophy Department (in the Graduate School). Students admitted to both programs will be assisted by the School of Medicine and the Department in developing an appropriate schedule of studies. Note that those receiving the Ph.D. in Philosophy must fulfill all the regular requirements for that degree, although the timeline for their fulfillment might be altered. See also this information from the School of Medicine.