Admission to the Graduate Program

Philosophy Department Application/Upload information to "Slate"

Three Letters of recommendation.  The letters of recommendation should be written by people familiar with your academic interests and abilities, preferably faculty in philosophy. 

Writing Sample. The writing sample should be a philosophy paper that exhibits your ability to develop an extended argument, to write clear and literate prose, and to have an original and well-motivated philosophical response to one or more important philosophical texts or problems.

Written personal statement. The personal statement should describe your reasons for pursuing graduate study in philosophy, your range of interests, and other relevant information. It should, if possible, list specific research interests, and faculty that you may be interested in working with toward the PhD. If there is anything about your record that you’d like to explain (i.e a low grade or a missing year) this is the place to let us know.

Copies of all unofficial transcripts must be uploaded into the Slate Database. Please make sure all unofficial transcripts have the institution's name listed on the document. Also, we will need individual copies of transcripts from every school that you have attended. You will need to submit all transcripts.

Complete applications are reviewed and voted on by the Philosophy Department Graduate Committee, which then recommends to the Graduate Admissions Office whether to admit or deny your application. It is the Graduate School that formally admits you to graduate study upon this recommendation by the department.

Incomplete applications, either at the University level or the Department level will not be considered. It is the responsibility of the student to confirm with the department that all application materials were received.

Application Checklist

• Graduate School Application
• Previous Academic Transcripts - Unofficial until formally accepted. Need unofficial transcripts from every school you have attended.
  
• TOEFL Scores (TOEFL if applying as an international student)
• Three letters of recommendation
• Writing sample
• Written personal statement

The University of Utah is fully committed to policies of equal opportunity and nondiscrimination on the basis of race, national origin, sex, age, or status as a handicapped individual in all of its programs and activities, including but not limited to student admissions and student financial assistance. The university is an equal opportunity employer. Evidence of practices that are not consistent with this policy should be reported to the Office of the President of the University, 801-581-8365.

Steps in the Application Process

1. Fill out the online application.
   • All prospective graduate students, including University of Utah seniors, apply for admission through the Slate online application system, found at each graduate program’s website.
   • Domestic applicants are recommended to submit their application 30 days before the department/program deadline. International applicants should apply at least 60 days in advance.
2. Upload all required documents.
   • You will be asked to upload an official copy of all your college transcripts, including the University of Utah transcript if you have attended or are currently attending the U. These transcripts will be used as working copies during the admissions evaluation process. Failure to list all schools previously attended or making false or misleading statements on the application may result in cancellation of admission status and/or loss of credit.
   • In addition to academic transcripts, applicants must upload any additional documents required by the academic department/program.
   • Applicants formally admitted to a graduate program will be required to submit official transcripts sent directly from the previous schools attended to the University of Utah Office of Admissions at 201 S 1460 E, Room 250 S SSB, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112. Admitted students may check the “Track Your Application” tracking system found at the Office of Admissions website to be sure all transcripts have been received. The application status tracker only works once a graduate student has received an offer of admission from the Office of Admissions.
3. Pay the application fee.
   • The nonrefundable fee for domestic applicants is $55 per application.
   • For international applicants, the nonrefundable fee is $65 per application.
   • Some academic programs will pay the application fee for their applicants. Check the graduate academic program’s website to determine how much your application fee will cost.
   • How  do I obtain a fee waiver code? See FAQ below.
   • If you've received an application fee waiver code, the code has to be entered before an applicant clicks submit. The applicant needs to go to the Additional Information page. Providing that the applicant selected Philosophy PHD as the program, they will see a Graduate Referral Code subsection at the bottom of the page. That’s where the code should be entered. 
4. Complete and submit the application.
   • We will evaluate your file only after we receive all required fees and documents including transcripts.
   • All documents submitted to the University of Utah become its property and will not be released to students or other institutions. Admission applications and transcripts are destroyed after one year for students who do not attend.
5. For additional information, please visit the Office of Admissions (admissions.utah.edu/apply/graduate)

Application Materials Checklist

For the graduate application to be considered complete, please review the following items

1. A complete graduate admissions application notification from Slate. International Students need to include an affidavit of support as part of their application packets.
2. Payment of application fee ($55 for domestic applicants; $65 for international applicants) must be received via the Slate application system, and the fee must be paid before the application will be considered complete
3. Unofficial transcripts can be uploaded as part of the initial application, but upon acceptance into the graduate program, official transcripts must be submitted to the University of Utah Admissions Office. To do this, contact the admissions offices of all former schools and request official transcripts be sent to:
   • University of Utah
   • Admissions Office
   • 201 South 1460 East, Room 250 S
   • Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9057
4. TOEFL and IELTS scores must be sent directly to the University of Utah

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the GRE Test required?
GRE test scores will not be required as part of the fall 2025 application process.

How do I obtain a fee waiver code? Applicants are required to submit a 2-page Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement to the Director of Graduate Studies, Erin Beeghly,  for evaluation by November 1, 2024. Deadline is firm. Professor Beeghly will respond to all submissions by November 15, 2024.

What should I include in my Statement?

When you are writing your statement be sure to include the following information:

1. Introduce yourself and list your interests and motivations.
2. List the reasons why you want to attend the University of Utah, and why the program appeals to you.
3. Elaborate on your academic and philosophical topics of interests.
4. Discuss your previous academic career both undergraduate and graduate.

What are the minimum scores required for admission consideration?
The Philosophy Department does not have a minimum cut-off score for any of the three components of the test: quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, or analytical writing. The graduate committee will take the applicants overall performance into consideration.

What is the deadline for application to the graduate program?
All applications must be complete and submitted by the January 15 due date. The date is firm. Late, incomplete applications will not be considered.

Does the Philosophy Department accept graduate student applications for admission into spring and summer semesters?
No. 

Are there any graduate courses offered online?

No. 

Is it possible to work full-time and complete a graduate degree?

No. This is not encouraged by the department due to the amount of coursework required of first and second year students.

How long does it take to complete a Master’s or Doctorate degree in the program?
Master’s degree students complete the program in 2-3 years, and PhD students complete in 4-7 years.

How will applicants be notified of acceptance status?
Applicants will receive an official email from the Philosophy Department through Slate. The deadline for notification is April 15.

How many students are accepted into the program each year?
The number of students accepted into the program each year varies depending on the number of applicants who apply in a given year.

TOEFL and IELTS

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System). If an applicant received a degree at an institution, where the language of instruction is not English, then submission of one of these tests is necessary for admission.

TOEFL: minimum score of 80 (Internet-based test) or 500 (paper-based test)

IELTS: An overall minimum band score of 6.5

*All test dates must be within two years of admission for scores to be valid.

How to Send your Test Scores Officially?

Please have your scores sent electronically to the University of Utah Office Of Admissions. You can do this by using the following Codes:

• TOEFL Code:4853
• IELTS: Please contact your testing center and have them send your results directly to:
• Office of Admissions, Graduate Admissions Division 
  University of Utah 
  201 South 1460 East 
  Room 250S, SSB 
  Salt Lake City, UT 84112
• *If the name on your test result is different from the name you put on your application, please contact iao@sa.utah.edu with the name information so we can match the score with your application

Office of Admissions – International (1-20 information, cost information found here)

What should I do now that I am admitted?

Have “official” transcripts sent to the Office of Admissions from all colleges or universities attended.

Official transcripts must be:

Sent directly from each previous school you have attended to: 
Office of Admissions, Graduate Admissions Division 
University of Utah 
201 South 1460 East 
Room 250S, SSB 
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

The University of Utah accepts electronic transcripts as official from the following agencies only:

• Docufide by Parchment
• National Student Clearinghouse
• AVOW
• Credential Solutions Transcripts Network
• Scrip-Safe

All electronic transcripts should be sent to admisstranscripts@sa.utah.edu.

Documents submitted for admission become the property of the University of Utah and cannot be returned.

Failure to provide final academic credentials, including proof of degrees received, will cause a registration hold to be placed on your record, which will keep you from registering for your second semester until all missing credentials are received.

Become familiar with the registration process of the University of Utah.

• You will find registration information and class schedules at the Registrar’s Office website.
• You will also find the academic calendar at the Registrar’s website, which will assist you in meeting all appropriate registration deadlines.
• Talk with your academic program advisor for questions related to program requirements.

Check on deadlines for financial assistance through the Graduate Fellowships Office, (801) 581-6020, and/or the Financial Aid Office, (801) 581-6211.

Check on housing opportunities through the Office of Housing and Residential Education, (801) 587-2002, or University Student Apartments, (801) 581-8667.

Set-up your UMail account

All students have access to a UMail university email account. This is the official account the university will use to contact students. Log in to UMail at www.umail.utah.edu. It is recommended that new users create an email alias that follows a firstname.lastname@utah.edu format. Note: UIT has migrated student UMail accounts to Exchange Online, a cloud-hosted messaging application part of Microsoft Office 365.

University Information Technology (UIT)

Re-admittance to a Philosophy Graduate Program

Graduate School Policy states that graduate students are required to maintain continuous registration and must acquire permission from their Graduate Department for a "Leave of Absence" before leaving the University. A graduate student who fails to register for a term (excluding summer term) and does not file for a leave of absence is immediately made ineligible to register for future terms.

• Continuing students that have been discontinued will be required to apply for readmission into their graduate program.
• If you are a previous graduate student that did not maintain continuous registration in your academic program, you must reapply through Slate  . Begin the Slate application process.

Continuous Registration and Leaves of Absence

An offer of acceptance is valid only for the semester the applicant is admitted. If an applicant does not attend during their admitted term, the applicant must reapply and pay the application fee before the  deadline for the semester they wish to begin.

Once admitted and enrolled, graduate students are required by Graduate School policy to maintain continuous registration during the academic year of fall and spring semesters.

• If a graduate student must “stop out,” he/she should file for a Leave of Absence through their academic program/department. Review the form that must be completed.

Students failing to maintain continuous registration and who have not been granted an official leave of absence will be discontinued in their graduate program.

Non-matriculated Students

Students who do not qualify for admission to graduate studies or non-degree-seeking students may enroll in graduate-level courses on a non-matriculated basis. Credits earned by non-matriculated students may or may not apply to a graduate degree program. Graduate programs are designed and approved by faculty committees assigned to supervise each graduate student. Decisions on accepting course credit are made initially by these supervisory committees. Only nine semester hours of non-matriculated credit, taken no more than three years prior to approval, can be applied toward a graduate degree. Non-matriculated and second baccalaureate students registering for one or more graduate level courses in their undergraduate career, will be charged graduate tuition rates for all courses taken.

Read more about how to apply as a non-matriculated student.