Application Deadlines

• Fall semester: the deadline for receipt of ALL application materials is January 1.
• Spring semester: the deadline for receipt of ALL application materials is September 1.

Application Materials

Submit the following application materials by the application deadline.

1. Graduate Division Required Documents
   1. Graduate Admissions Application and $100 application fee
   2. The GRE is optional, but we strongly encourage PhD applicants to submit their GRE scores. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) code for UHM is 4867.
   3. TOEFL or IELTS Scores (for applicants whose native language is not English): Scores cannot be older than 2 years. Official scores must be sent directly to Graduate Division Student Services. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) code for UHM is 4867.
      • The departmental minimum for the TOEFL score is 600/100 (paper/internet). The department minimum for the IELTS score is 7.00.
      • The minimum TOEFL scores for teaching assistantship applicants is 600/100 (paper/internet), with subtest scores of 25 for listening and 25 for speaking. The minimum IELTS scores for teaching assistantship applicants is 7.00.
   4. Transcripts: One transcript is required from each post-secondary institution attended, including any study abroad or exchange programs, summer programs, and non-degree work and extension programs.
   5. Official transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution(s), or in sealed institutional envelopes if submitted with the application, to:

Graduate Division
2540 Maile Way
Spalding Hall 354
Honolulu, HI 96822

2. Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL) Required Documents

Starting from June 1, 2017, all EALL materials must be submitted via the Graduate Application Supplemental Documents Upload Website which can be accessed through the Graduate Admissions Application website.

Applicants to our graduate program are expected to have sufficient training in the language of their intended research focus, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, in order to be considered for admission to our program. Students who do not have any background in the target language or have only had initial exposure to the language are unlikely to be considered for the program.*  A specific level of proficiency in the target language and types of language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) expected for applicants differ depending on the level of the program (MA vs. PhD), the discipline (literature or language/linguistics), and the expectations of the faculty members in the language section (Chinese, Japanese and Korean).

*  While students often improve various aspects of their proficiency in the target language in our program, the primary goal of our graduate program is to train students to do academic research with the language.

1. A current Curriculum Vitae
2. 3 Letters of Recommendation: You will need to “Request a Recommendation” via the online supplemental website. Letters should address your capacity to engage in academic work at the graduate level – for this reason; letters from former faculty are generally most informative.
3. Statement of Objectives: Your statement should primarily address your current research interests (including your prior study or life experiences that have led you to these current interests), your long-term objectives for your course of graduate study, and your plans for meeting these objectives while enrolled in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at UH Manoa.
4. Writing Sample (for PhD applicants only): A completed paper produced in the major area of interest is most desirable as this will give faculty members a chance to see the applicant’s interests and research capabilities. However, the primary goal is to provide a writing sample that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to prepare and conduct research (e.g., an empirically-grounded study, or a study that draws on primary sources as evidence) to write clearly, to think analytically, and to produce a paper that follows established research conventions. A proposal, literature review, or abstract, therefore, is not a good substitute.
5. Korean for Professional MA applicants only: a completed Korean language background form
6. Optional: GRE scores (strongly recommended for PhD applicants)
7. Unofficial copy of TOEFL scores (no older than 2 years)
8. Unofficial copy of transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended, including any study abroad or exchange programs, summer programs, and non-degree work and extension programs.

*  If you would like to apply for a Graduate Assistantship Application, download the application at this link and submit it through the Graduate Application Supplemental Documents Upload Website. Your admission recommendation letters will be considered for your teaching assistant application.

* For more information about the Korean for Professionals (Korean flagship) MA program, please refer to here.

If you have any questions, contact Cherry Lacsina at clacsina@hawaii.edu or 1(808) 956-2069.