Application Fee (Required)
$65 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
$80 for international students.
English Proficiency Test (Required)
This program uses the Graduate School's English Language Proficiency Score Requirements and Minimum Scores for Regular Admission.
Minimum Scores for Regular Admission
TOEFL iBT: 4.5 (no sub score less than 4) (or 79 for students who took the test prior to January 2026)
IELTS: 6.5 (no sub score less than 6)
Duolingo English Test: 120 (no sub score less than 110)
PTE: 59
More information is available at https://graduate.ua.edu/applicants/international-students/.
Letter of Recommendation (3 Required)
Names and institutional email addresses of three (3) referees who will submit letters of recommendation online via a link that will be sent to recommenders directly by the Graduate School. Please note that neither the Graduate School nor the Department of English can accept letters via Interfolio or Parchment.
Statement of Purpose (Required)
Your statement should give us a sense of who you are, what you seek from a writing program, and how your interests connect to what the University of Alabama’s program offers.
Transcript (Required)
Please upload an unofficial transcript for any institution of higher education at which you have completed 15 or more credit hours. Please include a grading scheme if your university does not use a letter-based (e.g. A, A-, B) grading scheme.
Writing Sample (Required)
A writing sample consists of 20-30 pages of Prose (fiction, creative nonfiction, or a combination of the two), or 10-20 pages of Poetry.
Additional Requirements (not listed) (Recommended)
Applicants must select “Prose” (Fiction/Nonfiction/Mixed Prose) or “Poetry” in the Specialty Area field of the online application and upload a writing sample as appropriate.