We are no longer accepting applications for Fall 2024. We will begin accepting applications for Fall 2025 on September 25th, 2024. 

Overview of Application Requirements

In order to attract and empower a range of applicants, our admissions committee uses a holistic admissions process to assess candidates’ potential for success in our program, rather than relying solely on metrics such as test scores and GPA.

A complete application will include the items listed below. All of these items except the official transcripts can be submitted online.

(1) online application form

(2) statement of objectives outlining research interests and how those interests align with faculty expertise (600 word maximum, double-spaced)

(3) three letters of recommendation (see details and instructions below)

(4) writing sample demonstrating your best academic work and highlighting your ability to conduct scholarly research (maximum 12 double-spaced pages)

(5) unofficial transcripts of all previous academic work (NOT web printouts. These should be unofficial copies of transcripts that were issued by the institution attended.) Official transcripts will be required upon admission and must be sent by regular mail.

Important Application Information

  • The School of Writing, Literature, and Film only accepts students to begin in Fall term. Do not select any other term on the online application form.

  • Applicants must enter either “Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture,” “Literature and Culture,” or “Film and Visual studies” as the area of concentration in the "Other Graduate Questions" section of the online application. Your selection determines how your application will be routed to the appropriate reviewers. This does not mean that you are absolutely locked into that area once you arrive at OSU; individuals occasionally do switch after arriving. But your selection at this point determines how your application will be routed to the appropriate reviewers.
  • Please note: The request for recommendation letters will not be emailed to your selected reference writers until you have submitted your application and paid the application fee.  At that time, you will also receive an email that explains how to access the Letter of Reference System to check the status of your recommendation letters, send reminders to your recommenders, or make changes to the name/email addresses of your references. You will also be notified via email when a reference is received.
  • Keep in mind, there is generally a 1-2 business day turnaround time for documents to upload to your application once you have submitted them online.
  • You are highly encouraged to log into the application system frequently to check the status of your application after you have applied.  It is your ultimate responsibility to ensure your application is complete before the deadline.

Instructions for Preparing and Submitting Materials

(1) Complete the online application at https://oregonstate.force.com/GradAppLogin.

* Note 1: You will be asked to enter your genre of concentration in the "Other Graduate Questions" section (see “Important Application Information,” above). If you are interested in the "Film and Visual Studies" concentration, select the "Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture" concentration for the application.

(2) Cut and paste your statement of objectives into the field provided in the "Other Graduate Questions" section of the online application. Please also upload a digital copy of the Statement of Objectives (.tiff or .pdf format) when you are prompted at the conclusion of the online application.

(3) The three letters of recommendation may be either submitted via the online letter of reference system or sent by regular mail to: School of Writing, Literature, and Film/Graduate Admissions/238 Moreland Hall/Corvallis, OR/97331-5302.   Letters sent by regular mail may be sent by you, in envelopes signed and sealed along the back flap, or directly to us by the recommenders. 

Most recommenders prefer the online system, as OSU will send an email to each recommender with instructions for uploading a digital copy of the recommendation. 

Please ask your recommenders to compose letters on official letterhead, whether digital or paper. Each letter should attest to your academic abilities and to your promise and potential for college-level teaching. Recommendations from non-academic employers may be submitted, but they generally carry less weight.

(4) The writing sample should reflect your best academic work in the field. Please stay inside the 12 double-spaced page maximum. The writing sample and statement of objectives must be uploaded as separate files (.tiff or .pdf format).

(5) The unofficial transcripts of all previous academic work must be uploaded as separate files (.tiff or .pdf format). Official transcripts can be sent directly to: Graduate School/Oregon State University/300 Kerr Administration Building/Corvallis, OR/97331-2106.

(6) During the course of completing the online application, applicants are asked to indicate ethnic or racial identification. Many students opt out. But because certain sources of funding and special awards, across the University, are legally designated for exceptional students in certain underrepresented groups, the School of Writing, Literature, and Film encourages potentially eligible students to self-identify.

Click to Apply

For questions about the application, please contact Molly McFerran.