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How to Apply

ALL 2024 Admissions Update

Please note, the Department of Anthropology is now operating on a biannual admissions cycle, which means that we will not be accepting applications to any of our graduate prorams in Fall of 2022. We will begin accepting applications for our next round of admissions in Fall of 2023 (for Fall 2024 matriculation). If you have any questions, please feel free to be in touch with our Director of Graduate Admissions.

We anticipate that the next round of applications will be due 15 December 2023 (for studies beginning Fall 2024). All applications must be submitted online through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' admission system, accessible from the homepage of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (hover over the Admissions menu link).

The application form requires you to specify whether you are applying to the PhD or the MA degree track, and we require a statement of purpose, three recommendation letters, and a writing sample. The remaining application materials include the application form, fee, and transcripts. (We no longer require GRE scores). International students from non-English-speaking countries must also provide TOEFL or IELTS scores. The Graduate School asks applicants to upload unofficial transcripts when applying; applicants who are offered admission to our graduate program will then be asked to provide official copies of all transcripts.

For more information on the required application materials, please see the Anthropology Admissions FAQs as well as the Requirements Page on the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' admissions site.

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship

The Graduate School is featuring various research clusters as part of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship program.  Those relevant for anthropology applicants include:

  • Environmental Justice
  • Indigenous Studies
  • Race and Inequality in Higher Education
  • Precise Medicine

The program includes a set of benefits, including annual fellowship enhancement funds.

For more information about this exciting opportunity follow this link: Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship

Bridge to the Doctorate Program

As part of our commitment to diversifying Anthropology, the department will also encourage underrepresented and minority students interested in pursuing a doctorate degree in Anthropology to apply to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Bridge to the Doctorate Fellows Program for Fall 2024 enrollment.

The Program will support post-baccalaureate students from groups that are underrepresented in Anthropology and who have not had sufficient training and research experiences to prepare them for admission to a doctoral program. Through the Bridge Program, we will provide students an opportunity to prepare for admission to a graduate program in archaeological, linguistic, or socio-cultural Anthropology.

The Program provides two full years of fellowship support for students to enroll in a combination of courses, supervised research, and UVA’s intensive graduate student professional development curriculum known as “PhD Plus.” There are no teaching responsibilities.

Applicants who would like additional information regarding this program are welcome to contact Sylvia Tidey, the Faculty Liaison for Anthropology, as well as Jasmine Crenshaw, Director of Diversity Programs in the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs, Keisha John, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or China Scherz, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs.

For full information about the admissions process, please see the Graduate School's admissions information pages, accessed from the homepage of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (hover over the Admissions menu link).

For more information about this program follow this link: Bridge Fellows Program.

Waiver of Graduate Program Application Fee

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Diversity Programs is pleased to offer application fee waivers to US citizens and US permanent residents who demonstrate a financial hardship. Click here to find more information about this opportunity. (If you are an international student with a demonstrated financial hardship, click here.)