Admission

The Graduate College considers for admission only those applicants who hold, or will be granted at the end of the current academic year, a baccalaureate, MA, or equivalent degree comparable to that granted by the University of Illinois, and whose admission average is at least 3.0 (A=4.0). Admission averages are computed from the last sixty hours of undergraduate work and any graduate work completed. GRE scores are required for all student, TOEFL scores for foreign students. Learn how to apply online here.

Students applying to the Department are expected, in addition to the Graduate College requirements, to have had a minimum of three (preferably four) years of college-level Russian, or comparable proficiency, as well as course work in Russian literature. If a student plans to specialize in a language and literature other than Russian, comparable coursework is expected.

To be admitted, students who are not native speakers of English must take and pass the TOEFL examination (Test of English as a Foreign Language). They may be required to take, after enrolling, additional English language courses in the Division of English as an International Language.

Teaching Assistantships, Fellowships, and Research Assistantships

The UIUC Slavic department places special emphasis on the teaching and mentoring of graduate students. The language coordinator oversees the orientation and training of teaching assistants, who receive close individual attention through classroom observation and regular meetings. Teaching assistants attend pedagogy conferences with support from the department and the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center . Most students admitted to the program receive teaching assistantships which include all levels of Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, Serbian and Croatian, Bulgarian, Yiddish, and Turkish. There are also opportunities to teach undergraduate literature and culture courses.

The Slavic department is able to offer university fellowships and research assistantships to some incoming and continuing graduate students. The Foreign Language Area Study (FLAS) fellowship administered by the Russian, East European and Eurasian Center has consistently provided our graduate students with funding for both introductory and advanced training in Slavic languages. University scholarships are available to minority students. UIUC also offers competitive on-campus and off-campus dissertation fellowships.

For priority consideration for financial aid, students applying to enter in the Fall of 2008 should complete their application by January 15, 2008.

GRE scores are required for all students applying to the program; TOEFL scores are also required for international students. Please note: According to the UIUC Policy Statement regarding appointment of Non-Native Speaking Graduate Students as Teaching Assistants, updated March 1, 1997, all non-native English speakers of English who are candidates for classroom teaching assistantships must take the SPEAK test or Test of Spoken English (TSE) and receive a score of 50 or higher. If this policy applies to you, please take the test before coming to the United States .