Admissions and Aid

Candidates complete the Graduate Center’s Application for Admission and provide appropriate supplemental materials including transcripts and letters of recommendation.

A writing sample is also required.

Applicants should have, or anticipate having, a bachelor’s degree. Ph.D. applicants should have a working knowledge of both Latin and Greek, demonstrated by high grades in advanced undergraduate courses and a minimum 2 years (preferably 3 or more) of college Latin or Greek or its equivalent. M.A. applicants should have a working knowledge of either Latin or Greek demonstrated by high grades in advanced undergraduate courses.

A classics major and the ability to read modern European languages are advantageous, but not required.

Applicants applying for the ancient history track should indicate that in the box marked "sub-specialty" within the field, and tailor their personal statements accordingly.

Note that the GRE requirement is currently suspended. Applicants who have already taken the exam are encouraged to submit their scores. Applicants who have not yet taken the exam and are unable to provide scores may be asked to submit additional writing samples or interviews as alternative means of assessing the qualifications typically measured by these standardized tests.

Applications are first collected and processed by the Office of Admissions and then reviewed by the Classics Program's Admissions and Awards Committee.

Learn more or apply online »

For the Ph.D. Program, up to 30 credits may be transferred from another accredited university with a graduate program in classics. The Executive Officer will review all courses proposed for transfer and decide which are appropriate. The following credits will NOT be accepted: credits counted towards an undergraduate degree; credits for independent study courses; credits for courses with grades less B+; credits for courses with “Pass/fail” grades.

For the M.A. Program, up to 12 credits may be transferred with the same restrictions as above.

Tuition rates for doctoral programs at The Graduate Center are based on a student's “level,” which is determined by a combination of the number of graduate credits completed (including, in the case of transfer students, credits accepted by the student's degree program and the Registrar) and specific academic accomplishments. 

The fee structure is also affected by a student’s resident status.

See current doctoral tuition rates »

Master’s students at The Graduate Center who are residents of New York State and registered for a minimum of 12 credits per semester will pay a flat fee for tuition. Out-of-state residents and students taking less than 12 credits will be charged on a per-credit basis.

See current master’s tuition rates »

Each student will be billed for a Graduate School student activities fee, a University student senate fee, a University consolidated services fee and a technology fee. These fees are not refundable.

Institutional Aid

Every applicant to The Graduate Center’s doctoral programs will automatically be considered for five-year institutional funding packages. The aid we offer — including fellowships, tuition awards, and assistantships — is based on merit. 

Learn more about institutional aid for doctoral students »

Federal Aid

Federal aid for doctoral students includes:

• Need-based Federal Aid
• Federal Work-Study
• Non-need-based Federal Direct Loans.

New York State also provides the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for eligible graduate students who are New York State residents.

Support for Underrepresented students

Additional funding may be available to incoming students from underrepresented populations through offerings from the Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity, including several fellowships and the CUNY Pipeline Program for undergraduate CUNY students.

Learn more about funding opportunities from OEOD »

 

While The Graduate Center does not currently offer full-tuition scholarships or additional stipends for living expenses, there are funding opportunities available to master’s students that can help cover the cost of attendance, including scholarships, federal and private loans, and federal work-study.

Learn more about financial aid for master’s students »

In addition to the institutional five-year funding packages available to all doctoral students at The Graduate Center, the following fellowship and award opportunities may be of particular interest to students in the Classics graduate programs:

• Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper from CAMWS
• Award for Outstanding Paper Presentation or Published Article from WCC
• Finnegan-Plante Scholarship for First-Time Travel to Annual Cane Conference
• Scholarships for Graduate Student Study at American Academy at Rome Summer Program
• Scholarships for Graduate Student Study at American School of Athens Summer Program
• Gennadius Library Medieval Greek Summer Session (funding available)
• Rome Prize from the American Academy at Rome ($28,000 for 1 year, only for ABD)
• Ludwig Koenen Fellowship for Training in Papyrology from SCS
• Dumberton Oaks Fellowship for Byzantine Studies (Project Grants, One-Month Research Grant, Short-Term Pre-Doctoral Residencies)
• The Janice and Herbert Benario Award for Summer Travel from CAMWS ($3,000)
• John Winkler Memorial Prize for Graduate Student Papers on Gender and Sexuality
• The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) (can be used for research at the American School of Classical Studies at Rome, American Academy at Rome)
• Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships ($30,000)
• Mellon-Center for European Studies Dissertation Completion Fellowships ($25,000)
• Mellon Fellowships for Dissertation Research in Original Sources ($25,000)
• Weatherhead Dissertation Fellowship from the School of Advanced Studies ($30,000)
• Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowships ($25,000)
• The Newcombe Dissertation Fellowships for The Study of Religion and Ethics ($25,000)
• The Woodrow Wilson Dissertation Fellowship in Women’s Studies ($5,000)
• Ford Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellowships ($25,000, underrepresented groups only)
• Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowships ($24,000, underrepresented groups only)
• Association of American University Women Dissertation Fellowships ($20,000, women only)
• Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trust Dissertation Completion ($22,000)
• Smithsonian Institute Dissertation Fellowships for Research at Smithsonian ($33,000)
• Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund for Graduate Study and Dissertation ($18,000)
• Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans ($90,000 over two years)