Admissions and Aid

LAILAC-3_1 Students group picture

An overview of the admissions process and financial aid offered for the Ph.D. Program in Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures can be found below. We also encourage prospective students to visit the Office of Admissions and the Office of Fellowships and Financial Aid

Learn more or apply online

Admissions Overview

Application Deadline and Timeline
January 1
Students can expect to hear about the status of their application by the second week of March.

  • Completed application
  • Statement of purpose - should give a reasoned account of the academic achievements and interests of the candidate to date and his/her intellectual plans for the future within the field of Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures studies. An awareness of the specific research strengths of the faculty of The Graduate Center would also be welcome.
  • CV
  • Writing sample - should be a piece of scholarly prose (between 4,000 and 7,000 words) in some branch of the field of Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures. It should not be journalistic in nature or works of fiction. 
  • GRE - NoteGRE is currently suspended for 2021 applications.
  • Prior academic transcripts
  • Two letters of recommendation

Tuition and Fees

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 »

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.

Fellowships and Financial 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 for doctoral students includes:

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

 

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 »