Applying to the MA Program

  

How to apply to the MA program in South Asian Studies:

The Center coordinates admissions with the Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

Please also check the Rackham website for information for prospective students, including estimated costs of attendance, housing, advice for international students, and other information. Follow the Admissions link on the left side bar for specific application information and instructions.

The deadline for admissions application materials is January 15, prior to the Fall or Winter term in which you wish to be admitted. Students are usually admitted for the Fall Term.

Students must use the Rackham online Application which will allow materials to be accessed by both Rackham and CSAS.

If you are unable to access the online application, please e-mail the CSAS Student Services Coordinator and provide an explanation. Rackham will handle these issues on a case-by-case basis.

Filling out the Application:

The online application requires you to select your program of study from a drop-down list in the "Preliminary Questions" section. Please select "Asian Studies: South Asian Studies Masters." It will automatically be entered on Line 14.

In addition, you will need to send accompanying materials to Rackham and to the Center.

The following should be sent to the Rackham Graduate School :

• Application fee
• One set of official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended, with undergraduate degree posted if completed.
• International applicants must also submit the Affidavit of Financial Support with supporting documentation.
• Send Rackham Materials to:
  Rackham Graduate School
  Attn: Transcripts / UM ID# (if available)
  915 E. Washington Street
  Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070

   

The following should be sent to the Center for South Asian Studies:

• A Statement of Purpose
  The Statement of Purpose should be a concise, well-written statement about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how Michigan's graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives.
• Personal Statement
  The Personal Statement should be a concise, well-written statement about how your personal background and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to
  pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan. This is not an Academic Statement of Purpose, but a discussion of the personal journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree.
• An academic writing sample, in English.  Twenty pages maximum.
• One set of official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended, with undergraduate degree posted if completed. Please request these early enough to arrive by Jan. 15.
• Three letters of recommendation on the forms included with the application- these should be from academic sources if possible. There is an option within the on-line application website to submit them electronically in addition to the application itself. If that option is used, then the letters do not need to be mailed to the Center. Please make sure your recommenders mail or submit letters in time for us to receive them by Jan. 15.
• GRE general test scores, taken within the last 5 years.(please include a photocopy of your score report with your application packet). For official transmission of GRE scores, use the University's institutional code, "1839" (in addition to sending us the copy). Please take the test early enough for us to receive scores by Jan. 15.
• TOEFL, MELAB or IELTS score (if you are not a native speaker of English). Please include a photocopy of your scores with your application packet.

Send departmental materials to:

Center for South Asian Studies
ATTN: Graduate Admissions
Suite 3603 SSWB
University of Michigan
1080 South University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106

FLAS Funding for MA Applicants:

The Center for South Asian Studies does not have its own funds for student support. However, the Center administers Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships (FLAS) for area studies and study of a South Asian language, including Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Tibetan and Urdu. For FLAS grants for Persian, please contact the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies.

FLAS application for MA applicants: All applicants for the MA program who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents should apply for the FLAS fellowship if you plan to study language in the coming year. If you are eligible, please visit the following site for detailed FLAS information and access to the online application. You also need to add a CV (curriculum vitae). Your MA application materials will be used to accompany your FLAS application as well: Transcripts, GRE scores, Statement of Purpose, and Recommendation letters. (You do not need to send extra copies of these for the FLAS.) In addition, if you have undertaken language study in the past, you should fill out the Language Report Form Part 1. Also have an instructor fill out the Language Report Form Part 2, and enclose a recommendation letter. If you have informal language experience, but no formal experience, you can indicate that on Part 1, and send that in directly.

The deadline for us to receive all FLAS application materials is 5pm, February 2. Please take steps to make sure that all of your materials will arrive at the Center no later than this date or they will not be accepted.

Contact Information:
Student Services Coordinator: Nancy Becker
Telephone: 1-734-647-8216
E-mail: nbecker@umich.edu
Fax: 1-734-936-0996

 

International Students, please note:

New international students from certain regions must be screened for tuberculosis. Screening will be offered free on the Michigan campus. Check here for more information, or send enquiries via e-mail. Students who need to be screened will also be notified via e-mail.

We want to reassure international students that a TB infection would not jeopardize a student's visa status. Health care is completely confidential. Screening will be free and treatment will have a minimal cost.