Admission to the Sage School

Application Materials

Applications are available from the Cornell University Graduate School website.

Deadline for completed application: January 15 for fall admission. Detailed information about the status of the application is available once an account has been created with the Cornell Graduate School online application system. A complete application includes:

• Cornell Graduate School Application Form
• Two to Five Letters of Recommendation
• Personal Statement
• Writing Sample
• Copies of Official Transcripts
• Application Fee

[** Note that some parts of the application are to be returned to the Graduate School and others to the Philosophy Department (see below.) **]

Cornell Graduate School Application Form

The application form should be submitted in accordance with Cornell Graduate School instructions.

Two to Five Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation may be submitted online or sent directly by your recommenders to the Philosophy Department at 218 Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-3201.

Personal Statement

The personal statement may be submitted online or sent directly to the Philosophy Department at 218 Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-3201. Please make sure that your name appears on each page of your personal statement.

Writing Sample

Applicants for the Philosophy PhD are expected to submit a sample of their philosophical writing. (For advice about the writing sample see CRITERIA.) The writing sample should be submitted directly to the Philosophy Department at 218 Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-3201. Please make sure that your name appears on each page of the sample.

Copies of Official Transcripts

Copies of transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended should be sent directly to the Philosophy Department at 218 Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-320. Please make sure that your name appears on each page of each transcript.

Application Fee

A $70 application fee should be submitted in accordance with Cornell Graduate School application instructions.

Completing the Application Form

(For more information about application materials see CRITERIA.)

• Page 1: Please be sure to list an accurate e-mail address, as we will use this as our main mode of correspondence with you.
• Page 2: You do not need to list a Concentration within Philosophy.
• Page 3: We do not require standardized test scores (GRE, GMAT, etc.) for admission. We do require native-level fluency in spoken and written English. Non-native speakers will need to provide a TOEFL score to the Graduate School unless they have studied full-time for two or more years at an English-language college or university located in a country where English is the native language.
• Page 4: We typically expect two to three letters of recommendation, though we readily accept up to five or six. (See CRITERIA.)
• Page 5: All students who are admitted to Cornell�s Philosophy PhD program receive merit-based support for at least five years. (See FUNDING.) We strongly encourage applicants to apply for outside funding through foundations and other organizations.
• Page 6: One to three paragraphs is generally sufficient for the personal statement. (See CRITERIA.)
• Page 7: We encourage those students who are eligible and interested to apply for one of Cornell�s Diversity Fellowships.