FAQs

Begin by reading the Applicant Handbook. The best thing you can do is plan in advance to present a complete and good quality application. This means doing a little research on the web or in the library to find out who the faculty are and to think about how their interests line up with yours. Prepare for TOEFL or IELTS tests and leave yourself enough time for a re-test if you feel you have not done your very best. In this same vein, start well in advance contacting current and previous institutions about submitting transcripts. We cannot consider your application without them. Think about who you will ask to write letters of recommendation for you. Try to get at least two of the letters from academic sources (e.g., a current or former professor). Finally, use the resources available on our website (especially the Application Checklist and the Graduate Application Handbook) to keep track of the supplemental materials required to complete your application.

In submitting your application, a clear, concise Statement of Purpose outlining your professional, intellectual, and research interests and career goals and how they connect to the professional and intellectual commitments of anthropology is crucial. Take time in preparing this statement and try to include some assessment of how your interests connect to the interests of the faculty. (This is different from the Personal Statement, which is also required.)

It varies across subfields, but approximately 7 years. We do not offer a terminal Master’s program.

Maybe – you will need to speak to the Department’s Graduate Chair once you are admitted to see if your Master’s degree can be declared relevant towards our program. However, you should be aware that possessing a relevant Master’s will most likely not reduce your time to degree in our program.

No, a student can apply to our program with either a Master's or a Bachelor's degree. Those with a Master's are reviewed in the same applicant pool as those with a Bachelor's degree.

All application materials should be submitted through Rackham Graduate School’s online application. Official transcripts should not be sent to the Department of Anthropology but should be sent to Rackham.

When you submit your online application, it will be available to both Rackham and the Department automatically. There is no need to send your application or application materials to the Department. That includes your Academic Statement, Personal Statement, and writing sample(s) that are uploaded to your CollegeNET online application. Letters of recommendation should also be submitted online by the recommender.

Transcripts should be uploaded with your online application. Scan the front and back of your transcripts and upload it with your online application. Applicants who are attending or graduated from a U.S. Institution: Submit a transcript for each Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, or Doctoral degree earned or in progress. Do not submit any transcripts from a community or junior college, non-degree, or study abroad coursework.

International applicants: International students must submit official transcripts by the application deadline to ensure timely processing of your application. If you are an international student, please submit English translations as well.

Domestic applicants: Domestic applicants can submit final official transcripts with your graduate application or after you are recommended for admission. Although official transcripts are strongly preferred, unofficial transcripts can be uploaded with your application. This is only for domestic applicants. If you do not submit a final official transcript with your grad application, you will be required to submit it to Rackham Graduate School if you are recommended for admission.

Visit Rackham Graduate School's website for more information about transcripts. 

We find that these letters are written in vague and general terms in order to satisfy a large audience. Our admissions committee is looking for reference letters that speak in specific terms of the student’s strengths in academia, Anthropology, potential for graduate work, and to all of your other various talents. We have found that letters from services, such as Interfolio, do not make the student stand out as individually created letters of recommendation do, thus hindering your chances of admission.

No, we cannot. Only you, the applicant, can log back into your online application account and resend the information to your recommenders. If that does not work, then you need to contact CollegeNET directly, as only they are able to troubleshoot their system.

For “Topical Interest” we’re looking for a listing of the topics you are interested in (i.e. gender, ethnicity, kinship, etc.), and for “Area Interest” we’d like information on the geographic area you are interested in (i.e. Latin America, the Middle East, Nepal, etc.) – general and/or specifics. You don’t need to write an essay here – just “bullet point” some of your main interests.

We do not send confirmation from the Department when your application is complete, but we will notify you if any required supplemental materials are missing from your application. You should receive a confirmation from the online application system when your actual application is submitted successfully.

Please be aware that the online application system automatically closes down after the deadline and will not accept application materials after December 15. All supplemental materials should have been submitted online by the December 15 deadline – this is the only way to fully ensure that your application is complete for faculty review. We will consider the acceptance of late materials on a case-by-case basis and will notify applicants when a decision is reached.

Since the entire University will be closed during this time period, there will be no one available to answer questions regarding the admission process. However, since our application deadline is December 15, we would expect to have all your application materials well in advance of this closure. We will return all phone calls and emails once we return the first week in January. Also, please be advised that no decisions will have been made during this time period, and even when decisions are made, we are unable to divulge this information.

Applicants will be notified of decisions in mid to late February.

If you believe you qualify for an application fee waiver, send an email to anthro.grad.program@umich.edu providing proof and an explanation of your eligibility based on the following:

1. You have a record of superior academic achievement;

2. You are U.S. citizens or permanent residents; AND must meet one or more of the following:

• Come from an educational, cultural or geographic background that is underrepresented in graduate study in your discipline in the United States or at the University of Michigan;
• Have demonstrated a commitment to diversity in the academic, professional, or civic realm through their work experience, volunteer engagement, or leadership of student or community organizations. By diversity, we mean efforts to reduce social, educational or economic disparities based on race, ethnicity or gender, or to improve race relations in the U.S.;
• Have experienced financial hardship as a result of family economic circumstances;
• Are a first generation U.S. citizens or first generation in your family to graduate from a four‐ year college. 

Fee waivers are also available for international students under similar guidelines, besides needing to be a U.S. Citizen.

Please keep in mind that race, ethnicity, gender, or national origin may not be used as a criteria for requesting an application fee waiver.

We typically offer a five year funding package to incoming students. Given that the program time to completion is about 7 years, we strongly recommend that all applicants seek external funding – for instance, through fellowships and grants. For ideas on where to find funding, you can browse the Funding Resources section of our website, our Student Support Handbook, and Rackham’s Funding Resources.

No, funding decisions are made along with admissions decisions and your application and supplemental materials are sufficient – except for FLAS funding. If you want to be considered for FLAS funding, you must submit a FLAS application along with supplemental materials. See the International Institute for more information regarding how to apply for FLAS.

This ONLY applies to international applicants; please do NOT submit financial information at the time of application. If you are recommended for admission by the Department of Anthropology and Rackham approves the admission, you will be notified by Rackham to submit the Affidavit of Financial Support for International Students along with the required financial documentation.

We allow admitted applicants to defer admission for one year by notifying the Department’s Graduate Program Administrator (anthro.grad.program@umich.edu). You will then need to submit your matriculation decision by the following April, at the latest. If you have been offered funding and choose to defer, you will not necessarily receive funding the following year. 

Faculty may be contacted via email if you are interested in speaking with them about your interest in the program. Faculty email addresses are available here. There will be an opportunity for those who are accepted into our program to visit, in March, during Recruitment Weekend. Attendees will find out first-hand about the life of a graduate student in our Anthropology program, will have some one-on-one time with faculty, and will meet current graduate students.