Apply to KU Anthropology!

Graduate Admission Information

Required Materials

Applications must include:

• a completed Online Application Form
  • on the Program Information page, Anthropology is listed under "Social and Behavioral Sciences" in the Academic Area of Interest menu
  • select Anthropology MA as the program if you only intend to work toward the master's degree
  • select Anthropology PhD if your ultimate goal is a PhD, regardless of whether you will enter the program with a master's or only a bachelor's degree
• A resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
• A writing sample of your best academic work
• A personal statement describing your academic objectives and professional goals that clearly indicates the disciplinary track of interest (i.e., archaeology, biological anthropology, or sociocultural anthropology)
• Scanned copies of official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate study completed
  • Applicants who have attended KU are not required to upload a KU transcript
• Three letters of recommendation from faculty members or others with whom you have worked and who know your work well
• Applicants who wish to be considered for departmental financial support (GTA or GRA positions, fellowships, etc.) should clearly state this in the personal statement
• Non-native English speakers must also provide proof of English proficiency. Please refer to KU Graduate Studies English Proficiency Requirements for specific score requirements. 
• Applicants who are interested in working with a particular faculty member should reach out to them via email in advance of applying.

GRE scores are not required. Applicants who wish to have their GRE scores considered should request ETS submit their official score report to the University of Kansas using institution code 6871.

To be admitted, two KU Anthropology faculty members must be identified who could serve as the applicant's primary and secondary advisors. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to the faculty members prior to applying in order to establish interest and determine whether they would be a good fit with the advisors’ research expertise. Applicants do not need to submit written confirmation from these faculty as part of their application; they will be identified by the department during the selection and admissions process.

Application Fees

Domestic: $65

International: $85

If you are a current McNair Scholar, you are eligible for an application fee waiver and can indicate as such on the application. The waiver will be applied to your application once you have indicated your status. 

A limited number of application fee waivers are available for other students, including domestic applicants who completed their first bachelor's degree no more than eight years ago. To request a fee waiver, please submit the online fee waiver request form or contact Graduate Coordinator Corinne Butler no later than November 6, 2024. 

Deadlines

The deadline for Fall graduate applications is December 1 of the preceding year. (If December 1 falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be the next business day.) Spring/summer admission is not offered. Completed application files received by this date will be considered for all forms of financial assistance including nomination by the department for University awards and graduate teaching assistantships for the coming academic year. Late applications will not be accepted.

Funding

The Department of Anthropology is committed to providing 4 year funding packages to admitted PhD students. Up to 2 years of funding may be available to MA-only students. Completed application files received by December 1 will be considered for all forms of financial assistance including nomination by the department for university awards and graduate teaching assistantships for the coming academic year. Most of our graduate students are funded through a multi-year funding package comprised of graduate teaching assistantships. If eligible, students may also be funded through a combination of graduate teaching assistantships, graduate research assistantships, and fellowships. Please see Graduate Funding for more details on types of funding available. 

Non-native English speakers must also provide proof of English proficiency in order to be eligible for funding as graduate teaching assistant. For more information, see KU Graduate Studies English Proficiency Requirements under the Employment heading.

The KU Department of Anthropology recognizes that we are on the traditional territories of the Wazhazhe Manzhan (Osage), Washtáge Monzhán (Kaw/Kansa) & Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux). Lawrence is home to many Indigenous people from across what is now called the United States. Specifically, the University occupies land ceded in an 1825 treaty with the Kaw Nation and a later treaty with the Shawnee enforced in 1854.