Graduate Admissions Procedures

To all applicants to graduate programs in the Department of Second Language Studies:

The following steps and procedures apply to all applicants to the following degree programs, except where noted as specific differences between programs (as in the case of distinct standardized test requirements between the MA, AGCSLS, and Ph.D. programs):

     Master of Arts in English as a Second Language (M.A.)
     Advanced Graduate Certificate in Second Language Studies (AGCSLS)
     Doctor of Philosophy in Second Language Studies (Ph.D.)


There are two aspects to your admission process. You are applying both:

     1) for admission as a graduate student to UH, and
     2) for admission to one of the Department of SLS graduate programs (and perhaps for
     financial aid from the Department)

You submit the forms for 1) admission as a graduate student to the Graduate Division of UH, meeting their deadlines. This may be done (preferably) on-line, or by downloading a copy of the application forms at http://www.hawaii.edu/graduatestudies/admissions/html/admissions.htm. Hard copies of the application forms are no longer available by mail. If forms are downloaded, they should be sent to the Graduate Division at the following address, along with various other material listed later in this document:

     Graduate Admissions Office,
     2540 Maile Way, Spaulding 354
     Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822, USA

You obtain the forms in 2) relating to the SLS Department program from the SLS Department office or from our website, and you return them to our office, meeting our deadlines. Materials which are sent to our SLS Department office go to the following address:

     Department of Second Language Studies
     1890 East-West Road, Moore 570
     Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822, USA


OBTAINING FORMS

The most convenient way for you to obtain the required materials from the Department and the Graduate Division is via the web. However, if you cannot obtain the forms in this way, you can write to the Department and we will mail you a complete set of department materials in hard copy. Departmental forms are available online at: http://www.hawaii.edu/sls/?link=forms.


STEPS TO FOLLOW WHEN APPLYING
  1. Submit a University of Hawai'i Graduate Admissions Application on-line. All the required application instructions are on the Graduate division website:

    http://www.hawaii.edu/graduatestudies/admissions/html/admissions.htm

    You can apply directly on-line, without using a paper application, or you can download a paper application. If you cannot apply on-line or download an application, you can request the forms via our Department website or writing to the Department. (See above.)

  2. Obtain the Department of SLS letter of reference forms and the application for financial aid. Download these forms from:

    http://www.hawaii.edu/sls/index.php?link=forms.

    You can also request these forms in hard copy via our website or by writing to the Department. (See above.) These forms are NOT available from the Graduate Division.

  3. Obtain and review Department of SLS admissions procedures and program information. You can read this information on our website http://www.hawaii.edu/sls/. Click on the appropriate program (M.A., Ph.D., AGCSLS). You can also download a printable version of the brochure or request a hard copy via our website. Or, you can write the Department and ask for a brochure. (See above.)

  4. Prepare to take the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE-General) and/or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). No other tests are required (such as the TSE, TWE, or others);
    1. contact the Educational Testing Service at www.gre.org or www.toefl.org, respectively.
    2. the University of Hawai'i & Department of SLS codes for these tests are R4867, 3907 for the GRE, and 4867, code 99 (for "other") for the TOEFL.
    3. all applicants to the Ph.D., and native English speakers applying to all programs, are required to submit GRE scores.
    4. non-native English speakers applying to the M.A. and AGCSLS should submit TOEFL test scores; it is also advised that Ph.D. applicants whose native language is not English submit TOEFL scores. [Whether or not non-native applicants have completed degrees at English-speaking institutions is not relevant to this decision. The Department of SLS requires some standardized test score.]

  5. Request letters of recommendation from three or more individuals who know your academic and professional abilities. These should be sent by the writers of the letters in sealed envelopes directly to:

         Department of SLS.
         1890 East-West Road, Moore 570
         Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822, USA

  6. Request one official copy of transcripts from all institutions where you have studied, and official translations of them into English if not in English, to be sent in a sealed envelope to the:

         Graduate Admissions Office
         2540 Maile Way, Spaulding 354
         Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822, U. S. A.

  7. Prepare a statement of purpose. The Department of SLS prefers a statement of approximately 5 double-spaced pages documenting relevant experiences and training, professional goals, areas of research interest, and so on. If the statement is slightly longer or shorter, that is not a problem.

  8. Submit the Graduate Admissions application form, along with your application fee, as early as possible, but postmarked no later than the dates indicated below:

    Program Fall Semester Spring Semester
    PhD January 15 September 1
    MA March 1 September 1
    AGCSLS January 15 September 1

         Graduate Admissions Office,
         2540 Maile Way, Spaulding 354
         Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822, U.S.A.

    IMPORTANT NOTE TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
    Regarding Submission of
    “Confidential Financial Statement for International Applicants”


         This form, part of the application packet, must be submitted completely filled out. All applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must meet certain financial eligibility criteria in order to qualify for a student visa. The Department of SLS and University of Hawai‘i are usually unable to provide sufficient additional financial support if a student does not demonstrate adequate independent personal funds. The “Confidential Financial Statement” available in the Graduate Admissions Application must be completed as fully as possible. Failure to demonstrate a sufficient amount of personal funds available, whether or not the applicant is applying for or expects to receive a Graduate Assistantship or tuition waiver, is almost always grounds for eventual denial of admission or eligibility for a visa certification, even when an applicant meets other criteria for admission.

  9. Submit the Program Supplemental Information Form to the Department of SLS at the same time. (Available at http://www.edu/sls/?link=forms

  10. Alll other materials (statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, documents concerning research, etc.) should be submitted directly to the Department of SLS, rather than to Graduate Division. These materials do NOT have to be sent or arrive by the official deadline for application forms, but they should arrive as soon as possible (see next point).

  11. Decisions on the tuition waiver awards or graduate assistantships usually follow soon after admissions decisions, although they are occasionally made several months later. The exact date is a function of the date that the Department is notified by the Graduate Division of the amount of tuition support available. The Department of SLS attempts to support as many graduate students as possible for as much of their studies as possible. However, this is always a function of University funding decisions.

    Offers of admission and tuition waiver awards to new student applicants must be acknowledged as soon as possible. Candidates are expected to notify the Department regarding acceptance of admission and/or tuition support within a month of initial notification by the Department. A formal acceptance places an ethical burden on the student to follow through, or to notify the Department of SLS if any emergency changes are required, as other applicants’ places and support are at stake.
We look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions concerning these procedures, and we hope that you can successfully apply for admission to our programs. For questions, please write to Dr. Thom Hudson, Graduate Chair, at tdh@hawaii.edu.

Checklist for submission of application documents
Graduate Admissions Application Packet To UH Graduate Division To Department of SLS
     Graduate Admissions Application Form X  
     Residency Declaration Form X  
     Confidential Financial Statement (International) X  
     Statement of Purpose from Grad. Admissions Packet [not required] [not required]
Statement of Purpose for SLS Department   X
Transcripts of studies with translations X  
Test Scores (GRE, TOEFL, using test center codes) X  
Program Supplemental Information Form   X
Letters of recommendation (3) on Department form   X
Request for Financial Support (Department form)   X
Research papers, theses, publications   X