Applying
Important Announcement
2025-2026 Admissions
We regret that, due to budgetary pressures and like many departments and programs across the country, admissions to the Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies are paused for the 2025–2026 academic year.
This page will be updated as soon as we open applications for fall 2027 admission. Applicants who have already submitted their applications and paid an application fee will receive refunds as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies by email at graduate.admissions@rochester.edu.
The program enrolls 5–7 graduate students each year, and all successful applicants receive full tuition remission, and a stipend for five years. About twenty faculty members participate in the program each year, including the Visual and Cultural Studies Steering Committee, which guides the program.
The deadline for applications is January 5 for the following September. Offers of admission are sent to applicants by mid-March. There is a $70 application fee.
Along with the online application, students must submit:
- A statement of purpose (1–3 pages, single-spaced)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts
- A 15–20-page writing sample (for example: seminar paper, thesis chapter, published article)
- GRE scores (optional)
International students must also supply TOEFL, TOEFL iBT at Home, IELTS, or Duoligo scores. However, some students may qualify to waive this requirement. Please see the FAQ page on the graduate studies website for more information.
Please note that prospective students apply to the program as a whole, rather than to work directly with specific faculty members. Students usually choose their primary adviser during their second year of the program, as they are finishing up course work. We do, however, encourage prospective students to indicate which faculty you are particularly interested in working with as part of your personal statement.