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Why study at Northwestern?
The Department of Anthropology offers graduate students varied and rich educational opportunities:
- Connections to interdisciplinary programs in the University and opportunities to participate in an interdisciplinary learning cluster.
- Ongoing field research projects and archaeological excavations around the world.
- Professional training in research design, grant preparation and teaching.
- Opportunities for study at major Chicago-area universities, laboratories
and museums. Joint research with Chicago’s Field Museum exists studyingarchaeology of complex societies and urban anthropology focusing on Chicago culture, communities and social change. - Financial aid packages.
Review enrollment, admissions, and placement statistics for the department.
Ph.D. Program application materials
The application form for Fall 2026 admission is now open.
Apply by submitting the following materials via the online application by the December 1, 2025 deadline:
- The Graduate School Application
- An academic statement (1000 word max) answering the following questions: what are your academic interests, why do you wish to pursue graduate studies in our department, how has your academic and professional background prepared you for graduate study, and how will our program help you achieve your intellectual and professional goals? Please include mention of any research, training, or educational experiences you have that would be relevant to our program;
- A personal statement (250 word max) Pivotal experiences, opportunities, and/or challenges that have influenced your educational and professional development. Leadership experiences, community outreach, service initiatives, or research projects you have participated in or plan to pursue that aim to positively impact others or the broader community. Anything you would like to share with the admissions committee that you have yet to discuss in other areas of the application can be addressed here. This may include any gaps in your academic and professional experience, or additional context if you believe your academic record does not demonstrate your true capabilities;
- Transcripts (from all universities attended)
- Letters of Recommendation
- Writing Sample (desirable but not required)
- Curriculum Vita (desirable but not required)
- GRE Scores are not required, submission is optional
- TOEFL, IELTS or MET exam scores (required for all International/non-native English speaking applicants)
- To be considered official the exam must have been taken no more than two years prior to September 2026,
- TOEFL minimum = 90; IELTS minimum = 7; MET minimum = 61
- Rules governing exemptions from this requirement are detailed at the bottom of this page
Additional details from Northwestern's Graduate School about the application (including further details on the TOEFL/IELTS/MET requirement, transcript submission, application fees, etc.) can be found on The Graduate School's website.
PLEASE NOTE:
All FEE WAIVER REQUESTS are submitted as part of the online application form. The Department of Anthropology relies solely on the Northwestern Graduate School’s fee waiver program. We do not have the funding to offer fee waivers and have no fee waiver codes of our own to distribute either to domestic or international applicants.