Requirements

The application requirements on this page are minimum requirements, and many programs may have additional requirements. Always check with the program you are applying to -- you can start on our Program Admissions Requirements page. You can also learn more about our evaluation process here.

1. Transcripts

As part of the online application, upload a scanned transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended, present school included. (This requirement applies to applicants who are or were enrolled at Emory.)

• The transcripts must be issued by the registrar’s office.  Unofficial copies issued to the student are fine.
• We will not accept printed web pages from the University’s student information system. If you submit this, the processing of your application may be delayed.
• If you want to upload an electronic transcript issued by your registrar's office, make sure we can open that document without passwords or other security information.  If your electronic transcript has security features, you can print it, scan it, and then upload the scanned version — this will remove security features like passwords or expiration dates.

Please do not send us transcripts, either by mail or email. For your application, we accept only transcripts attached to your online application. Later on, if you are admitted and accept, then you will need to submit official copies (sealed or sent to us directly from a university registrar).  Until then, submit only the transcripts you attach to the online application.

Two special considerations apply mainly to international applicants:

• Transcripts must be in English, or be accompanied by notarized translations (please upload both the original and the translation, combined into one file).
• Applicants with transcripts from international institutions may want to consider submitting credential evaluation reports; some programs strongly encourage such evaluation reports. For details, see our page for International Applicants.

By the start of your first semester, one transcript must show that you have been awarded a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution. If you are still enrolled and studying for your Bachelor's degree, we realize that the transcripts you upload cannot yet show this.

2. Statement of Purpose

Check the website of the program you are applying to: many programs have specific instructions for the statement of purpose. Unless the program asks for something different, the statement should incorporate the following:

• A brief intellectual autobiography describing your academic interests and how they developed.
• The special area of interest or particular problems, theories, movements, periods, etc., upon which your study would focus.
• A description of tentative plans for research, either specific problems or general areas in which you hope to work.
• A description of your research experience, including your role and the extent to which you were independently involved in the research.
• An explanation of how your past experience, academic training or research experience has prepared you to pursue graduate work in your area of interest.

The statement is uploaded as part of the online application process.

3. Resume/CV

Your resume or CV should highlight relevant experience. You may wish to include:

• academic awards and honors, including honors projects;
• independent research experiences;
• publications and presentations;
• volunteer and extra-curricular experience;
• internships and work experience; and
• membership in professional and academic organizations.

The resume or CV is uploaded as part of the online application process.

4. Letters of Recommendation

We require three letters of recommendation from people familiar with your academic performance. Many programs allow you to submit one additional letter.

Contact your recommenders well ahead of time and make sure they are aware of and can meet your application deadline. Your application is not complete until the letters have been submitted.

You request the letters as part of the online application process, and recommenders submit them online. You can send requests for letters of recommendations before you submit the final application. If a recommender is unable to use this system, contact the program you are applying to for instructions.

Our online system can accept letters of recommendation delivered through Interfolio and similar services. Our system asks questions only the recommender can answer, but they are optional and an Interfolio or similar service can bypass them. 

5. Application Fee

Our application fee is $75. The fee is non-refundable, and can be paid by credit card as part of the online application.  We offer some fee waivers.

6. Diversity Statement

The Laney Graduate School strives to create and strengthen an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually challenging environment that embraces difference in service to the global good. This commitment is captured in our Vision and Mission Statements.

As we consider applications for admission, we strive to build a community of scholars who possess the skills, mindset, and dedication to excel academically, contribute to their fields, and positively impact society. We believe that a holistic evaluation process ensures that we select the most exceptional applicants who align with our programs’ values and have the potential to make meaningful contributions to their chosen field and society. The holistic review also allows our faculty to ensure scholars are likely to succeed and thrive at Emory and will meaningfully advance the educational experiences of their peers and teachers in support of mission aims.

The Emory community is open to all who have a commitment to the highest ideals of intellectual engagement, critical inquiry, and integrity. We welcome a diversity of gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, disabilities, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, religious, national, and international backgrounds, believing that the academic and social energy that results from such diversity is essential to advancing knowledge, addressing society’s most pressing issues, and attending to the full spectrum of human needs in service to the common good.

We would also add socioeconomic level, first generation graduate student status, undergraduate experience, geographical location, political affiliations, veterans’ status, age, family structure and life experiences. At Laney Graduate School, everyone has a story about diversity and inclusion because no two life experiences are the same.

Diversity can be measured in part by an individual’s perseverance, grit, resilience, self-awareness, and collaboration skills.

We encourage you to submit a brief diversity statement to articulate how your experiences will provide a unique perspective and/or willingness to engage in activities that would enhance campus diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts. The statement should describe how your experiences demonstrate your commitment and ability to engage with issues of diversity and inclusion and should also discuss how those commitments might be reflected during your time in graduate school and in your potential career aspirations.

Your statement should be no longer than 500 words.

7. Program Specific Requirements

Most programs have specific requirements for their applications. Visit our Program Admissions Requirements page, and of course the website of the program you are interested in applying to.

Updated September 11, 2023