NOTE: Deadline for receipt of all application materials is April 1. After that date, please contact the Department. Candidates are encouraged to submit their application materials as soon as possible in order to improve their chances for admission, assistantships or fellowships.

email: rll@rll.ufl.edu
phone: (352)392-2016 ext. 224

A. An undergraduate or MA degree(or a licenciatura) in Spanish or a closely related field, with a Grade Point Average of 3.0 (B) or better.

B. Proficiency in Spanish. All students must demonstrate oral and written proficiency in Spanish of a level that is commensurate with their career goals. Advanced courses in grammar, syntax, and stylistics are offered. Research papers, generally written in Spanish, are standard degree requirements. Study or residence abroad is encouraged, and students who wish to do so will be allowed to concentrate teaching duties to free up time to study abroad.

C. Materials to be submitted, in addition to the Graduate Application Form (and the Application for Graduate Fellowship or Assistantship, if applicable)

1. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score. All applicants must submit official GRE scores. The Florida Board of Education requires a minimum combined score of 1000 on the Verbal and Quantitative portions of the GRE for admission to any graduate program in the state. There are two important exceptions to this rule:

Exception 1. Otherwise qualified applicants with scores below 1000 may be granted conditional admission into the program. (Conditional admission requires the student to obtain a grade of B or better in the first twelve credits taken, after which the student is no longer on conditional status.)

Exception 2. If the applicant has a previous graduate or professional degree from an accredited US university in the same discipline, the GRE is not required. If the applicant has a previous graduate or professional degree from an accredited US university in a related field, then the GRE may be required at the department's discretion.

The GRE is administered periodically at many locations in the US and abroad. For information and registration, applicants should contact their local administration. N.B. Students should take the GRE in the summer or fall of the year preceding the fall semester they plan to enter the University of Florida. Later examination dates may limit the candidate's chances for fellowships or an assistantship.

2. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score Minimum required: 550.

3.TSE (Test of Spoken English or SPEAK test). To obtain a teaching assistantship, international students must also submit a minimum score of 45 on the TSE.

4. Three letters of recommendation. These should be requested from faculty members familiar with your academic work or your teaching. The University of Florida uses a standard form for letters of recommendation. It may be downloaded in pdf format, or you may fill out the form online. Please also visit the main application page at: http://gradschool.rgp.ufl.edu/students/application-and-admission.html

5. A brief typewritten letter of purpose summarizing:

• your academic and non-academic background, with special reference to the field of intended study
• goals for graduate study and your professional future;
• any other factor that could help us to evaluate your application

6. An audio tape of 5-7 minutes duration in which you speak in Spanish. You should not read from a written script. (Note: Bilingual applicants may not need to submit this tape. Please check with the graduate coordinator. Native speakers of Spanish do not have to submit the tape). On the tape, you should talk about the following topics: relevant aspects of your experiences learning Spanish, mention any experience in Spanish- speaking countries that you may have had; your reasons for applying to our program, and your plans for study at UF; what you would like to do after obtaining your graduate degree.

7. A sample of your written work in Spanish. This may be a term paper or part of a thesis, for example.

8. Certification of Financial Responsibility. International students who are admitted to the program will have to provide this in order to be granted a visa to study in the US. This Certification is not necessary to be admitted, but must be presented before an admitted student enrolls in the program. The RLL graduate secretary will be happy to mail applicants the form they are required to fill out for this Certification.

Note that financial responsibility must be proven in the amount of $23,230 to cover the first year of study. But international students who will be teaching assistants may use the stipend and tuition waivers from the assistantship to meet part of this total. Using the figures for 01-02, international students appointed in RLL at .3, and who teach in the summer term, will only have to show responsibility for $355. Those appointed at .5 will not have to show any additional responsibility at all. Students given a Grinter Supplemental Award or other grant may deduct the amount of the award from any financial responsibility they have to meet.

For further information on the Financial Responsibility requirement, see: http://www.reg.ufl.edu/brochures/internat.html.

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