Submission Guidelines

1. Online Application, Application Fee, and Letters of Recommendation

Applicants must submit an online application. Consult the Office of Graduate Admissions website, and follow the link:  How to Apply.  (Please specify that you are applying to the UH MAIN CAMPUS, NOT the downtown campus.)  Application status may be checked through the ApplyWeb system once you have submitted an application. 

There is an application fee of $50, paid when you apply online. (Checks are not accepted.)
(For international students, there is an additional fee; see the system for details).

The following must be uploaded to this system in pdf format.

A.  Personal Statement: a BRIEF (less than 500 words) account of your background and interests in philosophy, along with any other information that will help us evaluate your record.

B.  Writing Sample: a paper of between 3000 and 5000 words representing your best work in philosophy.

You will also be asked for names and e-mails of three people who can write you letters of recommendation. You letter writers will be contacted electronically.

2. Test Scores and Official Transcripts

GRE scores are accepted but not required.  TOEFL scores for international students are required.  Test scores for admission should be sent to us directly from the Educational Testing Service.  Use code 6870 for reporting GRE scores.

Official transcripts are required from all undergraduate institutions that the applicant has attended. When possible, transcripts should be sent electronically.  If an institution does not allow for electronically formatted requests, the transcript must be placed in a sealed signed envelope and sent by surface mail to one of the below addresses. Some mail providers do not deliver to a P.O. Box, so the Express Mail Address may be more appropriate for use by international applicants.

Regular Mail:
University of Houston
Graduate Admissions
P.O. Box 3947
Houston, TX 77253-3947

Express Mail:
University of Houston
Graduate Admissions
4302 University Dr, Rm 102
Houston, TX 77204-2012

NOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO ARE ACCEPTED:  In order to register for courses, the registrant must have on file an official transcript showing the completion of the undergraduate degree.  Therefore for those students whose undergraduate degree will be awarded this coming May, it will be necessary to send a new official transcript showing award of the degree by August 15.

Application Deadlines (for receipt of applications, not postmark dates)

• Applications for Teaching Assistantships may be accepted as late as April 1, 2024, but for full consideration, the deadline is March 1, 2024.  (It can take some time to process transcripts, both at the sending and receiving ends, so it is wise to send in your application well before the deadline. For further information, contact the director of graduate admissions.)
• Applicants who do not wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship may submit completed applications as late as May 1, 2024. However after April 15, the department will close applications as soon as the class entering in Fall 2024 is full. Therefore, it is to your advantage to apply as soon as possible.