Components of the Complete Application
Below is a list of items that must be included to ensure a complete application package. Download and print out the Application Checklist and E-mail Communication Guide from Admission Information when collecting and submitting these materials.
- Completed application form. This can be obtained online at www.tc.edu/apply
- Application Fee. New applicants: $65; Re-applicants: $35.The application fee can be submitted online via the online application. Applicants can submit the application fee by credit card or e-check. E-check allows applicants to enter their checking or savings account information and bank's routing number. Checking account information should be drawn from a U.S. bank. All applicants should use the credit card or e-check option to pay the application fee.
- Personal Statement. The personal statement is an important part of the application review process. On a separate sheet of paper, applicants should present a carefully planned and written statement of approximately one or two pages in length describing their background, past work in the intended field of study, plans for graduate study and a professional career, or any other information they feel is relevant. Applicants who are currently registered in a graduate program at another university should explain why they wish to leave. The personal statement should be typed. If it is not possible to type it, please print or write legibly. The personal statement may also be submitted online as a part of the online application.
- Official Transcript(s). First-time applicants to the College must submit one official transcript from each college or university in which they were enrolled for any period of time, showing all courses, grades and degrees received, if any. Applicants should request that the transcript(s) be returned to them in a sealed envelope with the signature of an authorized official across the seal. Please send only ONE transcript per school attended.
Student copies of transcripts run from a university web site are not acceptable.
Under no circumstances will transcripts be returned to an applicant or forwarded to another college, university, or place of business.
All records submitted in support of an application for admission become part of a student's permanent record at Teachers College. -
Letters of Reference. Please submit two letters of reference, unless a third is required. Please refer to the "Special Application Requirements/Information" section in individual program descriptions of the Catalog or contact the Office of Admission for more information. Write the name, title, address, and telephone number of each reference in the space provided on the Application for Admission. For online applicants, recommenders may submit references online.
Letters of reference should be written by people who can comment from personal knowledge on the applicant's academic or professional qualifications for graduate study. Wherever possible, letters of reference should be submitted from academic sources. If, however, an applicant has been out of school for a number of years, s/he may substitute professional references. References written by family members or friends are not appropriate for the purposes of this application.
Recommendations being submitted in the mail should have the Recommendation Form enclosed. The Recommendation Form can be downloaded from your online application or from the "How to Apply" tab to the right. Each recommender must enclose the letter in an envelope, seal the envelope, sign across the seal, and return the envelope to the applicant. Applicants should include the envelopes, unopened, in their application package. If the person writing the reference prefers to send it directly to the Office of Admission at Teachers College, s/he may do so. If they choose not to use the form provided, the reference must be written on official letterhead and must be signed. Unsigned reference letters will not be accepted. A credentials file at a previous college or university may be submitted to fulfill the letters of reference requirement.
However, if an applicant has been out of school for five or more years, s/he should submit one additional current letter of reference.
Online Applications: References may be submitted electronically (see online instructions) or in paper (see instructions above).
Letters of reference are used for admission and scholarship review in the applicant's intended field of study only. All letters of reference are destroyed after the review process. Under no circumstance will letters of reference be returned to an applicant or forwarded to another college, university or place of business.
-
Additional Requirements. Any additional requirements an applicant needs to submit for her/his intended area of study (e.g., writing sample) must be enclosed with the application. Please refer to our Guide to Admission, the individual program information sections of the Catalog or contact the Office of Admission for more information.
-
Resume. Applicants should enclose a current resume- chronological listing of employment and other significant activities.
-
Standardized Tests. Applicants should refer to the program information in the Catalog to determine whether standardized tests such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)-General and/or Subject, Miller Analogies Test (MAT), the Test of Written English (TWE), or any other test, are required in the intended field of study. Applicants are encouraged to take any required standardized tests well before the application deadline for the program to which they are applying. Results of the GRE should not be more than five years old.
The TOEFL is required of all applicants whose first language is not English and those who have received a bachelor's degree from any country or university where English is not the official language of instruction. The results of this examination should not be more than two years old. The minimum TOEFL score required by Teachers College is 600 on the written test, 250 on the computer-based test, or 100 on the Internet-based test (102 for TESOL applicants). Applicants may obtain information on TOEFL from their local overseas educational advising center (http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearchsearchOverseasAdvCenter.jsp) or by writing to:
Test of English as a Foreign Language,
Information is available online at either http://www.ets.org or at http://www.toefl.org.
Applicants may also submit scores, not more than two years old, from the Certificate of Proficiency of English (CPE) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The minimum overall grade required on the CPE is a B or better.
An overall score of 7.0 or above is required on the IELTS. Information is available online at www.ielts.org. This exam is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP:IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. IELTS contact information is Ielts@ieltsintl.org. -
Syndicate (UCLES). Applicants may request further information about these tests from:
UCLES,
1 Hills Road,
Cambridge CB 2EU, United Kingdom.
Telephone: 01223 553311.
Fax: 01223 460278.
E-mail: guymer.1@ucles.org.uk. -
If an applicant is in
Students who require non-standard administration of the tests should consult with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities at (212) 678-3689 V/TDD for information about such accommodations.
-
Program Code. All applicants submitting a paper application should be sure to indicate the code of the program to which they are applying in the space provided in the lower left-hand corner of the return envelope. See the Guide to Admission for a list of program codes.