Graduate Program in History Admission


This year, the Department of History at Rutgers University welcomes applications in all fields for admission to our PhD program. The application deadline for students to begin the program in Fall 2024 is December 15, 2023.

The History Department ordinarily admits new students to the graduate program only in the Fall Semester of any given academic year with an application deadline of December 15th. Currently we are enrolling classes of ten to fifteen full-time students, of whom many are offered long-term funding packages. (The others typically arrive with external funding). Those interested in applying to the doctoral program, should apply on-line. The complete application consists of the application form, three letters of recommendation, official transcripts of previous academic work, a personal statement, a resume, a writing sample. All these items must be submitted electronically through the application.  GRE test scores are optional.

The Rutgers University Information Service provides online graduate admissions information, with documents on application materials, application procedures, schools and programs, costs and financial aid, minority opportunities, and recruitment activities. Potential applicants may likewise request materials via email. Consult those pages for the most accurate and up-to-date information on application deadlines, fees, and procedures.

Within the Rutgers-New Brunswick History Website, potential applicants will find complete information about all aspects of our departmental graduate program. The most detailed document is the Doctoral Program Description. Another useful page outlines the major areas of specialization in our doctoral program. These pages likewise provide a convenient guide to the relevant faculty in each area of specialization. Our website includes, in addition, a complete faculty directory, and also a graduate student directory—both of which incorporate up-to-date email addresses, should you want to write a particular professor or student for information. Finally, a good way of sampling the overall flavor of the department is to peruse the  Alumni/ae Newsletter, edited by Professor Paul Clemens (himself a former graduate director), which summarizes the activities and achievements of faculty, students, and alumni/ae and friends.

Those interested in applying, or simply exploring for further information about the history graduate program, are invited to email the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., who manages the program, including admissions.

Within the history department, the processing of applications to the graduate program normally begins in late November. All applications are carefully examined, and particular attention is paid to the quality of applicants' personal statements, writing sample(s), and letters of recommendation. Evaluation is made by the Vice-Chairperson for Graduate Education, in concert with various faculty area committees. Typically the department receives hundreds of applications per year to the doctoral program. Since only 10-15 are admitted, the competition is stiff and selection is a difficult, often agonizing process.

The Rutgers Graduate School at New Brunswick and the graduate history program offer long-term, provisionally guaranteed funding to students with strong records of academic achievement and scholarly promise. For students arriving with M.A. degrees, these are four-year packages; for students with B.A. degrees, five years of support is offered. Students admitted to the history graduate program are generally awarded an aid package.

Other Resources

Information about Graduate Study at Rutgers

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is one of America's top-ranked public research universities and an exceptional choice for graduate study. Discover the advantages Rutgers offers, including 100 graduate programs of study, sixteen graduate and graduate-professional schools, a renowned faculty, favorable costs, a diverse environment, and three regional campuses in Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick.