Thank you for your interest in the SLAT Ph.D. program. To find out the specifics of the program, please look at http://slat.arizona.edu/home/ph-d-in-slat/ Please note that the SLAT Ph.D. program is not an online or remote program.
Applicants to the SLAT Ph.D. program do not need to secure a faculty advisor before applying to the SLAT Ph.D. program. SLAT students at the University of Arizona typically do not finalize who their faculty advisors are until after they have completed their SLAT Ph.D. coursework.
The SLAT program uses an online application that can be accessed through the University of Arizona’s Graduate College Application portal. The SLAT application requests many details and documents about your academic, personal, and professional trajectory. Please know that you can log in and out of the system as you prepare your materials for submission, and the information you have already uploaded will be saved with your partially completed application each time. You may continue updating and changing your information until you pay the application fee and make the final submission of your materials. Please note that once your application is submitted, materials that were uploaded to your application cannot be edited or removed.
Graduate College Application Portal
By clicking on this link, you will be taken to the University of Arizona’s Graduate College application portal. Please follow the instructions to create a username and password. Once in the system, you will need to choose the following options:
- For Campus: University of Arizona - Main
- Location: Tucson
- Program Category: Degree Seeking
- Program of Study: Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (PHD)
After choosing these options, you will then be directed to our online application. In addition to answering questions within the application, you will also need the following documents to upload to the application:
- A current CV, written in English
- Unofficial academic transcripts for bachelors and masters programs, and transcripts for any other coursework taken after high school (English translations must be provided if original transcripts are in a different language)
- An academic writing sample, which must be single-authored and written in English
- A statement of purpose, written in English
- GRE scores
- A list of background courses taken in Linguistics-related fields and SLA-related fields, written in English
- For international students, current English proficiency scores
- Contact information for 3 recommenders who can provide letters of recommendation for the applicant. Letters of recommendation must be written in English.
Funding and Financial Information
Part of the SLAT application includes questions regarding your interest in funding through a Graduate Associate in Teaching (GAT) position. If your application is chosen for admission, relevant materials (your CV, letters of recommendation) will be forwarded to the appropriate hiring department for review. A small number of fellowships may be available. Please note that funding departments may not finalize with SLAT how many open GAT positions they'll have available until after the application deadline has passed. Decisions regarding GAT positions and fellowship support are made by the SLAT Executive Council after admissions decisions have been made.
The non-refundable application fee for international applicants and domestic applicants is $90.00 USD, to be paid at the end of the online application process.
GRE, TOEFL, IELTS Information
For international students who need to submit proof of English language proficiency, the University of Arizona and the SLAT program accept TOEFL and IELTS scores. If you are not able to take the TOEFL or IELTS, please contact GIDP-SLAT@arizona.edu. Minimum required scores for the TOEFL and IELTS can be found through this linked page.
Applicants to the SLAT Ph.D. Program are asked to use a specific GRE and TOEFL code. The GRE and TOEFL codes are:
- Institution code: 4832 (University of Arizona)
- Department code: NOT NECESSARY.
Please do not indicate a departmental code for your SLAT application. Your scores will be received and processed centrally by the University of Arizona Graduate College and then associated with your application by name. Please be sure the name you list on your testing materials and in your application materials is the same.
If you need to submit IELTS scores, please send them directly to the University of Arizona Graduate College.
Application Deadline
Applications for admission open in May each year, and are due on December 15 each year for admission for the following August. (Example: To apply for Fall 2025 admission, the application for SLAT opened in May 2024 and is due by December 15, 2024.) All applications and materials must be submitted by December 15 in order to be considered for admission. In-progress applications will not be evaluated.
Timelines for Decisions
The SLAT Admissions Committee does not review submitted applications until after the application deadline passes on December 15. The Admissions Committee aims to have the first round of decisions sent out by mid-February each year, although this is not a guaranteed timeline and is dependent on budget updates from the University. Please note that some applicants are placed on a waitlist, and the SLAT Office strives to let all waitlisted applicants know as soon as possible if their position on the list changes.
The University of Arizona is a signatory to the Council of Graduate Schools Resolution that no student can be required to accept an offer of financial support prior to April 15 of each year. This means that any applicants who are offered admission and funding support in the first round of decisions have until April 15 to let us know their decision, although we encourage letting the program know as soon as possible so that we can update our waitlists accordingly. For applicants who are on waitlists, please be aware that admissions and funding offers may come after the April 15 deadline, once the program receives decisions from first-round applicants.