Graduate Studies - Hearing and Speech Sciences
Application Information - Ph.D.
Application Deadline: January 15
The application, test scores, and all supporting materials must be received by January 15.
Admission Decisions: Approximately the first full week of March. Admission decisions will be mailed by March 15.
Response from Students: April 15
If your written response is not received by April 15, the Department has the right to rescind the offer of admission and financial award.
If your written response is not received by April 15, the Department has the right to rescind the offer of admission and financial award.
Application Fee
The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences waives the $50 dollar (US) fee when applying electronically to the Ph.D. degree program.
The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences waives the $50 dollar (US) fee when applying electronically to the Ph.D. degree program.
Mailing Address:
Admissions
Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences
Admissions
Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences
1215 21st Ave. South, Room 8310
Medical Center East, South Tower
Nashville, TN 37232
Medical Center East, South Tower
Nashville, TN 37232
Statement of Purpose
A Statement of Purpose is a required and important part of the application. The Statement should be 1 to 1-1/2 pages (single spaced). For Ph.D. applicants the statement should indicate research interests and experiences as well as long term career objectives. In the acceptance of PhD students, the faculty seeks to match research interests of applicants with individual faculty. Thus, it is appropriate as well as strongly encouraged for Ph.D. applicants to contact individual Vanderbilt faculty members in the Department of Hearing and Speech Science prior to submitting an application..
Required Materials
Transcripts/Academic information
A record of your academic performance is required for each institution you list in the “Academic Information” section of the application. This record must be “uploaded” to your on-line application. An academic record can be in the form of a scanned copy of a transcript or an academic record from the institutions’ Student Information System (SIS) Portal.
Letters of Recommendation. (three are required, up to a maximum of five can be accepted)
Letters of recommendation should be from individuals who can speak to the applicant’s academic abilities and accomplishments and likelihood of the applicant’s success in a research doctoral program.
Submitting recommendation letters electronically is the preference of our program. Our online application allows the applicant to identify their recommenders. The “system” then notifies those providers (on your behalf) by e-mail. When the electronic recommendations are submitted, they are immediately “attached” to the application. Please note: Email addresses should be proofed for accuracy before finalizing the application. If an incorrect email address is entered into the system, the recommender will not receive the request for recommendation.
If you choose not to use the electronic method, it is your responsibility to contact your recommenders and provide them with our recommendation form. Paper letters of recommendation should be sent to the postal address given above and should be received in the graduate studies office by the application deadline.
Test Scores.
Official GRE scores are required for all applicants. Official TOEFL scores are required for international applicants only. The scores should be sent to institution code 1871. The GRE Department code for this program is: 0620.
Important Note: It is the applicant’s responsibility to allow sufficient time for the ETS to score and report test results. Please refer to the ETS website (http://www.ets.org/gre) to access the Detailed Score Reporting Schedule for the GRE exam.
Special Requirements for International Applicants:
Previous Degrees
International applicants should apply only if you have four years of college (four-year degree or three-year’s plus one year of a master’s program).
International applicants should apply only if you have four years of college (four-year degree or three-year’s plus one year of a master’s program).
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Prior to consideration for admission, international student applicants for whom English is a second language must submit a report of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score. Scores should be less than two years old and above 620 (paper-based) and 260 (computer-based) to demonstrate proficiency (http://www.ets.org/toefl), or address inquiries and requests for applications to TOEFL, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
Prior to consideration for admission, international student applicants for whom English is a second language must submit a report of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score. Scores should be less than two years old and above 620 (paper-based) and 260 (computer-based) to demonstrate proficiency (http://www.ets.org/toefl), or address inquiries and requests for applications to TOEFL, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151
International students applying to or enrolling in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Proficiency in English for Coursework and Clinical Practicum
International students (whose native language is not English) who are accepted to and progressing through the program may also be required to complete an intensive English language program at Vanderbilt University during their initial semester of classes in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences or, later in their course of study, in the event that spoken English skills adversely affect academic/clinical performance. Information about Vanderbilt's English language program may be obtained at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/vio/.
Transcripts
International student applicants must supply official academic records from all colleges and universities attended including certificates, mark sheets and examination results. These may be copies of the original documents certified by an official of the institution issuing the record . If you are currently enrolled at a USA university, Vanderbilt will accept (for admission purposes only) copies of documents that may be on file at that university. Should you be admitted, you must supply the official documents described above.
Financial Resources
In order to meet requirements for entry into the USA, applicants must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to cover the cost of their education. Please be prepared to provide evidence of this funding.
ELECTRONIC APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS (https://graduateapplications.vanderbilt.edu/program_page.asp?PROGRAM_ID=242)
There are 5 steps to follow to complete your application:
STEP 1: Complete Page One. At this point your application information will automatically be entered into our database. You will then receive your unique user ID and password via email.
Please keep this information to use when logging
back into your application.
STEP 2: Complete all Required Information. If you have logged off before completing all required information, use your password and ID to access your application again. You may log off and on as often as you wish until all required information is completed.
STEP 3: Complete Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose is a required and important part of the application. The double or single spaced statement should be no less than one page, but no more than 1-1/2 pages if at all possible.
STEP 4: Upload Transcripts/Academic Information.
STEP 5: Officially Submit Your Application. Go to the last page to review the checklist of which required fields are completed and those which are not. By officially submitting your application, you will let us know it is ready for formal review. Applications cannot be edited/updated once you have completed this step.
Please note: The application is not complete and will not be reviewed by the Admissions Committee until test scores, letters of recommendation and the application fee have been received in the Graduate Studies office (by January 15).
Applicants are admitted in a pending status until the University has received official, final academic records for the individual indicating names of degree, when it was awarded, and containing the official seal of the degree-granting institution. Two “Official Transcripts” are required once an offer of admission has been made, and is accepted. “Final Official Transcripts" will be reviewed and compared to any transcript or academic record submitted/uploaded in support of your application.
Instructions to Reapply
If you have previously applied to Vanderbilt through our online application, you may reapply to another term by accessing and updating your previous record.
- To access your record you will need your User ID and password.
- Current transcripts/academic records and letters of recommendation are required
Financial Support - PhD
Most Ph.D. students in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences receive financial support, from sources such as research grants, training grants, and institutional resources. Financial awards are offered when students are notified of acceptance into the program, typically in early March. In some cases financial support is linked with specific research or teaching responsibilities, which are described in the written award offer.
For information on other sources of funding or financial aid contact:
University Office of Student Financial Aid
Note to international students:
Some of our financial assistance for Ph.D. students comes from
