Russian and East European StudiesDue to the disruption ensuing from the tragic events in Ukraine, the Penn-EUSP program is cancelling admissions for the current academic year. We offer thanks to those who applied this year for their interest in our program.
Applications to the Penn-EUSP Dual M.A. in REES Program must be made simultaneously, presenting identical materials and documents, to both Penn and EUSP.
Step One: Apply to EUSP
The EUSP application system can be accessed at the EUSP applications portal.
Step Two: Apply to Penn
The Upenn ApplyYourself admissions system and additional information about admissions are available via the website of the Graduate Division of Penn Arts and Sciences. The portal will ask you to create an account first. Following this, when you login you will be prompted to add personal and contact information. When you are prompted to choose the program to which you are applying, please select “School of Arts & Sciences, Graduate Division” and then scroll down to “Russian and East European Studies” to find this program. PLEASE NOTE: the Penn application portal will open in the coming days. We will send students who complete their EUSP applications prior to that moment an update email when the portal opens.
Admissions TImeline
February 14, 2022—application deadline
Late February/Early March—Zoom interviews for a short list of applicants. You will be contacted by email if you have been short-listed. Please ensure that your email on your application is correct! Also, please maintain flexibility in your schedule, if at all possible, over these weeks.
March 14—notification of admissions decisions
April 14—deadline to accept or decline admissions offer
Application Requirements
To Apply for the Penn-EUSP Dual M.A. in REES, students must submit:
1. A personal statement of approximately 1,200 words.The statement should:
- Explain your reasons for applying and your relevant prior educational and other experience.
- Describe the area(s) of study in which you are interested, specifying a disciplinary concentration from among: anthropology, art history, demography, film studies, history, international business studies, international relations, Jewish studies, literary and cultural history, medieval studies, political science, sociology,; you may also propose a concentration not listed here or an interdisciplinary project.
- Address your particular interest in our program, including professors at both Penn and EUSP with whom you would hope to work.
- Address your level of linguistic competence and/or study plan regarding a language of the REES region.
Beyond university-level academic competence in English, there is no additional language requirement for admission, but students with existing competence in languages of the REES region will be more competitive in the admissions process.
2. A critical writing sample in English of approximately 20 double-spaced pages. The writing sample should be relevant for your current scholarly interests. Although we will accept two papers adding up to 20 pages, we strongly prefer a single, 20-page paper. Font size and style do not matter, but the submission should come to approximately 5000 words. Please make sure your name is on each page.
3. Your CV or resume.
3. Three letters of recommendation. These should be written by professors or other mentors who know your work and can attest to your academic ability. Letters may be submitted in any language, although English is recommended. Please do not submit more than four recommendation letters; personal (non-academic) recommendation letters are strongly discouraged. Note: your recommenders will be able to upload or mail their letters for a brief grace period after the deadline for the main body of your application.
4. Test scores: Unless they have graduated from an institution of higher education in which the primary language of instruction was English, non-US citizen applicants must submit one of the following: TOEFL iBT® Test (standard/in-person); TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition; TOEFL ITP® Plus for China solution; Duolingo English Test; IELTS. In the case of the IELTS, please submit a scan of your test score notification and arrange for IELTS to send an official report of your scores by mail (address below).
The GRE examination is not required, but may be submitted and may aid your application. We do not have a minimum GRE score requirement. The GRE School Code for the University of Pennsylvania is 2926. Although we do not have a department code, your GRE scores will be sent directly to us if you use the University code. You may also have your scores sent by mail (address below).
5. Electronic versions of your academic transcripts must be submitted with your application. You can upload an unofficial copy of your transcript to the application. If you have not yet been awarded your B.A. or equivalent at the time of application, your transcript or application essay should clearly state your expected date of graduation. If accepted, you will then need to provide a final, official paper copy of your transcript showing your earned degree before you matriculate.
Our mailing address is: The University of Pennsylvania, Graduate Division of Arts & Sciences Admissions, 3401 Walnut Street, Suite 322A, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228.
More About Graduate Admissions and the Application
Applications are accepted only for full-time work in the M.A. program beginning in the Fall semester. We do not offer part-time programs, nor do we offer Spring admission.
Any technical issues with the Penn online ApplyYourself application should be addressed to Technical Support on the ApplyYourself application system and not to the REES Department.
We do not have paper applications—all applications are submitted online. Individuals who are abroad must make payment by US check, international postal money order made payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania or credit card. Please enclose this form to complete the application.
The application fee is $90. However, fee waivers may be granted in cases of financial hardship. In order to apply for a fee waiver, the applicant should enclose a brief letter stating the reason for the request. This letter should be sent via email to the program directors (emails below). Please be advised that the applicant must demonstrate a clear case of financial hardship. Please indicate whether you are a US Citizen or Permanent Resident in your request—this will not affect the outcome of our evaluation of your request, and is solely necessary for internal administrative purposes.
Penn Admissions questions that are not answered by this web page should be directed to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions Department at (215) 573-5816. Program specific questions should be addressed to the program directors Prof. Kevin M.F. Platt at Penn (kmfplatt@sas.upenn.edu) and Dr. Gevorg Avetikyan at EUSP (avetikyan@eu.spb.ru). Please include both directors in all communications.
