Applications, Fees, and Paid Work Opportunities

Six-week seminar for faculty and graduate students

Application deadline: February 2, 2027. Application materials are submitted via the online application portal available in January. Prospective participants must indicate on the online application form which one of the six-week courses they wish to attend in order of preference. If your institution is a sponsoring partner, you will apply by way of your home institutions and you will have first choice of seminar.

Six-week tuition: $2900. If your institution is a sponsoring partner, your tuition will be $2600.

Paid work opportunities: If your institution is NOT a sponsoring partner, you may apply for a limited number of positions to run a two-week small-group discussion for undergraduates for $2900 or to work as a summer research mentor for an undergraduate participant for $1000.

Application Requirements for those whose institutions are NOT sponsoring partners:

A letter of intent: no more than two pages describing current scholarly interests and plans and explaining how the School of Criticism and Theory will help you in your work. The statement should include information about courses taken and/or taught in criticism and theory.
One confidential letter of recommendation (follow instructions on application website)
A current curriculum vitae
A sample of recent writing
A transcript (for current graduate students)
Indicate your interest in a paid position running a small group discussion for undergraduates and/or a research mentorship. In this section, you must provide a list of other sources of funding you have requested and received.

Admissions decisions will be announced in March. Applicants who have been admitted will have ten days from the date of notification in which to submit a non-refundable $200 deposit to hold their place. The remainder of the tuition is due on May 15, 2027.

Undergraduate mini-seminar applications, tuition, and housing

Application deadline: March 19, 2027. All undergraduates must apply through their home institutions (list of sponsoring colleges/universities coming soon). In the meanwhile, ask your professor to contact the SCT Director at sctdirector@cornell.edu.

Two-week tuition: $2000

On-campus housing for 14 nights: $1255 (paid directly to Cornell housing)

International Applicants

Please see Global Cornell and their informational webpage regarding executive actions and statements relating to immigration and travel bans.

FAQs

Q. I have all my application materials ready but am still waiting for my letters of recommendation. Can I submit my application now and add the letters once they arrive?
A. Yes, if you are simply waiting for your letters of recommendation, we encourage you to go ahead and upload your application materials while you wait for your letters to arrive. You will be able to add your letters of recommendation to the application site up until the February 1 deadline.

Q. I am currently a graduate student. Which transcripts do you require?
A. Please submit a complete current graduate transcript. If you are a Ph.D. candidate with a master’s degree, you may also include your master’s transcript if you wish. You should upload your transcript(s) to your online application. We accept unofficial transcripts.

Q. What are the specifications for the writing sample?
A. Your writing sample can be a recent conference paper, a term paper written for a graduate seminar, an article or text, published or unpublished. There is no specific word-count or page-count.

Q. Should I send a copy of my application by regular mail?
A. No, there is no need to send a hard copy of your application by regular mail. Only online applications will be reviewed.