Admissions

We invite leading applicants to come for campus visits and interviews, at our expense, during our annual recruitment weekend in February. We also welcome any applicant who wishes to visit on his or her own. We ask that you contact path advisor or faculty members directly to arrange meetings.  If you do not have a specific faculty member in mind, contacting the advisor of the relevant path should be your starting point.

The GDR application deadline is December 1, 2025. Along with the completed online application form, we require:

• letters of recommendation (preferably submitted online)
• one uploaded transcript from each institution attended (official transcripts required if accepted)
• a statement of purpose
• a writing sample (20 pages, double-spaced preferred).
• GRE scores are not required Applicants may submit a score, but it is not required.

GRE 5187

Note: Please do not use the institution code for Candler School of Theology (5198) as the report will be sent to the wrong place. Do not use the department code for Theology (4902) or Ordained Ministry/Rabbinate (4903), as those reports will be sent to Candler as well.

1. What criteria are most important in reviewing applications for admission?

• overall strength of an applicant's academic preparation
• strength of recommendations
• quality of writing sample
• undergraduate and graduate grade point averages
• clarity of intellectual focus as articulated in the personal statement
• "fit" between the candidate's interests and the resources available at Emory 
•  potential for exercising scholarly leadership in the field of religion

2. When will I be notified if I am accepted?

Official notification for admission to the GDR is April 15. Every effort is made, however, to notify applicants of their acceptance as soon as possible. The chairs of the courses of study to which applicants apply will contact them in late January or early February to extend an invitation to our annual recruitment weekend. It should be noted, however, that an invitation to recruitment weekend does not guarantee admission, nor does the absence of an invitation mean an applicant has been denied admission.

Applicants who have not been invited to our annual recruitment weekend will be notified as early as possible that their applications are still under consideration. Applicants who cannot be accepted are normally notified by late February or early March.

3. Is there a separate financial aid application?

No. All applicants who are accepted into the GDR receive full tuition waivers plus an annual stipend, renewable for five years. Additional awards such as the Arts and Sciences Fellowship, the Emory Graduate Diversity Fellowship, and the Woodruff Fellowship are made on a university-wide competitive basis and are renewable for five years as well.

4. May I include more than three recommendations?

Yes, the online application will accept up to four letters of recommendation.

5. Is a writing sample necessary?

Yes. The GDR requests an academic writing sample of approximately 20 pages, preferably double-spaced.

6. What length should my statement of purpose be?

We recommend approximately four pages (double-spaced).

7. I applied last year and was not accepted but wish to apply again this year. What do I need to do?

We are unable to reactivate applications. You will need to start a new online application to reapply.

8. Is housing available?

Yes - visit https://housing.emory.edu/housing-options/Graduate-Housing.html for informaiton on on-campus graduate hoursing.  There are also plenty of off-campus lodging options close to campus. You can find off-campus housing options available at Emory’s Off-Campus Housing website.

9. I have additional questions. Whom should I contact?

• If you are having difficulty with the online application please contact help@applyweb.com.
• If your questions concern the application process or administrative matters, please contact  Andy Boyles, Graduate Division of Religion at 404.712.6561 or aboyles@emory.edu.
• If your questions concern a path, please contact the path advisor of the one to which you plan to apply.

We invite leading applicants to come for campus visits and interviews, at our expense, during our annual recruitment weekend in February. We also welcome any applicant who wishes to visit on his or her own. We ask that you contact path advisor or faculty members directly to arrange meetings.  If you do not have a specific faculty member in mind, contacting the advisor of the relevant path should be your starting point.

The GDR application deadline is December 1, 2025. Along with the completed online application form, we require:

• letters of recommendation (preferably submitted online)
• one uploaded transcript from each institution attended (official transcripts required if accepted)
• a statement of purpose
• a writing sample (20 pages, double-spaced preferred).
• GRE scores are not required Applicants may submit a score, but it is not required.

GRE 5187

Note: Please do not use the institution code for Candler School of Theology (5198) as the report will be sent to the wrong place. Do not use the department code for Theology (4902) or Ordained Ministry/Rabbinate (4903), as those reports will be sent to Candler as well.

1. What criteria are most important in reviewing applications for admission?

• overall strength of an applicant's academic preparation
• strength of recommendations
• quality of writing sample
• undergraduate and graduate grade point averages
• clarity of intellectual focus as articulated in the personal statement
• "fit" between the candidate's interests and the resources available at Emory 
•  potential for exercising scholarly leadership in the field of religion

2. When will I be notified if I am accepted?

Official notification for admission to the GDR is April 15. Every effort is made, however, to notify applicants of their acceptance as soon as possible. The chairs of the courses of study to which applicants apply will contact them in late January or early February to extend an invitation to our annual recruitment weekend. It should be noted, however, that an invitation to recruitment weekend does not guarantee admission, nor does the absence of an invitation mean an applicant has been denied admission.

Applicants who have not been invited to our annual recruitment weekend will be notified as early as possible that their applications are still under consideration. Applicants who cannot be accepted are normally notified by late February or early March.

3. Is there a separate financial aid application?

No. All applicants who are accepted into the GDR receive full tuition waivers plus an annual stipend, renewable for five years. Additional awards such as the Arts and Sciences Fellowship, the Emory Graduate Diversity Fellowship, and the Woodruff Fellowship are made on a university-wide competitive basis and are renewable for five years as well.

4. May I include more than three recommendations?

Yes, the online application will accept up to four letters of recommendation.

5. Is a writing sample necessary?

Yes. The GDR requests an academic writing sample of approximately 20 pages, preferably double-spaced.

6. What length should my statement of purpose be?

We recommend approximately four pages (double-spaced).

7. I applied last year and was not accepted but wish to apply again this year. What do I need to do?

We are unable to reactivate applications. You will need to start a new online application to reapply.

8. Is housing available?

Yes - visit https://housing.emory.edu/housing-options/Graduate-Housing.html for informaiton on on-campus graduate hoursing.  There are also plenty of off-campus lodging options close to campus. You can find off-campus housing options available at Emory’s Off-Campus Housing website.

9. I have additional questions. Whom should I contact?

• If you are having difficulty with the online application please contact help@applyweb.com.
• If your questions concern the application process or administrative matters, please contact  Andy Boyles, Graduate Division of Religion at 404.712.6561 or aboyles@emory.edu.
• If your questions concern a path, please contact the path advisor of the one to which you plan to apply.