All programs require a personal interview. Beyond that, each program has its own specific requirements for application (such as an audition, portfolio review, etc.). To learn more about a program and its application procedure, please click on the link for that program.

After a program has completed interviews and reviewed submitted materials, a select number of final candidates will be invited to make formal application to the University of Virginia College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. In other words: although you are certainly welcome to apply to the University of Virginia at any time during this process, you do not need to apply to U.Va. until after your interview and only if you are invited to do so. Note: as of 2016, the Department of Drama no longer requires the completion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for admittance to MFA Programs.

The statement of purpose should indicate your reasons for applying to the proposed program at the University of Virginia and describe your preparation for this field of study, research interests, future career plans, and intellectual or life experiences in order to aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. Your commitment to a selected field of study is presumed in the receipt of your application, instead, please discuss specific issues in the field that engage you. Please limit your submission to between 500 and 1,000 words.

The minimum internet-based (iBT) TOEFL score requirement is 90 (including sectional minimums of 22 in speaking, 22 in writing, 23 in reading and 23 in listening). The minimum paper-based TOEFL score requirement is 600. Applicants may submit scores from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as an alternative to the TOEFL exam. The minimum IELTS score requirement is 7.0 in each section.

Letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically through the online application system. Once you have saved the contact information for a particular reference within the online application, that individual will receive instructions via e-mail for submitting a letter of recommendation on your behalf. The Graduate School requires two letters of recommendation. As many programs require additional letters, please consult the program's website for additional requirements. You may submit your application independently of the letters submitted by your references.

Letters of recommendation should be sought from faculty in your proposed field of study who are sufficiently familiar with your work to make a comprehensive evaluation of your abilities. If you have already undertaken a graduate program, at least one of the letters should be from a faculty member who is familiar with your academic performance on the graduate level.