Admission

Application Requirements

Application checklist:

  • Common Application
  • US$50 application fee
  • Whitman Supplement
  • SAT or ACT
  • TOEFL or IELTS

Whitman is among the more than 450 US colleges and universities that accept the Common Application. We ask that both domestic and international students use this form to apply for admission and there is no other application that we accept. A completed Common Application includes: an official transcript, the Secondary School Report completed by the applicant's secondary school counselor, an academic recommendation from a secondary school teacher, a Personal Essay, and a nonrefundable application fee of US$50.

In addition to the Common Application, we require that students also complete the Whitman Supplement. The Supplement is made up of two writing samples. The first is an academic essay; we ask that students simply send us a copy of a paper that they have already written for an English literature course, either in their junior or senior year. The paper should be no more than five double-spaced pages. If you do not have a paper like this or your school does not give similar assignments, you do have another option. Instead please write a critical analysis of an English language book that you have read in the last year or two. It should be about 4-5 pages long, double-spaced, and should include analysis of a major theme, concept, or character in the piece of literature that you choose. The second part of the Supplement is a short answer, the limit for which is three hundred words or about half of one page.

Beyond the application forms, we also require international students to send two test scores, listed below. When sending test scores to Whitman College, remember that the institution code for Whitman is 4951.

  • either the SAT or the ACT

AND

  • either the TOEFL or the IELTS

While there is no required minimum SAT I score to be considered for admission, competitive international applicants will score 600 or higher on each of the subsets of the SAT I. SAT-II subject test scores are not required. However, if you take any SAT-II subject tests, please submit your scores.  Chinese students are not required to take the SAT as it is not available in mainland China. It should also be noted that there is no required minimum ACT score to be considered for admission; however competitive international applicants will score 28 or higher.

The current minimums for TOEFL scores are 560 on the paper-based examination or 85 for the internet-based exam. The minimum IELTS score is a 7.0.  The TOEFL or IELTS can only be waived if your first language is English OR if you have been in English-speaking classes for the last four consecutive years of school. Exceptions beyond this are rare.

Finally, international students applying for financial aid must also fill out the CSS Profile. Whitman's code for the Profile is 4951.

Admission interviews are not required. As our international travel is limited and we do not offer phone interviews for international applicants living outside of the United States, very few international applicants have the opportunity to interview with a member of the Admission Committee. If you do not have the opportunity to interview, it will not disadvantage your application.

To begin an application, students can access the forms: