comparative literature phd rankings

Comparative Literature Graduate Programs in America

1-25 of 51 results

Stanford University Department of Humanities and Sciences

Stanford, CA •

Stanford University •

Graduate School

Stanford University ,

Graduate School ,

STANFORD, CA ,

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

New Haven, CT •

Yale University •

• • Rating 4.5 out of 5   2 reviews

Master's Student: The resources at Yale are outstanding. While some of the required courses are slow-moving and less informative, I do have more academic freedom in my second year to the program to take classes that I enjoy across all departments (including data science, statistics, computer science, and law). ... Read 2 reviews

Yale University ,

NEW HAVEN, CT ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The resources at Yale are outstanding. While some of the required courses are slow-moving and less informative, I do have more academic freedom in my second year to the program to take classes that I... .

Read 2 reviews.

Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Cambridge, MA •

Harvard University •

• • Rating 4.56 out of 5   9 reviews

Other: I am Harvard Extension School student pursuing a master degree, ALM, in sustainability. I have achieved a 3.89 in this program so far and have qualified, applied, and accepted as a 'Special Student' in the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Through this School, I will be focusing my time at the John A. Paulson school of Engineering & Applied Sciences. Looking forward to wrapping up my final year on campus! ... Read 9 reviews

Harvard University ,

CAMBRIDGE, MA ,

9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.6 stars.

Featured Review: Other says I am Harvard Extension School student pursuing a master degree, ALM, in sustainability. I have achieved a 3.89 in this program so far and have qualified, applied, and accepted as a 'Special Student'... .

Read 9 reviews.

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ •

• • Rating 4.33 out of 5   3 reviews

Master's Student: The best part of the Princeton University mechanical engineering graduate degree is the excellent faculty that teach the courses. They are incredibly knowledgeable and also very willing to help students in office hours or in sponsorship of projects. The worst part of the Princeton University mechanical engineering graduate degree is the lack of structure for the graduate research program which can leave you feeling unsure on the direction of your research. ... Read 3 reviews

PRINCETON, NJ ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The best part of the Princeton University mechanical engineering graduate degree is the excellent faculty that teach the courses. They are incredibly knowledgeable and also very willing to help... .

Read 3 reviews.

Brown University Graduate School

Providence, RI •

Brown University •

Brown University ,

PROVIDENCE, RI ,

School of Arts & Sciences - University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA •

University of Pennsylvania •

University of Pennsylvania ,

PHILADELPHIA, PA ,

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Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Evanston, IL •

Northwestern University •

Northwestern University ,

EVANSTON, IL ,

Washington University in St. Louis - Arts & Sciences

St. Louis, MO •

Washington University in St. Louis •

Washington University in St. Louis ,

ST. LOUIS, MO ,

Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies

Hanover, NH •

Dartmouth College •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   1 review

Alum: I had a beautiful life-changing experience at the grand Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. The Guarini graduate program MALS created so many beautiful opportunities in interdisciplinary learning. Guarini is well integrated within the College, which provides a unique world-class learning experience. Guarini went beyond my expectations and made this experience the best I had and will ever have in my life. The only thing I would like changed is having a GRAD diploma in Latin instead of English to keep up with College tradition. ... Read 1 review

Dartmouth College ,

HANOVER, NH ,

1 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Alum says I had a beautiful life-changing experience at the grand Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. The Guarini graduate program MALS created so many beautiful opportunities in interdisciplinary... .

Read 1 reviews.

College of Arts and Letters - University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN •

University of Notre Dame •

Doctoral Student: The faculty at Notre Dame is excellent. The student to professor ratio makes for a wonderful one to one interaction between students and teachers. At Notre Dame, my interests, dreams, goals, research and career path matter. I loved this most. I feel taken seriously and supported with every possible resources for my mental, academic and career success. One gets many opportunities to grow talents through research, and presentations with helpful and supportive feedback from students and professors. For these reasons, I find it a place to be! On the down side, the weather is at first always a challenge for one who is not used to the harsh and gloomy midwestern winter. ... Read 2 reviews

University of Notre Dame ,

NOTRE DAME, IN ,

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says The faculty at Notre Dame is excellent. The student to professor ratio makes for a wonderful one to one interaction between students and teachers. At Notre Dame, my interests, dreams, goals, research... On the down side, the weather is at first always a challenge for one who is not used to the harsh and gloomy midwestern winter. .

Humanities Division - University of Chicago

Chicago, IL •

University of Chicago •

Master's Student: My application process for the University of Chicago, including my interview and the prospective students welcome day was incredibly warm, informative and inspiring. I felt the community at the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago gave me a lot of confidence in my potential to succeed in the program and grow a lot as an artist. ... Read 1 review

University of Chicago ,

CHICAGO, IL ,

Featured Review: Master's Student says My application process for the University of Chicago, including my interview and the prospective students welcome day was incredibly warm, informative and inspiring. I felt the community at the... .

Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Los Angeles, CA •

University of Southern California •

University of Southern California ,

LOS ANGELES, CA ,

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Cornell University College of Arts & Sciences

Ithaca, NY •

Cornell University •

Cornell University ,

ITHACA, NY ,

Rackham School of Graduate Studies

Ann Arbor, MI •

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   3 reviews

Master's Student: I was nervous about attending a prestigious school like The University of Michigan but once classes started I realized that I had made the right decision. Tuition is very expensive but I love my professors and I believe that I am getting the best education in the country! ... Read 3 reviews

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ,

ANN ARBOR, MI ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says I was nervous about attending a prestigious school like The University of Michigan but once classes started I realized that I had made the right decision. Tuition is very expensive but I love my... .

UCLA College of Letters and Science

University of California - Los Angeles •

• • Rating 3 out of 5   1 review

University of California - Los Angeles ,

1 Niche users give it an average review of 3 stars.

Laney Graduate School

Atlanta, GA •

Emory University •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   2 reviews

Master's Student: I chose the graduate programs at Emory because they are ranked among the best in the country. The school of nursing also provides the clinical experiences, something many of the online only nurse practitioner programs do not do. ... Read 2 reviews

Emory University ,

ATLANTA, GA ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says I chose the graduate programs at Emory because they are ranked among the best in the country. The school of nursing also provides the clinical experiences, something many of the online only nurse... .

UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science

Berkeley, CA •

University of California - Berkeley •

Blue checkmark.

University of California - Berkeley ,

BERKELEY, CA ,

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences - New York University

New York, NY •

New York University •

• • Rating 4.8 out of 5   10 reviews

Master's Student: I am enrolled specifically in the Magazine concentration. My professors have all been helpful with helping me succeed and are willing to stay back to go over something I don't understand. There are multiple points of resources at this program. A director is your main academic advisor. Aside from that, there is a pitch specialist to assist with freelancing and two wonderful career advisors. They help with setting up mingle sessions, job fairs, and internship talks. As of now, I haven't had bad experiences, however, I will say that the program is expensive and is an awkward three semesters. Those two things aren't ideal, however, its not too much of a dealbreaker. ... Read 10 reviews

New York University ,

NEW YORK, NY ,

10 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says I am enrolled specifically in the Magazine concentration. My professors have all been helpful with helping me succeed and are willing to stay back to go over something I don't understand. There are... .

Read 10 reviews.

Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences

Chestnut Hill, MA •

Boston College •

Boston College ,

CHESTNUT HILL, MA ,

College of Liberal Arts - University of Texas - Austin

Austin, TX •

University of Texas - Austin •

University of Texas - Austin ,

AUSTIN, TX ,

College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI •

University of Wisconsin •

• • Rating 4.22 out of 5   9 reviews

Alum: Aside from being really cold, UW-Madison is a great school. Needless to say, it is one of the top schools in the U.S. with a beautiful campus that has Lake Mendota and a lot of student life to enjoy. Academic was really good too, but given how the city is college town, you can feel the emptiness when students go back home during summer break. It is known as party school too with Mifflin Street Block Party. But it is also highly academically renowned school. So you can make your campus life as fun or as beneficial as you can. There are many gyms and libraries that can handle 40k + students. In addition, you have to check out Camp Randall, the football stadium and attend The MadHatters A Cappella show. I really miss this campus except for the weather. State street has many diverse restaurants that are authentic and delicious. One of the best campuses in the world. ... Read 9 reviews

University of Wisconsin ,

MADISON, WI ,

9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars.

Featured Review: Alum says Aside from being really cold, UW-Madison is a great school. Needless to say, it is one of the top schools in the U.S. with a beautiful campus that has Lake Mendota and a lot of student life to enjoy.... .

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences - University of Illinois

Urbana, IL •

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign •

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ,

URBANA, IL ,

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Athens, GA •

University of Georgia •

Current Doctoral student: Overall it is a pretty good program at a school that is really becoming an academic powerhouse. Being at the flagship school of the state helps with certain benefits and great networking opportunities. ... Read 1 review

University of Georgia ,

ATHENS, GA ,

Featured Review: Current Doctoral student says Overall it is a pretty good program at a school that is really becoming an academic powerhouse. Being at the flagship school of the state helps with certain benefits and great networking... .

College of Letters and Science - UC Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA •

University of California - Santa Barbara •

University of California - Santa Barbara ,

SANTA BARBARA, CA ,

College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering - University of Rochester

Rochester, NY •

University of Rochester •

• • Rating 4 out of 5   2 reviews

Alum: The Optics program is the toughest offered at the school. Optics grads do twice as much (60 credit hours instead of 30) class work as other degrees. You learn a ton! The field is so diverse you can pick and choose what subfields to focus on, and all fields are offered. Amazing professors. In all my classes, I felt one professor was bad at teaching. All the others were very competent, and the best were extremely passionate about their class/field of research. ... Read 2 reviews

University of Rochester ,

ROCHESTER, NY ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Alum says The Optics program is the toughest offered at the school. Optics grads do twice as much (60 credit hours instead of 30) class work as other degrees. You learn a ton! The field is so diverse you can... .

Showing results 1 through 25 of 51

Best Literary Criticism and Theory Programs

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For students who enjoy exploring the meaning behind literary works, specializing in literary criticism and theory can offer opportunities for analysis and investigation. These are the top schools for literary criticism and theory programs. Read the methodology »

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Comparative Literature

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Questions to ask yourself when choosing a degree program, career overview, career/licensing requirements, salary information, related links, view all comparative literature schools by program.

African Studies

American Literature

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Anthropology

Art History

Creative Writing

East Asian Studies

East European Studies

English Composition

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Latin American Studies

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Comparative Literature

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Harvard’s Department of Comparative Literature is one of the most dynamic and diverse in the country. Its impressive faculty has included such scholars as Harry Levine, Claudio Guillén, and Barbara Johnson. You will study literatures from a wide range of historical periods and cultures while learning to conduct cutting-edge research through an exhilarating scope of methods and approaches.

Your dissertation research is well supported by Harvard’s unparalleled library system, the largest university collection in the world, comprising 70 libraries with combined holdings of over 16 million items.

Recent student dissertations include “Imagined Mothers: The Construction of Italy, Ancient Greece, and Anglo-American Hegemony,” “The Untimely Avant-Garde: Literature, Politics and Transculturation in the Sinosphere (1909-2020),” and “Artificial Humanities: A Literary Perspective on Creating and Enhancing Humans from Pygmalion to Cyborgs.”

In addition to securing faculty positions at academic institutions such as Princeton University, Emory University, and Tufts University, graduates have gone on to careers in contiguous fields including the visual arts, music, anthropology, philosophy, and medicine.  Others have chosen alternative careers in film production, administration, journalism, and law.

 Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Comparative Literature and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Comparative Literature .

Writing Sample

The writing sample is supposed to demonstrate your ability to engage in literary criticism and/or theory. It can be a paper written for a course or a section of a senior thesis or essay. It is usually between 10 and 20 pages. Do not send longer papers with instructions to read an excerpt; you should edit the sample so that it is not more than 20 pages. Writing samples should be in English, although candidates are permitted to submit an additional writing sample written in a different language.

Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose should give the admissions committee a clear sense of your individual interests and strengths. Applicants are not required to indicate a precise field of specialization, but it is helpful to tell us about your aspirations and how the Department of Comparative Literature might help in attaining these goals. The statement of purpose should be one to four pages in length.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Not Accepted

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Comparative Literature

See list of Comparative Literature faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

Comparative Literature Graduate Program

The Ph.D. program in Comparative Literature is committed to providing students the resources and training needed to successfully complete a challenging and rewarding intellectual project. By "resources" we mean not only formal classes, libraries, and financial support in various forms, but also an open community of scholars and learners, both within Comparative Literature and the broader Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages (DLCL), and also across a rich array of other departments, schools, and interdisciplinary programs, and tapping into our vibrant Stanford Humanities Center and its global online platform, ARCADE. The size of our graduate student community is small, which facilitates interpersonal dialogue and conversation. 

By "training" we mean formal classes on pedagogy, a regular and year-long colloquium where students present and discuss each others' work, close work with mentors and advisors, and workshops on topics suggested by both faculty and students. Finally, by "success" we mean not only satisfying departmental and university requirements, but more importantly achieving a sense of personal fulfillment at completing an original and creative exploration of a question of importance to the student.

Comparative Literature at Stanford believes in the importance of linguistic skills in at least three languages, deep historical thinking, and an understanding of the main currents of literary criticism and theory, past and present, and with an eye on emergent knowledge that may embrace fields outside of traditional literary studies. Our faculty includes specialists in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, English, Hebrew, Russian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and covering broad historical periods. We have a particularly well-established program in Philosophy and Literature, and welcome interdisciplinary projects that involve areas such as film studies, gender studies, studies in race and ethnicity, environmental studies, human rights, and other topics.

At base, the Ph.D. program is designed for students whose linguistic background, breadth of interest in literature, and curiosity about the problems of literary scholarship and theory (including the relation of literature to other disciplines) make this program more appropriate to their needs than the Ph.D. in one of the individual literatures. Students take courses in at least three literatures (one may be that of the native language), to be studied in the original. The program is designed to encourage familiarity with the major approaches to literary study prevailing today.

Before starting graduate work at Stanford, students should have completed an undergraduate program with a strong background in one literature and some work in a second literature studied in the original language. Since the program demands an advanced knowledge of two non-native languages and a reading knowledge of a third non-native language, students should at the time of application have an advanced enough knowledge of one of the three to take graduate-level courses in that language when they enter the program. They should be making enough progress in the study of a second language to enable them to take graduate courses in that language not later than the beginning of the second year, and earlier if possible. Language courses at the 100- or 200- level may be taken with approval from the Director of the department. Applicants are expected to take an intensive course in the third language before entrance.

The Ph.D. minor is designed for students working toward the Ph.D. in the various national literature departments. Students working toward the Ph.D. in English are directed to the program in English and Comparative Literature described among the Department of English offerings.

For more detailed information on our program, please see the corresponding pages in the Stanford Bulletin :

• Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature
• Doctor of Philosophy Minor in Comparative Literature

Graduate Program Application Details

My experience in the Comparative Literature Ph.D. program was filled with intellectual exploration, learning new skills, and amazing mentorship in both research and teaching. Also, having had scholars from other departments to talk through my ideas and my professional plans, especially in ILAC and History, was instrumental for my success in pursuing the career I wanted.

Russell Berman Director of Comparative Literature Pigott Hall, Bldg 260, Rm 201 (650) 723-1069 berman [at] stanford.edu (berman[at]stanford[dot]edu)

John Giammalva In Memoriam, Student Services Manager Pigott Hall, Bldg 260, Rm 127 (650) 279-3630 dlclstudentservices [at] stanford.edu (dlclstudentservices[at]stanford[dot]edu)

Comparative Literature (Ph.D.)

Our graduate program is recognized as one of the leading Comparative Literature programs in the country. The Department is a vibrant place for the research and study of literatures and cultures in an interdisciplinary framework, from transnational and cross‐cultural perspectives. Our faculty and graduate students develop new historical and theoretical frameworks, and rethink those we have inherited, opening new perspectives on social and cultural forms and relations.

Comparative Literature provides students with tools for engaging, analyzing, and interpreting texts; and for writing, editing, translating, and thinking across disciplinary and national boundaries. Our graduates take up various literary traditions, historical periods and genres, modalities, forms, and contexts, from, for example, Latin American concrete poetry, to discourses of political and race theory, to Yiddish experimental fiction. The Department offers rigorous training in numerous areas that highlight the expertise of our internationally recognized faculty, including Classics, East Asian Literatures and Arts, English, French, German, Italian, Hebrew Studies, Hispanophone Literatures, and Slavic Literatures and Cultures, as well as Critical Theory, Early Modern and Renaissance Studies, Film and Media, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Performance Studies, Comparative Poetry and Poetics, and Postcolonial Theory.

Learn more.

• Graduate Programs topic page
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Graduate Programs

Comparative literature.

Comparative Literature at Brown is a vigorous and comprehensive program in literature and culture.

Since the founding of the graduate program in 1964, comparative literature has evolved to include not only Western cultures, both ancient and modern, but also Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic. The department, in cooperation with the various literature departments and programs, offers a wide array of courses in literature, literary theory, and cultural studies.

The faculty includes over twenty-five members of professorial rank with appointments wholly or partly in the department. As members of a medium-sized department in a relatively small university, graduate students enjoy unusual opportunities for close contact in and outside of the classroom. Students receive close guidance, including job–search preparation. The program accommodates a wide range of individual emphases in literature and culture, periods, genres, history, criticism, and theory. We hold several colloquia, lectures, and forums each year.

Application Information

Application requirements, gre subject:.

Not required

GRE General:

Writing sample:.

Required (10 double-spaced pages maximum; we cannot read longer samples)

Dates/Deadlines

Application deadline, completion requirements.

Fifteen courses; three languages, one of which may be the candidate's native language; four semesters of teaching; professional competence in a major literature and in two others; major literature examination; a comparative project in the third year; dissertation and defense.

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Department of comparative literature, location address, mailing address.

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2024 Best Comparative Literature Schools

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 54 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Comparative Literature Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 964 degrees in comparative literature during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

• Best Overall Comparative Literature Schools List

Choosing a Great Comparative Literature School

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Comparative Literature Rankings by Degree Level

The comparative literature school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings , including this list of the Best Comparative Literature Schools. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location .

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat . Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology .

Best Schools for Comparative Literature in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the comparative literature degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Comparative Literature

Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in comparative literature. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were about 38 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

Any student pursuing a degree in comparative literature needs to look into University of California - Los Angeles. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 22 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.

It is difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in comparative literature. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 17 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in comparative literature. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 35 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 2 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall. More information about a degree in comparative literature from Georgetown University

Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 6 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 8 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available.

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park. This university ranks 2nd out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were about 5 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent data year.

Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 34 comparative literature students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.

Comparative Literature by Region

View the Best Comparative Literature Schools for a specific region near you.

Other Rankings

Bachelor's degrees in comparative literature, doctor's degrees in comparative literature, master's degrees in comparative literature.

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Comparative Literature Related Rankings by Major

Comparative Literature is one of 5 different types of Linguistics & Comparative Literature programs to choose from.

Most Popular Majors Related to Comparative Literature

View All Comparative Literature Related Majors >

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ( IPEDS ) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s ( College Scorecard ).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Pandit Rahul Sanskrutayan, Banshidhar Mohanty .

More about our data sources and methodologies .

Popular Reports

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Comparative Literature PhD

Our graduate program is recognized as one of the top Comparative Literature programs in the country. The Comparative Literature department is a vibrant place for the research and study of literatures and cultures in an interdisciplinary framework, from transnational and cross-cultural perspectives. Our faculty and graduate students develop new historical and theoretical frameworks and rethink those we have inherited to open new perspectives on social and cultural forms and relationships.

Comparative Literature provides students with tools for analyzing texts, writing, editing, translating, and thinking across disciplinary and national boundaries. Our graduates engage a variety of literary traditions and historical periods, from Latin American concrete poetry to Yiddish experimental fiction to the discourses of political and race theory. The department offers rigorous training in the following areas, which are particular strengths of our internationally recognized faculty: French, German, Italian, Hebrew Studies, Classics, Critical Theory, East Asian Literatures and Arts, Performance Studies, Film and Media, Poetry and Poetics, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Postcolonial Theory, English and American Literatures, Early Modern and Renaissance Studies, and Slavic Literatures and Cultures.

All members of the department are deeply invested in the academic development of our students and value their work and research as an integral part of the Comparative Literature community at UC Berkeley. The department aims above all to develop students' creative and intellectual interests and talents. Graduate students receive the opportunity to pursue rigorous research in a variety of fields according to their interests, participate in discussions about political, aesthetic, and social issues, and develop a nuanced cross-cultural understanding of historical and social processes. Many graduate students present and publish scholarly writings in the most prestigious venues as well as producing translations and literary writings. All of our students work closely with cutting-edge scholars in their fields in small seminars, with extensive individualized work . Students participate in the designated emphasis programs on campus, including Critical Theory, Film and Media, Gender and Womens Studies, Renaissance and Early Modern Studies and Jewish Studies, or the Program in Medieval Studies. Students have opportunities to design and teach courses on their topics of interest. Our students form a well-integrated community, but have access to all of the resources of the entire Berkeley campus departments and faculty; in fact, our program requires that students take seminars in other departments for interdisciplinary training. We have one of the most successful placement records for our graduates of any program in the country, and of any Berkeley graduate program. Our doctoral graduates are prominent comparative literature and national literature faculty across the country and the world.

Contact Info

[email protected]

4125 Dwinelle Hall

Berkeley, CA 94720

At a Glance

Department(s)

Comparative Literature

Admit Term(s)

Application Deadline

December 4, 2023

Degree Type(s)

Doctoral / PhD

Degree Awarded

GRE Requirements

Department of Comparative Literature

You are here.

The Graduate Program of the Comparative Literature department invites students to the study and understanding of literature beyond linguistic or national boundaries. We challenge our students to engage with the theory, interpretation, and criticism of literature from across the globe and to explore its interactions with adjacent fields like visual and material culture, linguistics, film and media studies, psychology, law, philosophy and history. The department encourages students to develop their skill at textual analysis while challenging them to reflect theoretically on the acts of writing and reading, as on the connections between literature and other realms of human experience. It is home four doctoral degree programs: a degree in Comparative Literature, as well as joint degrees with Classics , Film and Media Studies and Renaissance Studies . Our current graduate students , who come from over fifteen different countries, work in over twenty languages from all over the world and pursued a variety of innovative research projects. 

PhD in Comparative Literature

International students: Check out the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)  office for useful resources.

Questions? Contact [email protected] .

Comparative Literature at the University of Minnesota has the distinction of being the first department to introduce continental European as well as Latin American and other non-European cultural and theoretical writings to English-speaking readers in the United States and abroad. Under the auspices of the University of Minnesota Press, our department launched the Theory and History of Literature series (1981–1998). We changed the landscape of comparative literary study via critical editions and translated writings of major figures such as Tzvetan Todorov, Vladimir Propp, Mikhail Bakhtin, Hélène Cixous, José Antonio Maravall, Malek Alloula, Gilles Deleuze, Jean-Luc Nancy, and Theodor W. Adorno (among others).

Today the department is a preeminent site for integrating conceptual, historical, literary, and philosophical scholarship. We engage literature, culture, and thought across Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Our PhD program in comparative literature emphasizes the importance of reading tradition against the grain—of national boundaries, textual practices, and intellectual production in the humanities. We conceive literature broadly—as a field of interrelation between word, image, and sound—and comparatism as a polycentric enterprise. Over the years, graduates of our program have been very successful at carrying forward our department’s critical comparatism and signature stress on word, image, and sound in their own scholarship. (View our  recent dissertations and job placement and achievements .) Our faculty teach seminars that explore a wide range of literary and cultural problems, embedding the understanding of texts within their material and discursive conditions of possibility. We regard comparatism as the heart and soul of cross-cultural inquiry and understanding and encourage students to pursue interdisciplinary projects that are at the same time disciplined and critical. 

Our PhD program admits a small cohort of students each year; we foster a close-knit and collaborative research and teaching community. As a graduate student in our program, you will work closely with departmental faculty (as well as affiliated faculty from across the university) who are committed to grasping the complexity and diversity of our contemporary world via engagements with forms of aesthetic, cultural, and philosophical expression from across the global North and South.

Our curriculum emphasizes seminars and independent studies that explore:

• Conceptual thought from a variety of perspectives—such as literary theory, feminist approaches, gender and sexuality studies, Marxism, psychoanalytic criticism, empire studies and postcolonial theory, critical translation studies, semiotic theory, intellectual history, visuality, and the sociology of literature and culture
• The politics and practices of comparatism
• Archival methods
• The analysis of form
• Disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity
• Historiography
• Translation and the circulation of intelligibility
• Geopolitics

Proficiency in two languages (other than English) is required for the degree. Students whose first language is not English may waive one of the two required languages; no other waivers are possible. For more information, see the Graduate Language Examination Policies .

• See further guidelines on committee composition .
• Enter your committee through our online system.
• If need be, you may  change your advisor or committee of record . 
• For guidelines on the written and oral preliminary examinations themselves, see Section IV of Doctoral Degree: Performance Standards and Progress .

College Resources for Graduate Students

Visit CLA’s website for graduate students to learn about collegiate funding opportunities, student support, career services, and more.

Student Services      Career Services     Funding & Support

Comparative Literature

Graduate program.

The graduate program in Comparative Literature at Brown offers a vigorous and comprehensive exploration of literature and culture.

The Doctoral Program

Since the founding of Brown's graduate program in Comparative Literature in 1964, the Department has evolved to include not only Western cultures both ancient and modern, but Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic, as well. The department, in cooperation with the various literature departments and programs, offers a wide array of courses in literature, literary theory, and cultural studies. Faculty include 25 members of professorial rank with appointments wholly or partly in the department. As members of a medium-sized department in a relatively small university, graduate students enjoy unusual opportunities for close contact in and outside of the classroom. Students receive close guidance, including job-search preparation. The program offers several colloquia, lectures, and forums each year.

For admission to the doctoral program, students usually will present evidence of sound training in literature written in three languages, one of which may be English. They will be expected to develop a strong enough competence in one of these literatures to be qualified to teach in a national literature department since comparatists are often hired in such departments or have joint appointments.

The major literature is studied in a cross-cultural context linking it with the other two diachronically or synchronically. Students may pursue literary currents or follow the evolution of ideas or themes across linguistic boundaries, or may study features of genre, style, convention, etc. The program may also emphasize theory including poetics, stylistics, semiology, feminist, socio-cultural, post-structuralist, and post-colonial approaches.

Comparative Literature Doctorate Program

Comparative Literature at Brown is a vigorous and comprehensive program in literature and culture.

Admission Procedure

The  Graduate School Admission Office  employs an  online application  by CollegeNET, the application hosting service affiliated with the school. The deadline for submitting applications for admission with financial aid is December 15. Inquiries may also be addressed to the Director of Graduate Study, Department of Comparative Literature, Box 1935, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 or by  emailing our Department .

The completion of the program requires development of language skills sufficient for advanced work in three literatures. The languages selected are chosen with a view to their appropriateness to the student's areas of special interest. The Department's major competence is in literary expression in western languages. However, our growing programs in classical and modern Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic provide opportunity for students trained in these languages.

In addition, the study of both ancient and modern Hebrew is available through Judaic Studies. In at least one of the foreign languages presented, near native proficiency in speaking and writing in the case of a modern language will be expected. See the Language Competence section of the Graduate Procedures for specific requirements .

Course Work

Students entering with the B.A. will normally take 15 advanced literature courses and graduate seminars, spread over three years in the proportions respectively of 8, 6, 1, two or three of which may be individual work supervised by a staff member. In special circumstances students may obtain up to a year of course credit for graduate work done at other institutions. Students who enter already having completed some advanced work may be asked to proceed more quickly. Individual programs are worked out in consultation with the Director of Graduate Study to include:

• a substantial core of graduate seminars whose primary department listing is in Comparative Literature, at least one per semester during the first two years of study
• a substantial core of courses primarily in one national literature along with significant related work in at least two others. Courses taken in the second and third literatures must include a minimum of two regularly scheduled graduate seminars (or 100 level where appropriate with approval of the Director of Graduate Study)
• a spread of courses comprising work in all three major genres (poetry, drama, narrative) and covering a significant range of distinct cultural epochs (medieval, romantic, modern, and so forth)
• some work in the area of literary theory, literary criticism, or literary translation.
• if pertinent, courses relating literature to other fields of inquiry or expression; for example, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, history, music, or the visual arts.

Comparative Project

While the historical "coverage" by itself is not the aim of comparative literature, the Department does require a major literature examination just before the fifth semester which has coverage as a partial goal, in order to demonstrate the student's professional capacities in her/his national literature. It also requires a written comparative project, to be submitted in writing and presented orally during the sixth semester. This project allows the student to treat work from more than one literary tradition, and may become part of the dissertation. A topic will be chosen in consultation with a faculty committee and worked out with the Director of Graduate Study. It is expected that the comparative project will be completed and approved, and the student advanced to doctoral candidacy, by the end of the third year. See Graduate Program Procedures.

The Dissertation

By the end of the third year of study the student is expected to select the area of focus for the dissertation. The student will ordinarily work under the close supervision of a member of the Comparative Literature faculty; the thesis must also be approved by two other readers, one of whom may be from outside the Department.

Teaching Positions

Training and experience in teaching are major features of our doctoral program in Comparative Literature. The Department makes every attempt to provide its graduate students with teaching experience at Brown in undergraduate courses suited to the graduate student's interest. Teaching assistants work under the direct supervision of members of the professorial staff. At least two years of work as a teaching assistant are required for the Ph.D. The Department will keep students informed of positions as they become available in pertinent departments and at other institutions, and will assist them in presenting their candidacy for such positions.

Advanced graduate students who have made substantial progress on their dissertations, who can document their success in the classroom, and who have the support of a faculty member willing to serve as a classroom mentor are invited to submit a proposal to teach an undergraduate course (below 1000-level) in the department. The proposal consists of a 100-word course description, a syllabus, a C.V. that includes a listing of teaching experience, and notes of support from the dissertation advisor and faculty mentor. It is due to the Director of Graduate Studies no later than October 31 of the academic year before the class is taught. The proposals will be evaluated by the department’s Graduate Committee on their merits; no more than two will be approved in any year; final approval will depend on the curricular needs of the department as determined by the Chair.

The M.A. Degree

The Department does not admit terminal M.A. candidates, nor does it require a Master's degree as a prerequisite for the doctorate. Students who are not recommended to proceed in the doctoral program at the end of the first year may take an M.A. by completing one year of full-time course work in residence (normally four courses each semester), satisfying two of the three language requirements for the Ph.D., and completing a Master's thesis consisting of an essay of 50-60 pages on a comparative subject. Alternatively, a student will receive the M.A. upon completion of the comparative project and advancement to doctoral candidacy.

Financing and Support

Students are supported by a fellowship in their first year.  Teaching responsibilities, and support in the form of a teaching assistantship, begin in the second year and continue through the fourth.  We offer a dissertation fellowship in the fifth year and a number of avenues to sixth-year funding, including interdisciplinary opportunities at Brown’s Centers and Institutes and stipend support from the department and the Graduate School.  In special cases, the Graduate School may cover tuition and health costs, but not stipend support, beyond the sixth year.  Please refer to the Graduate School website for further information about financing graduate study at Brown.

Graduate School -- Financing and Support

The decision to pursue graduate study represents a significant commitment of time, energy, and resources — yours and ours.

Related Departments and Programs

The language and literature offerings at Brown include the following: Classics (including Greek, Latin and Sanskrit), English, French Studies, German Studies, Hebrew, Hispanic Studies, Italian Studies, Portuguese and Brazilian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Linguistics, Slavic Languages.

Current Students

Handbooks & program procedures, reading lists.

COMPARATIVE LITERARY STUDIES PROGRAM

The PhD program in Comparative Literary Studies (CLS) at Northwestern provides students with rigorous training in several literary traditions, critical theory, and the methodology of comparative literature. Our program offers an interdisciplinary approach to comparative literature and opportunities for students to study internationally; attend conferences and colloquia; teach; and work collaboratively with faculty and students.

All students admitted to our PhD program are also admitted into a home department . The purpose of placing students in a home department is twofold: the departments provide professional training and accreditation in widely recognized fields of scholarship; and they prepare comparative literature students for academic positions in these fields. If admitted, CLS students complete certain requirements of the home department.

Departments currently functioning as home departments for graduate students in the CLS program are:

• Asian Languages and Cultures
• English  (including interest in African American literature)
• French and Italian
• Slavic Languages and Literatures
• Spanish and Portuguese
• Middle East and North African Studies
• Radio Television and Film (RTVF)
• Rhetoric and Public Culture

To learn more about our PhD program, please visit the following pages:

• Requirements
• Interdisciplinary Cluster Initiative
• Course Offerings
• Meet our  Current students
• Meet our Faculty

Areas of Study

More areas of study.

English Debates: AI with Stephanie Burt and Martin Puchner

Dissertation Defense: Oluwakanyinsola Ajayi

Photo essay.

Congratulations to our seniors for turning in their senior theses!

Members of the Translation Studies 260 Graduate Workshop, taught by Dr. Thomas Wisniewski, read selections from their work-in-progress of translations from Japanese, German, Yiddish, Spanish, and Greek.

Congratulations, david damrosch gives the acceptance speech for the 2023 balzan prize, november 17, 2023.

Annette Lienau’s Sacred Language, Vernacular Difference: Global Arabic and Counter-Imperial Literatures

David Damrosch, ed. and trans. Georges Ngal, “Giambatista Viko; or, The Rape of African Discourse”

Spring courses: complit 166/yiddish 166: jews, humor, and the politics of laughter (saul zaritt).

Beginning with jokes like this one, this course will examine the question of Jewish humor, exploring the concept of therapeutic joking, the politics of self-deprecation, and strategies of masking social critique behind a well-timed joke. Rather than reach some essential definition, we will instead investigate literature, stand-up comedy, film, and television of the twentieth and twenty-first century in order to 1) think together about the theory, mechanics, and techniques of comedy and humor and 2) ask how and when a text or performance gets labeled Jewish, by whom and for what purposes.

SPRING COURSES: CompLit 145: Prize-Winning Translations, 2010-2020 (Luke Leafgren)

In this course, students will read English translations of novels that have won major prizes. In addition to exploring themes of contemporary literature from around the world, special attention will be paid to the role of translation in shaping the work and its reception, and to the question of what makes for a prize-winning translation. Each week students will read a prize-winning translation alongside reports from the prize committee, reviews of the translation, and what the translators say about their work.

SPRING COURSES: CompLit 100: Contemporary Southeast Asia through Literature and Film (Annette Lienau)

This course will explore contemporary literature and cinema across Southeast Asia, focusing on regional developments after the Asian financial crisis of 1997 through the present. Themes discussed include literature’s relationship to economic turmoil and political change; questions of class and social mobility; anti-authoritarian writing and issues of censorship; literature, youth culture, and new media landscapes; and literary explorations of gender and sexuality. Readings will include a selection of critical essays to foreground these central themes of the course, along with poetry, short fiction, and films from: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. Readings will be taught in English translation and films will be screened with English subtitles.

A message from the chair \ Jeffrey Schnapp

Reflecting the ongoing paradigm shift of comparative studies from an almost exclusive focus on Western European traditions to a newly global awareness, our faculty ranks have expanded in recent years to encompass a world-wide range of languages and cultures.

Emily Greenwood’s “Afro-Greeks: Dialogues between Anglophone Caribbean Literature and Classics in the Twentieth Century”

Lara Norgaard’s translation of Sabda Armandio’s “24 Hours with Gaspar”

Interested in concentrating in comparative literature.

Check out our Prospective Concentrators and Peer Advisors pages for more information.

Contact our Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Sandra Naddaff .

Featured articles

Attention translators: alta seeks social media interns, imperial media mix: japan’s failed attempt at asia’s first transnational girl group, an interview with david damrosch, more featured articles, positions open, position description.

The Department of Comparative Literature has recently completed two tenure-track searches during the academic year 2023-2024: one in Translation Studies , the other in Media History and Archeology . No searches are anticipated for 2024-2025.

Founded as a graduate program in 1904 and joining with the undergraduate Literature Concentration in 2007, Harvard’s Department of Comparative Literature operates at the crossroads of multilingualism, literary study, and media history.

© 2023 President and Fellows of Harvard College

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Congratulations to Mai Nguyen ’24: 2023–2024 Bowdoin Undergraduate Prize Winner!

Alumni news: congratulations to dr. rachelle grossman, phd ’23, on her new position at the university of illinois, urbana-champaign.

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The Department of Comparative Literature

Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

On behalf of the Department of Comparative Literature and Department Chair, Professor Michael Rothberg, we would like to extend exuberant congratulations to the graduates of 2023! To...

Heim Memorial Lecture Returns on May 3rd with Dr. Maureen Freely

CLICK HERE TO VIEW LECTURE RECORDING Click here to read more about the lecture and speaker

Latest News

New publication: “fixers: agency, translation, and the early global history of literature” by zrinka stahuljak.

Fixers Agency, Translation, and the Early Global History of Literature Zrinka Stahuljak A new history of early global literature that treats translators as active agents mediating cultures....

Comp Lit alumna Carribean Fragoza earns prestigious creative writing award

Reposted from UCLA Humanities website  Joe Mandrake | January 18, 2024 Tucked away in the San Gabriel Valley, South El Monte is not a place often featured in...

In memoriam: Kirstie McClure, 72, brought interdisciplinary approach to study of political history

Reposted from UCLA Newsroom Sean Brenner | January 4, 2024 Kirstie McClure, a UCLA professor of political science, English and comparative literature, died Dec. 21, 2023, at the...

Upcoming Events

Experimental critical theory (ect) seminar: “visualizing mestizaje through zapotec remappings of the americas”, experimental critical theory (ect) seminar: “relationality as ternary structure: on challenges and openings for relational critical thinking”, experimental critical theory (ect) seminar: herman bennett (director, institute for research on the african diaspora in the americas & the caribbean (iradac); history, cuny; global professorial fellow, queen mary university of london, 2022-2025).

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Comparative Literature

http://www.comparativeliterature.net

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Comparative Literature Departments and Programs

welcome to comparativeliterature.net

Our website seeks to provide a comprehensive list of Comparative Literature doctoral programs. This list includes Comparative Literature and related programs in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Just scroll down to see the list! If we have missed a program or if you see an error, don't hesitate to let us know!

United States

• Binghamton University Department of Comparative Literature
• Brown University Department of Comparative Literature
• City University of New York Graduate Center Program in Comparative Literature
• Columbia University Department of English and Comparative Literature
• Cornell University Department of Comparative Literature
• Duke University Program in Literature
• Emory University Comparative Literature Department
• Harvard University Department of Comparative Literature
• Indiana University Comparative Literature Department
• Johns Hopkins University Department in Comparative Thought and Literature
• Louisiana State University Program in Comparative Literature
• New York University Department of Comparative Literature
• Northwestern University Program in Comparative Literary Studies
• Ohio State University Department of Comparative Studies
• Penn State University Department of Comparative Literature
• Princeton University Department of Comparative Literature
• Purdue University Comparative Literature Program
• Rutgers University Program in Comparative Literature
• Stanford University Department of Comparative Literature
• Univerisity of Arkansas Comparative Literature & Cultural Studies Program
• University at Buffalo Department of Comparative Literature
• University of California, Berkeley Department of Comparative Literature
• University of California, Davis Comparative Literature Department
• University of California, Irvine Department of Comparative Literature
• University of California, Los Angeles Department of Comparative Literature
• University of California, Riverside Department of Comparative Literature and Languages
• University of California, San Diego Department of Literature
• University of California, Santa Barbara Comparative Literature Program
• University of California, Santa Cruz Department of Literature
• University of Chicago Department of Comparative Literature
• University of Connecticut Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies Program
• University of Georgia Comparative Literature Department
• University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Program in Comparative and World Literature
• University of Maryland Comparative Literature Program
• University of Massachusets, Amherst Program in Comparative Literature
• University of Michigan Department of Comparative Literature
• University of Minnesota Department of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Department of English and Comparative Literature
• University of Oregon Program in Comparative Literature
• University of Pennsylvania Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory
• University of South Carolina Comparative Literature Program
• University of Southern California Department of Comparative Literature
• University of Texas at Austin Program in Comparative Literature
• University of Utah PhD Program in World Languages & Cultures with a specialization in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies
• Washington University in St. Louis Committee on Comparative Literature
• Yale University Department of Comparative Literature
• Univerisity of Alberta Graduate Program in Comparative Literature
• L'Université de Montréal Doctorat en littérature - option littérature comparée
• University of Toronto Centre for Comparative Literature
• Western University PhD Program in Comparative Literature

United Kingdom

• King's College London Comparative Literature MPhil/PhD Programme
• University College of London Graduate programme in Comparative Literature
• Queen Mary, University of London Department of Comparative Literature
• Univeristy of Glasgow PhD in Comparative Literature
• Univeristy of Kent PhD in Comparative Literature
• University of Warwick Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies

Please let us know if we have missed a program, or if you want to report an error!

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Many campus protestors shocked arrests may be on their record forever: ‘The level of punishment is not even just draconian, it feels like over-the-top callousness’

Maryam Alwan figured the worst was over after New York City police in riot gear arrested her and other protesters on the Columbia University campus, loaded them onto buses and held them in custody for hours.

But the next evening, the college junior received an email from the university. Alwan and other students were being suspended after their arrests at the “ Gaza Solidarity Encampment ,” a tactic colleges across the country have deployed to calm growing campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war.

The students’ plight has become a central part of protests, with students and a growing number of faculty demanding their amnesty. At issue is whether universities and law enforcement will clear the charges and withhold other consequences, or whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students into their adult lives.

Terms of the suspensions vary from campus to campus. At Columbia and its affiliated Barnard College for women, Alwan and dozens more were arrested April 18 and promptly barred from campus and classes, unable to attend in-person or virtually, and banned from dining halls.

Questions about their academic futures remain. Will they be allowed to take final exams? What about financial aid? Graduation? Columbia says outcomes will be decided at disciplinary hearings, but Alwan says she has not been given a date.

“This feels very dystopian,” said Alwan, a comparative literature and society major.

What started at Columbia has turned into a nationwide showdown between students and administrators over anti-war protests and the limits of free speech. In the past 10 days, hundreds of students have been arrested, suspended, put on probation and, in rare cases, expelled from colleges including Yale University, the University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University and the University of Minnesota.

Barnard, a women’s liberal arts college at Columbia, suspended more than 50 students who were arrested April 18 and evicted them from campus housing, according to interviews with students and reporting from the Columbia Spectator campus newspaper, which obtained internal campus documents.

On Friday, Barnard announced it had reached agreements restoring campus access to “nearly all” of them. A statement from the college did not specify the number but said all students who had their suspensions lifted have agreed to follow college rules and, in some cases, were put on probation.

On the night of the arrests, however, Barnard student Maryam Iqbal  posted a screenshot on the social media platform X  of a dean’s email telling her she could briefly return to her room with campus security before getting kicked out.

“You will have 15 minutes to gather what you might need,” the email read.

More than 100 Barnard and Columbia faculty staged a “Rally to Support Our Students” last week condemning the student arrests and demanding suspensions be lifted.

Columbia is still pushing to remove the tent encampment on the campus main lawn where graduation is set to be hosted May 15. The students have demanded the school cuts ties with Israel-linked companies and ensure amnesty for students and faculty arrested or disciplined in connection with the protests.

Talks with the student protesters are continuing, said Ben Chang, a Columbia spokesperson. “We have our demands; they have theirs,” he said.

For international students facing suspension, there is the added fear of losing their visas, said Radhika Sainath, an attorney with Palestine Legal, which helped a group of Columbia students file a federal civil rights complaint against the school Thursday. It accuses Columbia of not doing enough to address discrimination against Palestinian students.

“The level of punishment is not even just draconian, it feels like over-the-top callousness,” Sainath said.

More than 40 students were arrested at a Yale demonstration last week, including senior Craig Birckhead-Morton. He is due to graduate May 20 but says the university has not yet told him if his case will be submitted to a disciplinary panel. He worries about whether he will receive a diploma and if his acceptance to Columbia graduate school could be at risk.

“The school has done its best to ignore us and not tell us what happens next,” said Birckhead-Morton, a history major.

Across the country, college administrators have struggled to  balance free speech and inclusivity . Some demonstrations have included hate speech, antisemitic threats or support for Hamas, the group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, sparking a war in Gaza that has left more than 34,000 dead.

May  commencement ceremonies  add pressure to clear demonstrations. University officials say arrests and suspensions are a last resort, and that they give ample warnings beforehand to clear protest areas.

Vanderbilt University in Tennessee has issued what are believed to be the only student expulsions related to protesting the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the Institute for Middle Eastern Understanding. More than two dozen students  occupied the university chancellor’s office  for several hours on March 26, prompting the university to summon police and arrest several protesters. Vanderbilt then issued three expulsions, one suspension and put 22 protesters on probation.

In an open letter to Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, more than 150 Vanderbilt professors criticized the university’s crackdown as “excessive and punitive.”

Freshman Jack Petocz, 19, one of those expelled, is being allowed to attend classes while he appeals. He has been evicted from his dorm and is living off campus.

Petocz said protesting in high school was what helped get him into Vanderbilt and secure a merit scholarship for activists and organizers. His college essay was about organizing walkouts in rural Florida to oppose Gov. Ron DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ policies.

“Vanderbilt seemed to love that,” Petocz said. “Unfortunately, the buck stops when you start advocating for Palestinian liberation.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s  standards  for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at  AP.org .

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