You should apply to the University of Pennsylvania by January 1. The December 15 deadline mentioned on the Graduate School webpage is in effect for many programs, but not for Germanic (FIGS).

In addition to a personal statement* about your background and interest in graduate research in German and your curriculum vitae, the Department requires letters of recommendation, transcripts, and a writing sample. Typically, candidates for a degree in German will have majored in German or otherwise established their credentials in the field (e.g., extensive study abroad; minor in German with other experience; major in another field with strong German component.) Because many of the courses offered in the Program are conducted in German and the faculty believe that near-native fluency is essential for those who leave Penn with graduate degrees in German, applicants are expected to be proficient in the language.

Please go to the Graduate Division of Arts and Sciences homepage http://www.sas.upenn.edu/graduate-division to apply online and to obtain more general information on the Graduate Programs at Penn. Click here to go directly to the online application. GRE scores are not required. The application fee is $90.00. Payments must be made by credit card, check, or international postal money order written in U.S. currency and made payable to the "Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania." Application fee waiver inquiries and requests can be sent to gdasadmis@sas.upenn.edu. Please contact the Graduate Coordinator, Laura Flippin (flippin@sas.upenn.edu) or Graduate Chair, Eva Del Soldato (evadel@sas.upenn.edu) with any questions.