Applicants for graduate study must have completed, with distinction, an undergraduate degree in an accredited college or university and will normally be expected to have taken at least 18 credit hours (six courses) in religious studies at the under-graduate level. In addition, applicants must submit scores less than 5 years old on the Graduate Record Examination (aptitude portion only). Admission will depend not only on the achievement and promise of the applicant as attested through transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation, and GRE scores, but also on the clarity of the applicant’s statement of interest, on their aims, and on the compatibility of the applicant’s interests with department resources, or on what is more commonly referred to as “the fit”.