BA South Asian Languages and Civilizations at University of Chicago

Programme overview

The Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations (SALC) offers an undergraduate major leading to a BA in the Humanities Collegiate Division. The social sciences are integrated into our program through the civilization sequence, and courses in the social sciences and religious studies are usually included in a student's program of study. Students majoring in SALC will gain a broad knowledge of the literature and history of the South Asian subcontinent (i.e., Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), and proficiency in at least one South Asian language that is equivalent to one ye

Faculty: The College | Department: South Asian Languages and Civilizations | Study mode: full-time | Intake: Autumn | Location: Chicago, IL, United States

What you will study

Students pursuing a major or minor in South Asian Languages and Civilizations must take a quality grade in all courses used to meet department requirements. A minimum of half of the requirements must be met by courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is to the College, not to the major (university-level requirement): first-year applicants apply through the Common Application or Apply Coalition with the UChicago supplement essays and submit the secondary school report and transcript, two teacher evaluations and a mid-year report; testing follows the University's No Harm Testing Policy. Majors are declared after enrolment and must satisfy the College general education Core plus the major requirements listed in the catalogue.

USD 75,960 a year (2026-27). College tuition for the 2026-27 academic year (cost of attendance table); excludes student services fee, U-Pass fee, class fee, housing, food and books. Source

First-year admission is offered for entrance in the Autumn Quarter only (except prospective students-at-large).

First-year application plans (as published for the 2025-26 cycle): Early Decision I and Early Action deadline 3 November 2025; Early Decision II and Regular Decision deadline 5 January 2026. Applications are accepted through the Common Application and Apply Coalition, Powered by Scoir. An application fee or automatic fee waiver is required, SAT/ACT scores are covered by the No Harm Testing Policy.

Apply through the official page: https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/

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