ADMISSIONS FAQs

The online PhD Handbook contains a wealth of information concerning the requirements for admission to, and completion of, the PhD program in Public Administration at the Maxwell School. Nonetheless, many potential applicants may feel unsure about their individual situations and have further questions. Here are several of the frequently-asked questions that we receive from potential applicants, along with standardized answers to them.

1. Am I a strong candidate for admission to the PhD program?

The Ph.D. Coordinator and members of the admissions committee typically do not want to engage in unofficial evaluations of individual’s likelihood of being admitted. The best test of one’s chances of being admitted is, of course, to apply and see what happens. There are four very important parts of the application that influence the admission decision.

We look closely at:

• Evidence of superior academic achievement, including GRE scores and grades received in Master’s and undergraduate education;
• Evidence of good analytic skills, including quantitative skills, in the form of GRE-Q scores and performance in coursework involving mathematics, statistics, and economics;
• Letters of recommendation; and
• The personal statement. This is especially important as we attempt to judge the “fit” between applicant’s interests and aspirations and our ability to serve them. The personal statement also provides important information about the applicant’s language and writing skills.

Of course, any one applicant’s chances depend, in part, upon the level and mix of strengths shown by other applicants simultaneously under consideration. Thus, holding constant one’s individual characteristics, the chances of being admitted might change from year to year, depending on who else happens to apply in any given year.

2. My Master’s degree is not in Public Administration or Public Policy. Can I still apply?

Yes. We have admitted students with degrees in economics, demography, environmental studies and engineering. Applicants lacking coursework in selected foundational areas (e.g., managerial economics, public budgeting) may be required, or advised, to take courses in these areas while enrolled in our PhD program.

3. Are my GRE scores high enough?

There are no official thresholds below which one’s GRE scores rule out consideration for admission. All members of the admissions committee attach some weight to GRE scores, and it is certainly the case that the higher one’s scores, the more favorable are one’s chances of admission.

Potential applicants may find the following information helpful. These summary statistics are based on the GRE scores of applicants admitted to the program during the past few academic years:

	Verbal	Quantitative	Analytical
Q1	570	730	3.5
Median	670	770	4.5
Q3	710	780	5.0

 

*Additionally, the average GPA of entering students during the most recent three years was a 3.78.

4. Is funding available?

All admitted students are offered a financial package that covers all tuition costs as well as three years of a cash stipend. Summer funds, and academic-year support beyond the third year, are available through a number of competitive sources. Although the fourth year is not guaranteed, nearly all students end up with four years of support as well as 2-3 summers of support, tied either to research or teaching.

5. Is a TOEFL score required?

Facility with written and spoken English is important to success in our program. TOEFL scores are required for all applicants for whom English is not the first language. However, we are willing to waive this requirement for applicants with at least four years attendence at an an English-language university. Applicants for whom English is not the first language should ask the people writing recommendations to address the applicant’s language skills. This is especially important for applicants who do not supply a TOEFL score.

6. May I, and should I, contact individual professors?

E-mail addresses for members of the PA faculty can be found here. Prospective applicants are certainly free to initiate contact with individual faculty, and may find it helpful as a way to clarify the degree to which their interests match the faculty member’s interests and current areas of research. This type of contact may also help to identify potential faculty mentors. However, there is no requirement to make such contact, and no systematic evidence that making such contact changes one’s chances of being admitted to the program.