Admissions

Applications to the graduate program in Political Science at the University of Michigan are submitted online through the Rackham Graduate School. Access to the online application will end at 11:59 pm EST on December 15.

The statement of purpose should be a concise statement about the applicant's academic and research background, career goals, and how the University of Michigan's Department of Political Science will help him/her to meet their career and educational objectives. Applicants should speak specifically to how their research interests align with those of the faculty in the Department.

We encourage applicants to write about their specific area of research and discuss how this research fits into the larger department as a whole. Although you are welcome to reference faculty members with whom you share research interests, we strongly discourage you from giving superficial reviews of their work. “Fit” is an important criterion when reviewing applications so we encourage you to focus on your own personal academic “fit” and strengths.

There is no specific limit to the statement; most are 2-4 pages (500-1,000 words) in length.

Applicants should use the personal statement to address how their background and life experiences (including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges) motivated their decision to pursue a graduate degree in Political Science. This should be a discussion of the journey that has led to the decision to seek a graduate degree.

The personal statement is not the same as the academic statement of purpose. Please do not repeat your academic statement of purpose.

Upload an electronic version of your transcript(s) for each Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, or Doctoral degree earned or in progress through your ApplyWeb application account. If you are recommended for admission, the Rackham Graduate School will require official transcript(s). Recommended applicants will receive an email notification when the official transcript(s) are required for submission. More information about uploading and sending transcripts is HERE.  

If an applicant is not able to scan a transcript and upload it with their application, then an official transcript should be sent to:

Rackham Graduate School
Attn: Transcripts/UMID# (if known) or Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)
915 E. Washington Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070
USA

Note: The Rackham Graduate School requires the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor's degree.  Information about required academic credentials from non-U.S. institutions can be found HERE.

All applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency, unless they meet one of the criteria for an exemption.  Our department follows requirements set by the Rackham Graduate School.  Information about language test scores and language exemptions can be found HERE.

To ensure that test scores reach the Department before the December 15 deadline, it is recommended that applicants take the exam no later than mid-November.

GRE general test scores are no longer included in the admissions process for Rackham’s doctoral programs as of the 2022–2023 admissions cycle. (More information available)

The writing sample should be a good representation of original research/work by the applicant. The writing sample should reflect the same area of interest expressed in your Statement of Purpose or, if not available, strongly reflect your academic skills as a whole. The writing sample should not exceed 20 pages in length.

All applicants are required to submit three (3) letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation should be submitted through the online application system. Instructions for submission can be found HERE. At this time we are not able to accept letters from letter services such as Interfolio.

Letters of recommendation should be from a person who is familiar with an applicant's research ability, writing ability, work ethic, and ability to be successful in a doctoral program. We strongly encourage applicants to have letters of recommendation submitted by political scientists, academics in related fields, or other academics who would be able to able to effectively gauge your success in a rigorous political science PhD program.