To all who have expressed interest in our community—by attending a virtual session, calling our office, scheduling a one-on-one, or sending us an email, and to those who have chosen to apply: thank you! We are excited about all you might add to our community.

Given the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, our office will be closed until Monday, November 29. With the application deadline in mind, we want to outline some helpful resources through this blog, as we may not be able to respond to everyone before the December 1 application deadline.

Please review the following to learn more about our tight-knit and supportive community:

• Graduate Admissions Viewbook
• Graduate Admissions Blog
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Internships and First Careers after Graduation
• Biographical profiles of current MPA, MPP and PhD students
• Curriculum and Requirements for the MPA, MPP and PhD

 

We appreciate the time, energy, and investment each of you has placed in your application. For our part, we are gearing up for “Reading Season.” During this time, we burrow in our offices to read and discuss every application, individually, holistically and on its own merits. This process is time-intensive and collaborative, across each of our three admissions committees. These committees are comprised of faculty, staff, admissions professionals, and alumni. Understanding the time and care we employ toward reading and discussing files, we thank you in advance for your patience as we work through our process.

We realize applying to graduate school can be stressful. To help ease any last-minute anxiety, please utilize these resources and information as they may help you prepare to submit your application.

• Our application deadline is December 1 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. As there are no extensions to the deadline, make sure to submit your application on time as the portal will close. 
• The School only offers fall-entry admission, and we have a single application deadline. The December 1 deadline is for all three graduate degrees: our MPA, the MPP, and our PhD.
• Here's how you check the status of your application:
  • When you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email.
  • An applicant who has submitted their application can return to the application menu, click on Manage Your Account, and log into the application.
  • Under Submitted Forms, select the Princeton University application and then click View Checklist.
  • The Checklist shows received materials. Only required documents will be added to the application and checklist.
  • Received test scores will be listed by test date.

• Did we mention the deadline is December 1 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time? ​
• If you are scheduled to take your GRE in December, please include a brief statement in your application that contains your test date so our admissions committee knows your GRE scores are forthcoming. Also, when you receive your GRE scores from ETS, please forward a copy to spiaadmissions@princeton.edu. Our office will use this as a placeholder until the School receives your official scores. 
  • Note, testing after December is not recommended as we cannot guarantee that scores will be received in time for our review process, and files will be deemed incomplete.

• It is fine to submit your application even if your three recommenders have yet to submit their letters on your behalf. However, you might want to give them a gentle and polite reminder of the application deadline.

 

For additional application questions, please refer to the following pages:

• The Graduate School’s Applying to Princeton page.
• The Graduate School’s Application FAQ, Recommenders FAQ, Transcripts FAQ, English Language Test Scores FAQ, and Prerequisite Test Scores FAQ.
• The Graduate School’s overview of SPIA's application requirements.
• Detailed pages on the application for the MPA, the MPP, and the PhD.

 

For future email inquiries, do not send the same email to multiple people and lists. Here are the appropriate emails:

• Technical difficulties with the online application inquiries should be sent to gradapphelp@princeton.edu.
• General interest, the Graduate School’s website, or updates to an applicant’s contact information inquiries should be sent to gs@princeton.edu.
• GRE, IELTS/TOEFL tests, or fee waiver inquiries should be sent to gsadmit@princeton.edu.
• Application requirements that were not previously uploaded to an applicant’s submitted application should be sent to gradapp@princeton.edu. Please review these tips when sending emails to this account.
• SPIA-specific emails should be sent to spiaadmissions@princeton.edu.

 

Thanks for your interest in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. If you choose to apply, we look forward to learning about you and reading your file. We wish you the best!