Application Pro Tip: Last Minute Resources 2024

Dec 10 2024
By
SPIA Graduate Admission Office

We are just over one week out from our application deadline on December 15th and would like to thank everyone who has expressed interest in our community. We’re so glad to have engaged with you!

For those of you who have chosen to apply, we look forward to getting to know you. We appreciate the time, investment, and energy that each of you put into your application which will be read and reviewed by at least two, if not more members of our admission committee. All files are read individually and holistically. 

Please also keep in mind that due to our commitments in reviewing applications, we appreciate your patience and understanding during this busy time.

For last-minute resources before finalizing your application, please see the links below.

Application Pro Tip: Showcasing your Commitment to Public Service

Application Pro Tip: Statement of Purpose

Breaking down the MPA/MPP statement of purpose, personal statement, and supplemental essay

Application Pro Tip: Letters of Recommendation

Application Pro Tip: Writing an Impactful Policy Memo

Our application deadline is December 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET. With this in mind, please note there are no extensions or exceptions to this deadline, so make sure to submit your application well in advance as the application portal will close at that time.

A few more notes:

  • Princeton graduate programs offer one admission application cycle for fall-entry admission.
  • The December 15th deadline is for all three graduate degree programs at SPIA—the 2-year MPA, the 1-year mid-career MPP, and our PhD.
  • If you are applying to the MPA program and have scheduled your GRE for December, please include a brief statement in your application that contains your test date, so that our admissions committee knows your score is 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 we receive your official scores.
    • Testing after December 15 is not recommended as we cannot guarantee scores will be received in time for our review process, and MPA files without a GRE score will be deemed incomplete until we receive your results.
  • 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 and encourage them to submit as soon as possible.

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

Once an application is submitted, it is the applicant’s responsibility to check the application portal for updates and to confirm that we have all required information.

  • To check the status of your application, please see the following:
    • When you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email. No notifications will be sent for completed applications.
    • It is the responsibility of the applicant to view their application checklist to confirm that all required items are received.
    • An applicant who has submitted their application, and paid the application fee, can return to the application portal to view their application checklist.
    • The application checklist shows received materials. Duplicate materials and items that are not required as part of the application will not appear on the checklist. Checklists are only updated after the application is submitted and the application fee is paid.
    • You can verify the receipt of letters of recommendation and test scores. Any item that has been received will have a date next to it. Tests that have been received will show the test date.

Finally, for any last details about our tight-knit and supportive community, please see these links to learn more:

Good luck to all who are applying!