Our admissions response deadline, 2020 make-up in-person graduation, reunions, and 2022 graduation are now behind us, and we are all excited to welcome the next class to Princeton SPIA this summer!

This was another extraordinary year with a lot of challenges and changes that tested us all in different ways. The work our admitted students do on behalf of their communities has kept us inspired and hopeful. Thank you for your service.

It was also an extraordinary year for our community with a new Dean and several new high-profile hires, and in our admissions process.

With record application numbers—now for the second year in a row—to the MPP and Ph.D. programs, and with a very strong number of applications to our MPA program, we are excited by the exceptionally qualified and diverse group of enrolling students. The future of our community is strong.

We are delighted to welcome 98 students to SPIA this summer/fall—8 Ph.D.s, 21 MPPs and 69 MPAs. They hail from 26 U.S. states, 22 different countries (including dual citizens), and 76 undergraduate institutions with 67 different majors. 19 of them come with a prior graduate degree.

Over 40% of enrolling U.S. citizens or permanent residents self-identify as people of color, and of enrolling students, over 50% are women. About 15% of them identify as LGBTQ+ community members, and nearly 30% of enrolling students are first-generation or lower-income students. We have strong representation across the military, and through many other important identities represented in our incoming class, including religious affiliations.

There are readers and runners, climbers and cooks, dancers, singers, weightlifters, and board game enthusiasts among our group! They collectively speak 35 different languages, and work at over 90 different organizations and institutions across local groups, state and federal governments, NGOs, and multilateral institutions, as well as across policy spheres. Most directly supported their communities through the pandemic.

Our application for the next cycle of admission will open in September. We look forward to getting to know many of you on the road this year, and through your application files. Thank you for your interest in our community!