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For fall semester admission, the deadline for international applicants is 1 December, and 15 January for domestic applicants. For spring semester admission, the deadline for both domestic and international applicants is 1 September. I am a foreign national who is attending graduate school at an American university. Since I currently reside in the United States, do I qualify as a domestic applicant? No. Only U.S. citizens and students already enrolled at Indiana University are considered domestic applicants. All others are considered international applicants. If I do not apply online, where should I send my application materials? Domestic applicants should send their application materials to Ph.D. Program in Public Affairs (or Public
Policy) International applicants should send their application materials to
Office of
International Admissions Should my transcripts be sent directly by the universities that I have attended? Or I can collect them and send them in a sealed envelope? We would prefer they be sent by the university. If that is inconvenient for some reason, please be sure they are in envelopes that have been sealed by the university registrar’s office. I recently took the GRE or TOEFL, and I won't be able to submit my entire application by the deadline. Will I still receive consideration? Although priority will be given to those applicants who have submitted all of their materials by the deadline, we will still consider your application even if your scores do not reach us by the deadline. Please be sure to submit all other materials by the deadline. I have not taken the GRE. Will you accept my LSAT, GMAT, or other graduate aptitude test scores? Typically the GRE is required of all applicants to our Ph.D. programs. Exceptions are granted in rare cases, at the discretion of the director of Ph.D. programs. If you wish to petition for an exception, please contact Prof. Roger Parks. What codes should I use to report my GRE and TOEFL scores to SPEA?
Do you require any GRE subject tests? No. We require only the General GRE. What GRE scores will I need to be admitted? Although an applicant’s performance on the GRE is an important criterion for admission, we do not have minimum scores below which we will not admit. Admitted students’ scores average about 600 in each category. My native language is not English, and I have not taken the TOEFL (or my scores have expired). However, I have pursued a graduate degree at a U.S. institution. Must I submit TOEFL scores? Please contact Roger Parks, Ph.D. programs director, to explain your situation. If you are granted a waiver of the TOEFL requirement, please make sure that your recommenders address your ability to communicate and to conduct research in English. Do I need to have completed my undergraduate degree before I apply? No. You will need to have at least a bachelor’s degree by the time you enter the program, but you do not need to have completed your degree at the time of application. Please send the most current transcript available when you apply. If you are admitted, a final transcript will be required. Is related employment experience a prerequisite for admission? No. Do I need to have earned a master’s degree before applying to the Ph.D. program? No. A master’s degree is not a prerequisite. May I transfer credits earned in a master’s or other graduate program? It is possible to transfer up to thirty graduate credits. Any credits transferred must be approved by the student’s committee. If I enter the Ph.D. program, will I earn a master’s degree along the way? No. The two degree programs are separate, and those who do not complete the Ph.D. program do not earn a master’s. Should I contact SPEA professors whose research interests me? It is a good idea to contact professors in your fields of interest. If there is a professor you would like as a mentor, it is an especially good idea to get in contact. You may do so by e-mail. When can I schedule a visit to SPEA? You may visit at any time of year. Please contact Carol Pruett to make arrangements. What goes into a good statement of purpose? Your statement of purpose should present your research interests and your academic and career goals, and it should address why SPEA is the best place for you to pursue those goals. If you have identified potential mentors among the SPEA faculty, please say so in your statement of purpose. The strongest statements of purpose showcase the applicant’s strengths and demonstrate the applicant’s fitness for the Ph.D. program. If there is additional information that might strengthen your application, please feel free to include it in your statement. When will you make your admissions decisions? We make them on a rolling basis and will make all of our decisions by mid-March. Most of the decisions will be made in February. How many students will you admit this year? We do not have a target class size. The number of students admitted varies each year, according to a variety of factors: the size and quality of the applicant pool, the availability of suitable faculty mentors, and the amount of funding available. How many international students will you admit this year? We do not have quotas; we admit qualified applicants who are a good fit for the program, regardless of national origin. Will I receive financial assistance? Maybe. If you wish to be considered for aid, please indicate this on your application. Financial aid usually is given in the form of teaching or graduate assistantships that may consist of a stipend, fee scholarship, or both. These awards vary in terms of amount and work requirement. Competition for financial aid is fierce, and not every admitted student is awarded aid. You are encouraged to identify and apply for external sources of financial aid. Does Indiana University provide health insurance for graduate students? Graduate students who have been given student academic appointments at 37.5% FTE (15 hrs/wk) will receive health insurance at no cost. Other health plans are available to students who do not hold such appointments. The Indiana University Graduate and Professional Student Association home page offers information on health care. How long will it take to complete the Ph.D.? Most students who make normal progress, whether they enter with a bachelor’s or a master’s degree, take between 2 and 3 years to complete their coursework and other preparation for their qualifying exams. Students typically take an additional semester to write and defend their dissertation proposal, and 1 to 2 years more to complete and defend their dissertation. Dissertation writing can take much longer for some students. Among recent graduates the median time from the start of the program to completion of their degree has been about 6 years.
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