Public Affairs MPA

Requirements and Advice

The completed electronic application: Please note that the application is generic for all of Princeton University\xc2\x92s graduate programs. Please make sure you review our departmental requirements below for specifics about applying to WWS. You should also visit our FAQ for additional application advice.

A note about the required field of concentration: Applicants can indicate only one field of concentration on the application. The admissions committee selects candidates whose strengths best match the objectives of each area of concentration. There is no set enrollment for each field. During the first semester, students have ample time to determine whether this field best fits their interests or whether they would prefer to switch to another field.

Additional information documents: Personal statements, certificate memos, policy memos and r\xc3\xa9sum\xc3\xa9s give applicants the opportunity to present their strengths and demonstrate a commitment to a career of public service.

• Personal statement: Your personal statement should showcase your strengths and provide an overview of your background, goals, academic and professional aspirations and a commitment to public service. The personal statement should be approximately two to four pages. If you wish to address any weaknesses in your application, it is better to write a separate, succinct, fact-based explanation as an addendum.
• Joint degree memo or certificate memo: Applicants who wish to pursue a joint degree or certificate should write a brief statement that explains their interest and sets forth clearly their reasons for wanting to enroll in such a program. This statement should be approximately 500 words and should be separate from your personal statement.
• Policy memo: The ability to write succinct and impactful policy memos will prove useful in both academic and career settings. For the purposes of this memo, the admissions committee is less concerned about format and more interested in your professional experiences, your critical analysis of the issues and your ability to write cogently and clearly.

Choose a topic to demonstrate your knowledge of an area related to your field of concentration and your professional and personal interests. Specific topics create better opportunities to demonstrate analytical skills and analysis than broader ones.

The memo should be approximately four double-spaced pages and should identify a problem in domestic or international affairs, discuss the complexity of it and propose policy recommendations.

• R\xc3\xa9sum\xc3\xa9: Your r\xc3\xa9sum\xc3\xa9 should be one to two pages and provide a list of your employment activities, community service, education, academic and professional honors. A brief annotation of job responsibilities, leadership and awards is helpful.

Transcripts: Faculty evaluate applicants\xc2\x92 aptitude for courses in economic and quantitative analysis. There is no prescribed undergraduate major for the MPA degree, but familiarity with social science disciplines makes the learning curve less steep at the outset. Within the Graduate School\xc2\x92s electronic application you will be asked only for unofficial copies of degree transcripts to be uploaded, but WWS requires ALL transcripts from any institution you have attended.

You can upload additional transcripts in the Additional Information section of the application. Study-abroad transcripts also are required unless the courses and grades are listed on your undergraduate transcript.

Course list: This document is a list of mathematics, economics and politics courses you have completed or are in progress. You should include courses taken as an undergraduate or in post-graduate study including evening classes. Applicants should provide the course number, name, principal textbook and author and a brief description of the course content.

References: The electronic application asks for three academic letters of recommendation; however, WWS requires that at least one letter should be professional and one should be academic. The third should come from a faculty member, administrator or professional who can comment on your commitment to public service. Be sure that writers of references understand your reasons for applying to the Woodrow Wilson School as well as your goals and strengths.

Statement of financial resources: Financial aid is merit- and need-based for applicants to the MPA program. The FAFSA is not required, but you will need to fill out a number of financial questions as part of the application. These questions come after the section where you upload your documents, so plan accordingly.

GRE: Official results of the GRE general test are required of all applicants. Princeton\'s GRE code is 2672; no departmental code is needed. Applicants should take the GRE before the application deadline, but historically we have received some score reports in time to be considered as part of an application even for tests taken in December.

TOEFL/IELTS: English language test scores are required for all non-native English-speaking applicants unless they have received their undergraduate degree from an English-speaking country.