Apply for the Frederick S. Pardee Ph.D. in Policy Analysis

The application includes general demographic questions, your academic background, and your academic plans and interests. Your application will automatically save as you answer questions and upload files, and you can return to it at any time. Once you have submitted your application, you will not be able to edit it, so double check your work to make sure everything is complete.

We require two letters of recommendation, which can come from academic or professional sources.

We offer recommenders the following Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Support:

• Relationship: Explain how you know the applicant, including your titles and institutions.
• Commitment and Success: Comment on their dedication to policy analysis and potential for success.
• Intellectual Potential: Assess their intellectual growth compared to peers.
• Program Readiness: Discuss their ability to handle this graduate level program.
• Interpersonal Skills: Describe teamwork abilities and, if applicable, English proficiency.

For all academic institutions you have attended since high school, upload unofficial transcripts from each. Transcripts must include all courses taken, grades received, and degrees conferred.

If a transcript lacks degree conferral information, provide separate documentation or a photo/photocopy of your diploma.

For transcripts in languages other than English, provide an exact English translation, including courses, grades, and degrees. Combine the transcript and translation into one document for upload. Certified translations are not required at the application stage.

If you are admitted and accept the offer, you must send final, official transcripts for all degree-granting institutions, along with certified translations for any non-English documents.

Please upload a resume that highlights your

• Academic background
• Work experience, including dates of employment and principal responsibilities
• Research, technical, computer, and other skillsets
• Any additional qualifications, including honors, awards, publications, languages spoken, and professional affiliations

Standardized Test Scores (GRE or GMAT)

• Optional Submission: GRE or GMAT scores are optional. The admissions committee will evaluate your application comprehensively, whether or not you submit these scores.
• Validity: For the 2026 cycle, GRE scores must be from tests taken after July 1, 2020, and GMAT scores after September 1, 2020. Home editions are acceptable. Report the highest score for each section.
• Submission: Upload an unofficial score report. If admitted and you accept our offer, the official score report will be required.

English Language Proficiency Exam Results

For international students whose first language is not English and who have not studied at an English-instruction institution for at least two years, an English proficiency exam is required.

• Accepted Tests: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition, TOEFL ITP for China, or IELTS Indicator.
• Score Requirements: Minimum scores: TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.0, PTE Academic 68. Scores must be from the same test administration.
• Validity: Tests must be taken after September 1, 2023, for the 2026 cycle.
• Submission: Upload an unofficial score report. If admitted and you accept our offer, the official score report will be required.

English Language Exemption

International applicants are exempt if they:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from an institution in the United States or another English-speaking country where English is the language of instruction.
• Have completed at least two years of full-time study at an institution where English is the language of instruction.

Documentation in your application will demonstrate language proficiency; no separate exemption request is needed.

Explain your interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis at the RAND School. Discuss your long-term personal and professional goals, and how this program will help you achieve them. Additionally, describe how your background and experiences will contribute to the diversity of the RAND School community and the field of public policy. (Limit: 750 words)

Optional Statement

If there is any information about your background that you were not able to provide elsewhere, please include it here. Your response does not have to be in the form of a formal essay. Brief explanations on multiple topics are okay. (Limit: 300 words)

An $100 non-refundable application fee will be due by the application deadline, payable by credit card. Application fee waivers are available.

• If you last applied more than a year ago, you are welcome to re-apply by completing a new application.
• If you applied within the past year, login and begin a new application; most of your previous information will pre-fill the form.
• You may reuse past recommendation letters if you have applied within the past year.
• Write a new personal statement or explain what’s new since your last application.

See the application for details.

Accepted international applicants will be required to submit “Proof of Funds,” or documentation that they have sufficient funds to cover the first year of their stay in the U.S. (one year of academic and living expenses), before a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status (Form I-20) will be issued. The Form I-20 is used to apply for a U.S. student visa.