Joint PhD FAQs

Rackham Graduate School requires a bachelor's degree, or equivalent, and demonstration of English proficiency.

We do not have any prerequisites or require a master's degree.

Our program is very small with a target of approximately 6 new students across our three programs each year. The five-year average acceptance rate of our programs is currently 5%.

No. The joint doctoral program is designed as a full-time, in-person program. It requires a physical presence on the Ann Arbor campus through at least the end of your third year.

While we do not have any required prerequisites we would recommend that those applying to the joint program with economics have some background in math and economics, including calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and an intermediate-level micro- and macroeconomics course. For those interested in our joint programs with political science or sociology we would recommend a background in the social sciences and evidence of the ability to do high-level graduate work.

No. Our program does not require (or encourage) students to reach out to faculty prior to applying to secure a potential advisor or supervisor, and reaching out to faculty in advance of admissions offers will not impact admissions decisions. Students will be assigned mentors as they begin the program and will have plenty of time to connect with faculty to develop advising relationships.

You are welcome to visit the U-M campus at any time. As a prospective student you are responsible for arranging your visit; the Ford School does not arrange individual visits.

We have one application cycle annually. Our application opens by early September and closes on December 1st. We admit only for fall term, meaning students begin our program each August.

Your application must be submitted by December 1st.

You should apply online through Rackham Graduate School. More information about the application can be found at https://rackham.umich.edu/admissions/applying/

The Ford School does not offer any application fee waivers for our doctoral programs. Some application fee waivers are available from Rackham Graduate School for U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have demonstrated financial need. Information on the Rackham application fee waiver program can be found at https://rackham.umich.edu/admissions/applying/application-fee-and-payment/

You may apply to more than one program, but the ApplyWeb application website only allows you to work on one application at a time. To apply to multiple programs, applicants must submit their first application before starting additional applications. Additional information is available from Rackham Graduate School at https://rackham.umich.edu/admissions/applying/how-to-submit-more-than-one-application/

No. The only way to be considered for both programs is to apply to both programs. It is not uncommon for our students to apply to both the joint public policy and social science program PhD as well as the partner social science PhD (e.g. the public policy and economics PhD and the economics PhD), but you must apply to a program to be considered for admission.

Information about application materials can be found at https://fordschool.umich.edu/phd/admissions

No, all materials must be submitted via the online application.

No. GRE scores are no longer included in the admissions process for doctoral programs. Scores that are reported to U-M will not be shared with the review committee.

Yes. If you are attending or graduated from a non-U.S. institution, please review Rackham's Required Academic Credentials from Non-U.S. Institutions information for specific requirements by country. Please note: official transcripts will be required by Rackham Graduate School if you are offered admission.

It is not necessary to submit an updated transcript. We will reach out to you if we require additional materials.

Information on English proficiency exemptions and accepted language tests can be found on Rackham's website at https://rackham.umich.edu/admissions/applying/tests/.

No. You are unable to edit your application materials after your application is submitted. Please carefully review your materials to ensure accuracy prior to submission.

Late letters may be added to your application file after the deadline, however we strongly encourage you to have letters submitted by December 1st to ensure that they are included in our review of your materials.

You can check the status of your application in your U-M Friend Account. Applications will be marked as "complete" only after staff have reviewed your materials. Please do not contact us regarding incomplete applications until after January 1st to allow our staff time to review and manually update all applications.

Interviews are not currently a part of our application process.

All applicants will receive a decision by email to the address provided in your application. We do not typically release all decisions at the same time, however we will notify all applicants of admissions decisions by early April. Decisions will be updated in your U-M Friend Account after all decisions have been communicated by email.