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Apply to the MPP

The Fall 2024 UC Berkeley Graduate Application is closed and we are no long accepting applications.
 

MPP and MPP/Concurrent Application Deadline for Fall 2024 Admission: December 4, 2023 at 8:59 PST.
                                                                 

- All application materials, including Letters of Recommendation and official GRE, TOEFL or IELTS test scores are due on December 4, 2023 by 8:59 PM PST. Failure to submit required materials by the deadline will cause your application to be incomplete. 

- After submitting your application, you will receive an email from UC Berkeley's Graduate Admissions Office confirming your submission. You may log back into your application to monitor the status of materials received or processed, such as fee waivers, test scores, and letters of recommendation. 

- We will not accept applications after December 4th. There are no rolling admissions; MPP students are admitted for the fall term only.

- Admissions decisions are typically sent in mid-March via email. 

Please visit our MPP admissions FAQs page for answers to commonly asked questions and be sure to add mppadm@berkeley.edu to your email contacts. Messages from the MPP Admissions Office will be sent from this address. 

Basic Admissions Requirements for UC Berkeley Graduate Applicants

  • a bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;
  • a satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale; and
  • enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field 
  • evidence of English Language Proficiency (only for applicants from countries/regions in which the official language is not English); for more information about the TOEFL/IELTS requirement or exemption eligibility, please visit Berkeley Graduate Division's Evidence of English Language Proficiency Guidelines and our TOEFL FAQs for more details.

Fall 2024 MPP Application Checklist

Before starting your application, please review the following application checklist and instructions specific to applicants for the MPP or MPP/Concurrent degree programs. If you have any questions about the items on this checklist, please contact the MPP Admissions Office at mppadm@berkeley.edu

The MPP Admissions Office offers virtual advising appointments for Fall 2024 applicants who would like to connect and discuss their application questions. For more details about office hours and admissions events, please visit our Resources for Prospective Applicants page.

Policy Statement of Purpose

Please follow the instructions below for the (Policy) Statement of Purpose essay. These instructions supersede the instructions from the general Statement of Purpose section on the online application.

MPP Applicants -- For the Statement of Purpose, please follow the Policy Statement of Purpose prompt below and upload your essay to the "Statement of Purpose" section of the onling MPP Application.

MPP/Concurrent Degree Applicants -- because concurrent degree applicants are essentially applying to two programs through one application, they must submit two statement of purpose essays (one for each program). For the MPP, please submit your Policy Statement of Purpose through the "Program Page" section of the application. Your statement for the other program should be submitted under the "Statement of Purpose" section. Please be mindful of any essay prompts that may be required for your second essay. For additional instructions visit Applying for Concurrent Degree Programs.

Instructions: The Goldman School of Public Policy welcomes applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds and with a variety of career aspirations. Some of our students have had prior experience in the realm of public policy; others have not. It is helpful to us to know more about your background, your motivation, and your long-term goals than cannot be inferred from your records and references. We would appreciate you helping us by supplying a brief statement of 3-5 pages, double-spaced.

Please address these areas:

The Present: Why do you want to take an educational program in the analysis and management of public policy?

The Past: What experiences or activities bear on your qualifications for this program, e.g., research papers, study groups, job responsibilities, policy or political projects? How do these experiences relate to your decision to undertake the study of public policy analysis and management? If you have been out of school for a year or more, please indicate the positions you have held and your major activities.

The Future: What kinds of work and activity would you like to engage in following graduation, and what are your long-range career objectives?Please supply whatever information you think may help us to understand your candidacy more fully.

Personal History Statement

The Personal History Statement is a required part of the UC Berkeley graduate application. Consider this as your personal introduction to the admissions committee.

In your Personal History Statement, please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. In this section, you may also include any relevant information on the following:

How you have overcome barriers to access in higher education, evidence of how you have come to understand the barriers faced by others, evidence of your academic service to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and individuals from other groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education, evidence of your research focusing on underserved populations or related issues of inequality, or evidence of your leadership among such groups.

Although there may be some overlap, please note that the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Policy Statement of Purpose. The Personal History Statement should focus on your personal history/journey, where as your Policy Statement of Purpose should focus on your academic and professional experience.

There is no page length requirement for the Personal History Statement. However, this essay is generally 1-2 pages, double-spaced.

Letters of Recommendation

Three (3) letters are required but we will accept up to four (4) letters. Your letters should be a combination of academic and professional or all professional. You will be prompted to invite recommenders to submit letters on your behalf through the online application.

The most helpful letters are from persons who have supervised the applicant's work in either an academic, employment or community service capacity, who can evaluate the applicant's intellectual ability, creativity, initiative, leadership potential and promise in the field of public policy.

Note: Letters of Recommendation are due on December 4th. Please stay in touch with your recommenders to ensure that your letters are submitted on time. Applications without three letters will be considered incomplete.

Transcripts and Grade Point Average (GPA)

Please upload unofficial transcripts from all universities or colleges attended, including community colleges, summer sessions, study abroad, and extension programs. Transcripts should list the name of your undergraduate institution and degree conferral date. Unofficial transcripts for any in-progress coursework during the fall semester or quarter should be forwarded to mppadm@berkeley.edu immediately after the course concludes.

**Official transcripts will be required only for admitted students who accept admission.**

Required records from international institutions

You may submit academic records in one of two ways:

1) In addition to unofficial transcripts,  please upload degree certificates/diplomas with evidence of degree conferral and/or applicable translations. Academic records should be issued in the original language and accompanied by English translations unless the institution issues original documents in English. English translations are required for all languages except Spanish; degree names and grades should be transliterated, not converted to English words or the U.S. grades of A-F. If your home institution does not issue documents in English, you may submit translations prepared by certified translators from the American Translators Association or the Ministry of Education.

2) If you earned your basic/bachelor's degree outside of the United States, you may upload a copy of your World Education Services (WES) International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP) evaluation as your unofficial transcript/academic record for that institution. The WES ICAP must include verified copies of your official basic/bachelor's degree transcripts and degree certificates.

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You will be required to enter both your Cumulative Undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA), and your Advanced GPA into the "Grades" page of your online application. Primary weight will be given to the Advanced GPA, however, your entire academic record will be evaluated. We do not require the major field or intended field of study GPA calculations.Your cumulative GPA should appear on your undergraduate transcript. Calculate your Advanced GPA using an online GPA calculator tool and enter it as a value between 0.00 and 4.00. If your GPA is not based on a 4-point scale, leave these fields blank. This may be the case for many international applicants. If your GPA is not on a 4.0 scale, please be sure to submit a transcript that includes a grading key.

GRE Requirement

Applicants have two ways of meeting the GRE requirement for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle (please pick one):

1) by submitting official valid GRE scores reported via ETS

2) by submitting a Quantitative Resume

Note: applicants who choose not to submit GRE scores are required to submit a quantitative resume. The purpose of the quantitative resume is to provide the admissions committee with additional information on your quantitative proficiency in the absence of official GRE scores.

*No preference will be given to either option. Do not submit both.*

Quantitative Resume

The quantitative resume will highlight your quantitative experience in an academic and/or professional setting. Please upload your quantitative resume to the "Program Page" section of the application as a PDF.

Please include within it:

A list of up to five (5) quantitative courses (math, statistics, calculus, microeconomics, and physical or social science methods) taken in college as part of your undergraduate degree. Applicants with quantitative undergraduate majors should focus on courses that are most relevant to the MPP curriculum.For each course, please include (1) the course name (2) the school where the course was taken (3) semester/quarter and year the course was completed (4) grade received and (5) a short course description or summary of major concepts covered.Note: we will also accept college-level coursework completed after undergraduate studies from a community or 4-year college or an online institution. 

Description of experience using quantitative methods in an academic and/or professional environment (paid, volunteer, or internship). This may include regular work tasks and/or substantive projects completed. Please address any analytical skills acquired (e.g. use of data analysis software, data visualization tools, etc.)

Some of the information included in your quantitative resume may overlap with your traditional resume; it is fine to include it in both. Uploading a duplicate copy of your traditional resume will not fullfil the requirement.

For more guidance on how to draft your quantitative resume, please review Tips for Writing Your Quantitative Resume.

GRE Scores

Scores dated before August 2018 are no longer valid. GRE scores are due the same day the application is due. It may take several days for your scores to be received and matched to your application electronically. To ensure you meet the application deadline, you should take the GRE by no later than early November. Our institution code is 4833 (Graduate Programs). Reservations for the GRE exam should be made in advance through: The Education Testing Service (ETS) at http://www.ets.org/gre

English Language Proficiency

All applicants who have completed a basic degree in a country/region in which the official language is not English are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. This requirement applies to institutions from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, Israel, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asian countries, most European countries, and countries in Africa in which English is not the official language.

There are two standardized tests you may take: the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

For Fall 2024, tests taken before June 1, 2022 are considered invalid even if your score was reported to Berkeley. Use institution code 4833 (Graduate Programs). You may sign up for the TOEFL at http://www.ets.org/toefl

As an exception to the TOEFL, UC Berkeley also accepts the IELTS exam. All IELTS scores must be sent electronically from the testing center, no institution code is required. Tests taken before June 1, 2022 will not be accepted. Your most recent overall Band score must be at least 7 on a 9-point scale.

The address for identification purposes is: University of California, Berkeley, Graduate Division, Sproul Hall Rm 318, MC 5900, Berkeley, CA 94720.

Please do not mail any score reports.

*GSPP does not offer TOEFL/IELTS waivers, however some applicants may qualify for an exemption. Please review UC Berkeley's exemption criteria HERE.

Resume (Work Experience)

Please upload a current resume reflecting your work experience, education, and other relevant information. There is no page limit for the resume. Your resume should be submitted under the "Supporting Materials" section of the on-line application.

GSPP believes work experience adds tremendous value to class discussions and helps students to develop a context for problem solving and policy analysis. Although GSPP does not require work experience for admission, it is strongly recommended and encouraged. On average, incoming students have at least three to four years of full time work experience after completing the undergraduate degree. 

Writing Sample (Optional)

Submitting additional writing samples, including publications or presentations is not required. The Policy Statement of Purpose and Personal History Statement will serve as primary writing samples for all applicants.

Addendum (Optional)

Please complete this section if you wish to address any specific personal issues that have adversely impacted your academic performance and/or any aspect of your application.

Application Fee

The application fee for U.S. citizens and current permanent residents is $135. The application fee for all other applicants is $155.

Application Fee Waiver

To be eligible for a fee waiver, you must be a U.S. citizen or current permanent resident who demonstrates financial need or participated in certain programs.

Undocumented students in the US may be considered for an application fee waiver if they demonstrate financial need. Visit Prospective Undocumented Graduate Students for additional information.

Please see the Graduate Admissions Fee waiver eligibility page to find out if you qualify for a waiver exemption. 

Eligible applicants must submit their fee waiver request through the online application portal. Our department cannot process or grant fee waivers. No exceptions.

Note: Fee waiver decisions will be posted on your application status page after submission of the application. Please direct questions to the UC Berkeley Graduate Admissions Office at gradadm@berkeley.edu.