Before starting the online application:
Statement of Purpose
Please follow the instructions below for the Statement of Purpose (SOP). These instructions supersede the instructions for the general SOP in the online application.
Address these areas in 5-7 double-spaced pages:
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 PhD in Public Policy. 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.
Please note that the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose.
There is no page length requirement for the Personal History Statement. This essay is generally 1-2 pages, double-spaced.
Faculty Advisor Preferences
Select 3 preferences for a faculty advisor if you are admitted to the program (view profiles of Goldman School faculty here). The assignment of faculty advisors is not guaranteed and is based on the availability of each faculty member.
Curriculum Vitae
(CV)
Upload a current CV reflecting your academic and professional work experience, education, and any other relevant information.
Writing Sample
A solo-authored, original research paper. This should be under 30 pages, double-spaced. We strongly prefer a writing sample that goes beyond just a literature review or summary of existing research. Its purpose is to make it evident that the student can undertake policy research.
Transcripts
Upload unofficial transcripts from all universities or colleges attended. Transcripts should list the name of your undergraduate or graduate institution and degree conferral date. If you studied abroad, either as part of an exchange program administered by your school or on your own, please upload those transcripts as well.
In addition to unofficial transcripts, international applicants should also upload degree certificates/diplomas with evidence of degree conferral.
Official transcripts will be required only if admitted.
Letters of Recommendation
Three (3) letters are required. Applications without three letters will be considered incomplete. Applicants may submit up to 5 letters of recommendation.
Please follow the instructions in the online application for the online letter of recommendation submission process.
Letters may arrive up until 11:59 PM PST on December 17th (14 days after the application deadline). Letters that arrive after this date are not guaranteed to be reviewed with your application.
GRE Scores
GRE scores are required for the Fall 2025 application cycle (no exceptions or substitutions).
To ensure you meet the application deadline, please take the GRE no later than early November 2024.
Scores dated before August 2019 are no longer valid.
GRE scores are due the same day the application is due. Keep in mind that it may take a few weeks for your official scores to be received and matched to your application electronically. Our institution code is 4833 (Graduate Programs).
Reservations for the GRE should be made in advance through: The Education Testing Service (ETS) http://www.ets.org/gre (Phone: (609) 771-7670 or 1-800-GRE-CALL).
Evidence of 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.
We will only accept TOEFL tests administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and sent to UC Berkeley directly by the TOEFL office. UC Berkeley's Graduate Division is currently not accepting the TOEFL ITP Plus for Mainland China or Duolingo.
For Fall 2024, tests taken before June 1, 2023, 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, 2023, 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: 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 and direct any questions to UC Berkeley's Graduate Admissions Office at gradadm@berkeley.edu.
Application Fee
The application fee must be submitted with the online application and is not refundable. If you are a U.S. Citizen or current Permanent Resident, the application fee is $135; for all others, the fee is $155.
Eligible applicants may apply for an application fee waiver. To do so, you must be a U.S. citizen or current permanent resident. International students are ineligible.
The form to request a fee waiver is included in the payment section of the online application. Please select the fee waiver option before submitting your application to initiate the fee waiver review process.
Our department does not grant application fee waivers. No exceptions.
Addendum (optional)
Please complete this section if you wish to address specific issues that have adversely impacted your academic performance and/or any aspect of your application.
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. Admissions decisions are typically sent in early March via email. Please check your Spam/Junk/Events folders if you do not receive your decision by early March.
GSPP typically admits only two or three applicants each year and offers support to admitted PhD students through a combination of department fellowships, university multi-year fellowships, and teaching and research assistantships. While funding packages vary by student, incoming PhD students are generally awarded five years of funding support consisting of fees and non-resident tuition, student health insurance, and a living stipend. For admitted PhD students who secure funding from external sources outside of UC Berkeley, external funding also goes towards the five years of funding support.
All funding packages are contingent on students meeting minimum academic and residency requirements for the Goldman School and the University throughout the tenure of support. United States citizens and Permanent Residents are required to achieve California residency by the end of their first year in California to receive continued fee support.
In addition, there are many opportunities for PhD students to work as graduate student instructors at GSPP and other social science departments. These appointments provide a full fee remission (in most cases) and a monthly salary.
There are many opportunities on campus for GSPP PhD students to engage in research (in many cases, in a paid research position) both at the Goldman School and elsewhere on campus. For example, research opportunities typically exist in campus departments including Energy and Resources Group, Labor Center, Global Policy Lab, California Policy Lab, People Lab, and Opportunity Lab, to name a few. These appointments may also provide a fee remission (in most cases) and a monthly salary.
Questions About the Online Application? Contact:
