Graduate Admissions

The application for Fall 2013 admission to the PhD program is now closed. The application for Fall 2014 admission will be available in September 2013. The principal goal of the Stanford Ph.D. program in political science is the training of scholars. Most students who receive doctorates in the program do research and teach at colleges or universities. Admission to the graduate program in political science is highly selective. About twelve to fifteen students, chosen from a large pool of applicants, enter the program each year.Before starting the application process, please read the information about the graduate program requirements and take a look at our list of Frequently Asked Questions. The Department of Political Science does not offer a Master's program. Questions regarding graduate admissions should be directed to carambula [at] stanford [dot] edu (Chandelle Arambula).

Application Materials

Once you are ready to apply, you can access the admissions application through the Office of Graduate Admissions. A complete application consists of the following documentation:

Stanford online application including statement of purpose
At least three letters of recommendation
Two transcripts from each institution you attended for at least one year**
GRE and TOEFL scores reported directly to Stanford (code 4704) - Learn more about these test requirements
Recent scholarly or critical paper (20-35 pages, double-spaced). Applicants may submit two or three shorter samples if they do not have a long one.
Application fee of $125

**Please upload transcripts into the online application. Do not send official copies to the Department until you are offered admission.

Graduate Finances

The Department is generally able to offer financial assistance to all students in the Ph.D. program (both domestic and international) who are making satisfactory progress. This assistance normally covers the full cost of tuition and an additional amount for living expenses during the academic year. The latter amount is usually in the form of a stipend, teaching assistantship, or research assistantship. Although the Department cannot formally guarantee support beyond the first year, it expects to continue to provide five years of support for Ph.D. students. Current information regarding tuition, fees, and living expenses can be found here.

The Department encourages students in all stages of the program to apply for funding from outside sources. To learn more about such opportunities, visit our page listening Additional Sources of Funding.