Application Information

This page is divided into information about Degrees, Procedures, and Frequently Asked Questions.

Degrees

The department accepts applications only for full time study for the Ph.D. in Political Science. We do not offer a Master’s (M.A.) program or part-time study. More information about the Ph.D. program, including program requirements, is available here. All admitted students receive five full years of funding (with a possibility of a sixth), including tuition, health insurance, and a generous stipend.

A joint Ph.D. degree is available with African American Studies, Statistics and Data Science, the Yale Law School, or the School of Management.  Students applying for a joint degree program must apply to and be accepted by both programs independently. Consult the Yale Graduate School’s Requirements for Joint Degree Programs for further information.

(Visting students from other universities may apply for Visiting Assistant in Research Positions. Students who wish to take classes without pursuing a degree may apply for Special Student status. More information is available under Frequently Asked Questions.)

Students interested in pursuing quantitative political science research in American politics should consider the pre-doctoral fellows program from the Center for the Study of American Politics (see here).

Procedures

The application deadline for admission in Fall 2024 is December 15, 2023. 

Late applications are not accepted. Applicants will be informed of the results of the application process by mid–March 2024.

Please note that ALL applicants for the Ph.D. in Political Science are required to submit GRE General Exam test scores, a writing sample, a personal statement, transcripts, and 3 letters of recommendation.

Students are also required to select a primary subfield of study among our eight fields (American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political economy, or political theory, quantitative empirical methods, qualitative and archival methods, and formal theory).

Additionally, the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Test System) is required of all applicants whose native language is not English.

This requirement is waived only for applicants who will have received a baccalaureate degree, or its foreign equivalent, prior to matriculation at Yale, from a university or college where English is the primary language of instruction.