PHD Application Checklist

Fill out your online application.

Entry Term

Only offered for the Fall semester.

Application Deadline

Online applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on the day of the deadline. Any mailed application material must be postmarked by the deadline date.

All Ph.D. applicants must apply by the early action deadline (Late November)

You may complete and submit your online application at any time before the deadline. Save your work before moving to the next page and print a copy for your own records.

Submit a three-to-four-page essay (800-1200 words) describing your career goals, your research interests and the questions you wish to explore in a doctoral program, your interest in NYU Wagner, and how your education and work experience qualify you for admission.

We require you to certify that the essays you submit are entirely your own original work. If necessary, use of proper references and quotes is permissible. The use of artificial intelligence tools is only permissible for providing assistance with spelling and grammar. Please be aware that if it is discovered that the submitted essays do not meet this requirement, we retain the right to revoke your admission.

Applicants are required to submit a writing sample (published or unpublished) of any length that will allow the Doctoral Board to understand your potential as a researcher. Single-authored papers are preferred, but a co-authored paper is acceptable. 

Please upload an Academic CV that includes your employment and educational record, indicating dates of attendance and degree(s) earned.  We encourage you to include information about the following additional activities:

• Academic and professional honors
• Relevant publications
• Other professional activities

Two letters of recommendation are required for your application. Three are strongly preferred and encouraged. 

Please adhere to these guidelines:

• Letters of recommendation must be submitted through the online application system. We do not accept mailed recommendations. 
• The recommendation may be academic or professional in nature. We strongly prefer a balance of academic and professional sources. 
• All recommendation letters must be submitted using a professional or academic email domain on official letterhead.
• The recommendation should come from an individual who can objectively assess your performance and your potential for success in your NYU Wagner program of interest and in your future career.
• We discourage recommendations from family members, family friends, and close friends.
• Your recommender must have a valid email address.
• Your recommenders will be asked to provide an answer to these questions:
  • How long have you known the applicant and in what capacity?
  • What do you consider the applicant's outstanding talents?
  • In which areas could the applicant exhibit growth or improvement?
  • What relevant insights can you offer regarding this candidate—particularly those that are not likely to be available from other sources?
  • What observations do you have of the character and integrity of the applicant?
• Your recommenders may answer these questions by uploading a document.

Instructions for Submitting Recommendations

Recommenders are required to complete the online evaluation form. Their response to the recommendation questions may be in either letter or short answer format and should not exceed two pages each. 

• As part of the application process, you will input the names and contact information for your recommender.
• Once you submit a recommender’s information, he or she will receive an email notification and instructions for completing the recommendation.
• There are instructions in the application for sending reminders to your recommenders, if needed.
• Please note all letters of recommendation do not need to be completed in order to submit an application. However, we will be unable to review your application until all required recommendations are received.

Students entering the NYU Wagner PhD program are required to hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the U.S. or an equivalent degree from a foreign country. 

If you submit your application prior to the conferral of your bachelor's degree or equivalent, we will accept and evaluate your application with the understanding that your degree completion is in progress. If an offer of admission is made, it will be contingent upon receiving your degree conferral prior to enrollment.

Transcripts submitted through the online application

Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for the review of your application and must meet the following criteria:

• The baccalaureate or equivalent transcript should clearly indicate conferral of your undergraduate degree.
• Unofficial transcripts are required from all colleges or universities attended where you earned grades and/or academic credits, including undergraduate, transfer credits, continuing education, etc. All transcripts uploaded by the applicant are considered unofficial for the review process.
• Transcripts must show all courses taken, all credits earned, and all grades received.
• Transcripts must include your full legal name and the name of the college or university attended.
• Transcripts must be uploaded as PDFs. Word documents, screenshots, and HTML documents are not acceptable.

Transcripts from Outside the United States or Canada

In addition to the above guidelines, transcripts from outside the U.S. or Canada must also adhere to the following requirements:

• Transcripts must be in English. If the transcript is not issued in English, a certified or notarized English translation must be uploaded along with the original language transcript.
• Transcripts must include the institution's grading scale key.
• The baccalaureate or equivalent transcript should clearly indicate conferral of your undergraduate degree.
• The PhD Committee reserves the right to request additional documentation if needed, including, but not limited to, an International Credential Evaluation if they are unable to determine the grading scale conversion or degree equivalency.

Official Transcripts

If offered admission into the PhD program, you must submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended prior to enrollment. In order for a transcript to be consider official it must be received directly from the degree-granting institution or an official third-party transcript provider (e.g., eSCRIP-SAFE, Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse).

Special Instructions for Admitted PhD Students with Foreign Transcripts

Admitted students with foreign transcripts will need an International Credential Evaluation after admission to determine U.S. bachelor's equivalency. This evaluation is required if you did not complete your undergraduate or graduate degrees at a U.S. or Canadian institution, or at a foreign institution that has accreditation equivalent to that of a U.S. institution.

NYU Wagner will only accept international evaluation reports from NACES-approved agencies such as World Education Services (WES), SpanTran, or ECE. A full list of approved agencies can be found here. The international evaluation must be an official copy and include your full legal name, the name of the college or university attended, and U.S. degree equivalency. We do not require a course-by-course evaluation.

Waiver Exceptions:

• If either the undergraduate or graduate degree was or will be obtained from an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution, the international credential evaluation requirement can be waived.

• Students with degrees from institutions based in the United States that operate degree-granting branch campuses in another country are exempt from this requirement. 

• We do not require an evaluation for a study abroad semester.

Please contact wagner.admissions@nyu.edu for questions or clarification. 

GRE or GMAT

GRE or GMAT scores are required for admission to the PhD program at NYU Wagner.  You must upload a copy of your score report into the online application before submission.  Once your online application is submitted, we will not allow replacement of your test scores. Only tests taken within the past five (5) years will be considered.
GRE School Code: 2507  

English Language Proficiency (if applicable)

Mastery of English is required for NYU Wagner programs. If your undergraduate or graduate degree was not taught in English, you must demonstrate your level of proficiency in English in one of the following ways;

1. A TOEFL score of at least 100 (We accept MyBest scores and our TOEFL School Code is 2507)

2. An IELTS score of at least 7.0 

3. A Duolingo score of 130

• Scores must be less than two years old upon application submission. While official scores are required, an unofficial copy of your score report can be used to review your application and must be uploaded at the time of submission. If you submit a test score that does not meet the minimum requirements to apply, you will be contacted by the admissions committee and given the opportunity to retake the exam. 

• For applicants who took the test more than once, the Admissions Committee considers only the test with the highest total score taken within two years of the application deadline for which you apply.

• If you plan to retake one of the required English Language Proficiency assessments after applying, you must inform the Admissions Committee of the date you intend to take the test via email to wagner.admissions@nyu.edu. The Admissions Committee will proceed with the evaluation of your application using your submitted score, and may issue a decision prior to receiving additional test scores.

An $85 application fee is required to process your application for admission.

Pay by credit card

When you arrive at the Application Status page after you submit your application, you will see the option to submit a credit card payment. Follow the instructions to complete your payment.

Fee waiver eligibility

Please review the items below and indicate if any of the following apply to you.

Fee waivers are granted for the following:

1. Current NYU Undergrad
2. AmeriCorps Members
3. Bonner Foundation Members
4. City Year Members
5. McNair Scholar Participants
6. Peace Corps Volunteers
7. Rangel Graduate Fellows
8. Teach For America (TFA) Participants
9. Truman Scholar Participants
10. Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellows
11. Pickering Fellow Recipients
12. New York Police Department
13. ICE Requirement
14. Financial Hardship
15. Military Affiliation
16. NYU or NYU Langone Employee
17. NYU Alumni
18. NYU/CHCI Partnership

If you qualify for an application fee waiver, please do not submit your payment. The Admissions Office will contact you regarding your fee waiver status. We can not refund payments once they have been received. 

PhD applicants are encouraged to submit any documentation that will allow the Doctoral Board to understand better their record of accomplishment.

I am interested in a specific area (or areas) of study.  Is NYU Wagner’s PhD program an appropriate place for me?

Through substantive theoretical and methodological training, doctoral students at Wagner learn to produce research required for effective public and nonprofit programs and policies. Our program is interdisciplinary, just like our faculty, so students can draw on economics, political science, sociology, psychology, organization studies, and other fields. What's more, it is flexible, allowing students to design a plan of study that takes advantage of the many courses offered at Wagner and NYU's other graduate schools. Students have many opportunities to participate in research projects with individual faculty or through our affiliated research centers.

Among our program’s areas of strength: education policy, health policy, international development, management, public finance and financial management, public policy and urban policy. If your primary areas of interest fall within these broad categories, Wagner would be an excellent place for you to do doctoral work. We also encourage you to view the written work and areas of interest listed by our faculty on the webpage to assist you in making the decision to apply.  

Is it feasible for me to apply directly to the PhD program with my BA?

Yes.  Most, though not all, of our admitted students have earned a graduate degree.

What factors do the admissions committee consider in selecting PhD cohorts?

Ultimately the admissions committee is interested in finding the most talented candidates who are a good Wagner and NYU fit and will excel in the program. An applicant’s grades, research experiences, statement of research interests, GRE scores and other factors are taken into consideration. 

Will my application be automatically rejected if my GRE scores fall below a certain level?

Applicants do not need a minimum GRE score to be considered for admission - the committee weighs the merits of each application on a case-by-case basis. Strong GRE scores will make your application more competitive, but they are not the sole consideration of admission or denial.

How is financial aid awarded?

The majority of NYU Wagner’s admitted students are fully funded for a minimum of five years through a research assistantship. This funding carries a work requirement of 20 hours/week with a member or members of the Wagner faculty, and generally covers full tuition, fees and student health insurance, as well as an assistantship stipend. Students with external fellowships are also considered for admission. In addition, advanced students may have the opportunity to teach. Teaching is separate from the funding package, and any teaching compensation is above and beyond the assistantship support.

I am a foreign student; am I still eligible for financial aid?

All students who are accepted to Wagner’s doctoral program and indicate a need for financial aid are considered for it, regardless of nationality.

How many applications does the program receive each year?

We typically receive upwards of 150 applications.

How many students are admitted to the program each year?

Admission is typically offered to about 8-10 students in an effort to have an entering cohort of 3-5 students.

Can I schedule an interview?

The program does not schedule interviews for prospective graduate students before admissions decisions are made. Admitted students will be invited for campus visits in the spring.

When can I expect to hear back about my application?

Applicants are typically notified of their decisions by mid-February; all admissions decisions should be released no later than early March.

What are the specific items that must be submitted in my application?

The PhD application checklist is available here.

What is the average GPA and GRE score of students admitted to the Wagner PhD program?

Wagner does not keep track of this information or make it available to the public.

Can I transfer credits from previous graduate work to this program?

Transfer credits are awarded on a case-by-case basis after admitted students have completed their third year in the program, in consultation with faculty and program advisors.

Can I work full-time and attend the PhD program part-time?

There is no part-time option for doctoral study.

I have a fellowship (such as a Fulbright) that will fund my graduate studies. Does this guarantee admission to the program?

If applicants have a fellowship, they should note this on their application; however, all applicants are reviewed on the basis of their academic qualifications and their fit for the program, and having a fellowship does not guarantee admission.