Apply for the M.Phil. in Policy Analysis

The application will be available starting in October.

Sign up for admissions updates to receive notification when the application is available.

We require three letters of recommendation, which can come from academic or professional sources.

• Recommender Process: After you submit the recommendation request form, your recommenders will receive an email detailing how to submit their letters. It is advisable to contact your recommenders in advance to ensure their willingness to provide a letter and to follow up to confirm they have received our email and understand the submission deadline.
• Content of Recommendations: Each letter should address the following:
  • The applicant's interest in policy analysis as a career or field of study
  • Prospects for success as a policy analyst
  • Intellectual ability and potential for future growth

For all academic institutions you have attended since high school, upload unofficial transcripts from each. Transcripts must include all courses taken, grades received, and degrees conferred.

If a transcript lacks degree conferral information, provide separate documentation or a photo/photocopy of your diploma.

For transcripts in languages other than English, provide an exact English translation, including courses, grades, and degrees. Combine the transcript and translation into one document for upload. Certified translations are not required at the application stage.

If you are admitted and accept the offer, you must send final, official transcripts for all degree-granting institutions, along with certified translations for any non-English documents.

Please upload a resume that highlights your

• Academic background
• Work experience, including dates of employment and principal responsibilities
• Research, technical, computer, and other skillsets
• Additional qualifications, including honors, awards, publications, languages spoken, and professional affiliations

Standardized Test Scores (GRE or GMAT)

• Optional Submission: GRE or GMAT scores are optional. The admissions committee will evaluate your application comprehensively, whether or not you submit these scores.
• Validity: For the 2025 cycle, GRE scores must be from tests taken after July 1, 2019, and GMAT scores after September 1, 2019. Home editions are acceptable. Report the highest score for each section.
• Submission: Upload an unofficial score report. If admitted and you accept our offer, the official score report will be required.

English Language Proficiency Exam Results

For international students whose first language is not English and who have not studied at an English-instruction institution for at least two years, an English proficiency exam is required.

• Accepted Tests: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition, TOEFL ITP for China, or IELTS Indicator.
• Score Requirements: Minimum scores: TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.0, PTE Academic 68. Scores must be from the same test administration.
• Validity: Tests must be taken after September 1, 2022, for the 2025 cycle.
• Submission: Upload an unofficial score report. If admitted and you accept our offer, the official score report will be required.

English Language Exemption

International applicants are exempt if they:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from an institution in the United States or another English-speaking country where English is the language of instruction.
• Have completed at least two years of full-time study at an institution where English is the language of instruction.

Documentation in your application will demonstrate language proficiency; no separate exemption request is needed.

Explain your interest in pursuing a M.Phil. in Policy Analysis at Pardee RAND. Discuss your long-term personal and professional goals, and how this program will help you achieve them. Additionally, describe how your background and experiences will contribute to the diversity of the Pardee RAND community and the field of public policy. (Limit: 750 words)

Optional Statement

If there is any information about your background that you were not able to provide elsewhere, please include it here. Your response does not have to be in the form of a formal essay. Brief explanations on multiple topics are okay. (Limit: 300 words)

An $85 application fee will be due by the application deadline, payable by credit card.

Application Fee Waiver

Application Fee Waiver

Applicants may request a fee waiver in the application by completing the waiver request form and uploading required documents. Fee waivers are based on financial or other hardships, or participation in related programs.

Financial Hardship Criteria

Fee waivers for financial hardship are available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents only. Please upload one of the following documents (redact social security numbers):

1. Statement of Need: From a financial aid officer, including your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) and signatures. EFC cannot exceed $5,000.
2. Student Aid Report (SAR): From your 2024-2025 FAFSA, showing an EFC not exceeding $5,000.
3. Federal Income Tax Return: Your 2023 Form 1040 (if independent) or your parent’s/guardian’s 2023 return (if dependent). Annual family income must not exceed:
   • Family of 1: $26,973
   • Family of 2: $36,482
   • Family of 3: $45,991
   • Family of 4: $55,500
   • Family of 5: $65,009

   Add $9,509 for each additional family member.

Program Participation Criteria

Participation in the programs listed below will qualify you for a fee waiver. Upload a letter or other documentation with your name and the program logo or letterhead indicating your participation.

• American Economic Association Summer Training and Scholarship Program
• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
• AmeriCorps
• Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Fellows
• Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars Program
• California Pre-Doc Program (Sally Casanova Scholars)
• Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)
• Congressional Black Caucus Fellows
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Fellows
• Coro Fellows
• Eisenhower Fellows
• Ford Fellows
• Former Foster Youth
• Fulbright/IIE Scholars
• GEM Fellows
• GRE Fee Reduction Program
• Hispanic Serving Institutions
• Hispanic Serving Institutions-Pathways Program (HSI)
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• Humphrey Fellows
• Institute for International Public Policy
• Laureates & Leaders (MIT)
• Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)
• Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service Program
• Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
• McNair Scholars Program
• Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program
• Meyerhoff Scholars Program – University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Muskie Fellows
• National Association of African American Honors Programs (NAAAHP)
• National Name Exchange
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
• National Society of Black Physicists
• National Society of Hispanic Physicists
• NIH Blueprint Program for Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (BP-ENDURE)
• NIH Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative
• NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Training Program (PREP)
• NIH Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement Program (RISE)
• NIH/NIGMS Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC)
• NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU)
• NYC Urban Fellows
• National Association of African American Honors Programs (NAAAHP)
• QuestBridge Scholars
• Peace Corps
• Presidential Management Fellows Program
• PPIA Fellows
• Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI)
• Rangel Graduate Fellowship Program
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
• Teach for America
• The PhD Project
• The Policy Academies
• Tribal Colleges
• Truman Scholars
• U.S. Military
• Upward Bound Math and Science
• Yellow Ribbon Program

Accepted international applicants will be required to submit “Proof of Funds,” or documentation that they have sufficient funds to cover the first year of their stay in the U.S. (one year of academic and living expenses), before a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status (Form I-20) will be issued. The Form I-20 is used to apply for a U.S. student visa.

Learn more

Students who are accepted into the program will be contacted by RAND to complete a background check required of all RAND employees. A conviction is not necessarily a bar to employment and all circumstances are considered. For more information or additional questions contact RAND Human Resources at rand-hr@rand.org.

We welcome applicants who are reapplying to the program. If you are reapplying, you may request us to upload previous letters of recommendation, provided they are from the last two years. Please email reapply@pardeerand.edu.

Because we have a new application system, you will need to start a new application.