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Application Materials

For your application to be given full consideration, you must submit all materials by 15th December 2009 at 5:00 p.m. (Central).

All items not submitted online must be sent to:

Coordinator of Graduate Admissions
Department of Political Science
Scott Hall, 601 University Place
Evanston, IL 60208
USA

The required materials are:

1) Application Form (submit online)

The university's administrative arm, The Graduate School, only accepts online applications. You do not need to complete the online application in one sitting. You may access your application and change your answers as many times as you like from any computer with internet access. You may submit your application online, once you have answered all the required questions and submitted the application fee (by credit card only). Please be aware that changes to the online application cannot be made after submission. You may not apply to more than one program or apply to the same program multiple times. The Graduate School only allows students to submit one application per year. Additional applications will not be reviewed and application fee refunds will not be provided.

To expedite the admission process, admission decisions will be conveyed via the online application. (Denied students will not receive an admission letter from the University. Admitted students will receive an admission packet.) You may access the online application as many times as you wish to check if a decision has been rendered on your file. If a decision is available, a "view decision" link will appear. If a decision has not yet been rendered, no link will be present.

2) Application Fee (submit online)

The online application will prompt you to pay the application fee after all required questions have been answered. The application fee is $75 and must be paid via credit card at the time of application submission. Your application can not be processed without payment of the fee. The application fee cannot be waived or refunded.

Supplemental Materials

Supplemental materials are those which are not submitted on line. They are to be sent to:

Coordinator of Graduate Admissions
Department of Political Science
Scott Hall, 601 University Place
Evanston, IL 60208
USA

3) Official Transcripts (submit by post)

An official transcript (bearing the registrar's signature and/or the institution's seal) from each post secondary institution attended, including records from courses in any university level institution attended abroad, must be submitted. If you are currently working towards a degree at another institution you must submit official transcripts of all work completed at the time of filing your application. Transcripts should show all the coursework taken, whether or not within a degree program, the grades received and the degrees earned.

We must also receive certification of degrees received, including the date each degree was awarded. This information may be included on the final transcript or on the diploma. Final credentials must be submitted as soon as they become available. Registration may be delayed pending the receipt of official documents showing that the degree has been awarded and/or that all academic work undertaken before enrollment in The Graduate School has been completed in good standing and with acceptable grades.

NOTE TO INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS:

The academic records we refer to as transcripts should provide a listing, year-by-year, of all courses taken and the grade or marks received for each one. It is helpful to have the grading scale of the institution and the student's rank in class included when such information is available.

If your college or university will not mail original official academic documents to you, you may send exact copies that have been verified as "Certified True Copies" by the appropriate institutional official of each institution you have attended. Uncertified photocopies are not acceptable. To be considered, all documents not in English must be accompanied by official English translations which adhere to the following guidelines:

"The Graduate School requires literal, certified translations for all documents issued in a language other than English. We accept translations from the institution issuing the transcript, ATA certified translators, or from the consulate. You may find an ATA translator at the following web site: www.atanet.org. Plain translations, notarized translations, and translations done by someone other than a certified translator are not acceptable."

The Graduate School will accept applications from international students earning three-year bachelor's degrees.

4) Letters of Recommendation (submit online or by post)

Letters of recommendation are very important so choose your writers wisely. The Admissions Committee is most interested in recommendation letters from those who are able to assess your academic and research abilities in areas related to your field of study.

The Department of Political Science requires a minimum of two letters to accompany your application.

While completing your online application, you will have the option to submit your recommendations online or via standard letter. If you choose to have your letter submitted online, the online application software will email your recommenders regarding your request. Recommenders may then submit letters online using standard word processing software.

There is no specific form that recommendation letters need to be written upon. Recommendation letters submitted through mail should however be printed on an official letterhead and contain the original signatures of your recommenders. Be sure to have your recommenders sign the envelope across the envelope seal. You may either submit your unopened letters of recommendation along with your other supplemental materials directly or you may have your letter writers send them to the department independently.

5) Statement of Purpose (submit online or by post)

Your statement of purpose is an important part of your application. The Admissions Committee will consider it carefully. Be as specific as possible about your research interests and qualifications. If you have particular reasons for choosing Northwestern, be sure to indicate them.

Your statement may be submitted electronically as part of the online application. Online, the statement may not exceed 5,000 characters. You may find it useful to compose your statement using word processing software, then to cut and paste it into the online application. However, if you prefer, you may submit your statement of purpose in hard copy along with the other supporting materials that you send to the program to which you are applying. Be sure that your identification—full name, birth date, and the program to which you are applying—are listed below the title.

6) Writing Sample (submit by post)

There are no firm guidelines on the writing sample. It should be something academic, which best demonstrates your abilities and potential.

7) Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

For admission to the Ph.D. program in Political Science at Northwestern you must take the GRE. Official scores must be taken no more than five years before the intended quarter of entry and must come directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Personal copies are not considered official, nor are "attested" or notarized copies. For more information regarding the GRE click here.

Please make sure to allow enough time for your test results to be passed on to Northwestern.

The institutional code assigned to The Graduate School at Northwestern by ETS is 1565. If you are taking a test offered through ETS (TOEFL, GRE) be sure to include this number on your test form. If your results are not sent to this code, we will not receive them. There is not a designated department code for the GRE.

8) Certifying English Proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS)

Much of your success in graduate study will rely on your ability to understand, read, write and speak English. If your native language is not English, you must certify your proficiency in the English language by one of the following:

- Providing official scores for either the TOEFL or IELTS exam. The test must be taken no more than two years before the intended quarter of entry. For the TOEFL, you must score 600 or higher on the paper-based test, 250 or higher on the computer-based test, 100 or higher on the internet based test. For the IELTS, you must receive a score of 7.0 or higher.

- Providing official transcripts verifying an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution or equivalent, where the language of instruction is English.

- Providing official transcripts verifying a graduate degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English.

Official scores must be less than two years old, from intended quarter of entry (for entry in Fall 2009, please ensure your TOEFL was taken no earlier than September 2007). Personal copies are not considered official, nor are "attested" or notarized copies. However, it is to your advantage to include a paper copy of your score report in your Supplemental Information Packet. This helps the admitting departments to verify your scores quickly, should there be any delay in receiving the official report.

The Graduate School's school code for TOEFL is 1565. Students taking the TOEFL should also reference department code 01. This will ensure that the TOEFL scores are sent to The Graduate School and not the undergraduate college.

For more information regarding the TOEFL click here.

For more information regarding IELTS click here.

All materials should be submitted by 15th December 2009 at 5pm (Central) to:

Coordinator of Graduate Admissions
Department of Political Science
Scott Hall, 601 University Place
Evanston, IL 60208
USA

If you have any questions please consult our FAQs page.