Welcome

Congratulations on your admission into the Data and Policy Summer Scholar (DPSS) Program! We invite admitted students to engage with the UChicago community.

If you have not applied, then check out the DPSS Admissions & Fees page for guidance on submitting an application.

Webinars for Admitted Students

Before program begins, you will be invited to a webinar to prepare for DPSS. We will discuss details on how to set up your UChicago email, when to submit final payment, schedule of community resources, and more. An overview of these steps is provided below under Steps to Prepare. Registration information will be emailed to admitted students.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to join our events throughout the spring to meet your faculty and alumni! 

Steps to Enroll

Accept Your Offer

The first step is to officially accept your offer of admission. Your electronic admission letter will link you to the Admission Reply Form. Complete the one-question form by the deadline listed in your admission letter. 

Submit Your Enrollment Deposit

After accepting the electronic admission letter, you will submit a $1000 USD enrollment deposit to confirm your attendance. The deadline to submit the deposit is listed in your admission letter - approximately a few weeks after admission. The enrollment deposit will be applied to your total program cost and is reflected in the final bill. Payment is accepted by credit-card in your application portal.

The deposit is required and is non-refundable. Students who fail to submit the deposit in time are viewed as voluntarily giving up their seat to attend the program.

If you have a third-party sponsor paying the enrollment deposit, then contact our office before your deadline (harriscredential@uchicago.edu) for additional instructions.  

Paying the Program Fee 

The exact deadline to pay the program fee remaining balance will be determined in spring 2022. You can anticipate the deadline to be round late June 2022. 

Students will receive a bill from the University Bursar Office in late June through their UChicago Student Portal. The bill will display the total program fee, the submitted enrollment deposit, and the remaining balance owed. UChicago Harris scholarship award, if applicable, will also be displayed on the bill.

Submitting payment for the remaining balance is different from the enrollment deposit. Payment is submitted through the UChicago Student Portal in one transaction. This process involves bank-to-bank transaction or a wire transfer instead of credit-card. 

If you have a third-party sponsor paying the program fee, then contact our office before the program begins or before the bill due date. You will need to complete an additional step with the Bursar Office to enable the third-party sponsor to pay for the program. Please contact the Program Manager (andieingram@uchicago.edu) if you have any questions on payment processes. 

Admitted students will receive detailed information about payment options closer to the program start date.

Connect with Your DPSS Team

Engage with DPSS alumni, UChicago community members, and program staff at a number of events set before your session begins. Register to attend an upcoming event and watch past conversations with faculty and alumni!

Contact the Program Assistant Director, Andie Ingram Eccles at andieingram@uchicago.edu to schedule a call, we love to hear from you!

“I really loved being part of a group of people so clearly invested in the larger world and community as a whole. It was awesome being able to learn and grow from everyone's different experiences and perspectives. I am very thankful to have been a part of this program.”

Alexandra Garney, DPSS'20

Steps to Prepare 

The matriculation process begins approximately one month before your session begins. During this time you will receive detailed instruction on how to access your UChicago accounts, the virtual platforms, paying the program fee and more. Below is a summary. 

1. Claim your UChicago CNetID
   • Generate your @uchicago.edu email address
   • Access your UChicago Student Portal (and payment portal)
2. Complete the Pre-Program Survey
   • Provide input on topics for workshops and capstone projects
   • Indicate your time-zone to influence office hour options
3. Pay the Program Fee in your UChicago Student Portal
   • Read the above "Paying the Program Fee" section for details
4. Join the Platforms (Canvas, Slack, Zoom) and access the detailed schedule
   • Invitations are sent to your UChicago email address
5. Mark your calendar for Week One's activities
   • Details are available in Canvas 
   • Session One Orientation:  TBD
   • Session Two Orientation:  TBD

Jump Start Your Learning

DPSS covers all the materials you need to know starting the first day of class. There are no required prerequisites or expectations for read material before starting DPSS. When asked for tips on how to prepare for the program, Austin Wright, Assistant Professor and DPSS Faculty Director, suggested the following two books as optional reads.

Thinking Clearly with Data: A Guide to Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis by Ethan Bueno de Mesquita and Anthony Fowler

Mastering Metrics: The Path from Cause to Effect by Joshua D. Angrist and Jörn-Steffen Pischke

“I deeply understand the meaning of the slogan: Social Impact, Down to a Science. With the DPSS capstone project, I learned to analyze complex real-world data with tools that streamline the process. And I made friends across the world.”

Yuqing Cheng, DPSS’20