Admissions Blog

Finnegan Keilty, MPP Class of 2027, reflects on his summer internship on State Farm’s municipal bonds team, his first experience in public finance and the career pivot that motivated him to pursue graduate study at Harris.

We frequently receive questions from eager students on how they can strengthen their application. We wanted to give you some tips on how you can make your application stand out—read more to get answers to frequently asked questions!

While it’s one of our favorite parts of the application reading experience, we know that writing essay components can be anxiety-inducing for applicants. As you start or continue your application, we hope you find this guidance on the motivational statement and essays helpful.

One of the most common topics applicants ask us about are the letters of recommendation. These letters are an important part of your application and provide the committee with helpful information and insight into your ability to be successful at Harris Public Policy. In this post, Devon Reber Drehmer, Senior Director of Student Recruitment, answers some of our most frequently asked questions.

We sat down with Krisinda Doherty, Associate Dean for Professional and Career Services at the Harris School of Public Policy, to discuss the Career Accelerator program for incoming students.

Kavita Rawat, MPP Class of 2027, shares her guide for international students as they travel and get settled in Chicago.

As you begin your application process, you may be wondering which of our master’s programs is the best fit for you. We've laid out a side-by-side comparison, followed by a closer look at each program—including who tends to thrive there and what our students and alumni have to say about their experience. We've also shared some frequently asked questions.

Sebastian Galindo, MPP Class of 2027, reflects on his experience attending UChicago forums on Peru, Mexico, and China.

Eemaan Khan, MPP Class of 2027, writes about attending the opening of the Obama Presidential Center.

Ranjan Daniels, Senior Associate Dean of Student Recruitment and Global Outreach, reflects on his visit to the Obama Presidential Center.

Kerem Tasdan, MPP'26, writes about his experience at the Institute of Politics’ recent event, AOC in Conversation with David Axelrod.

Finnegan Keilty, MPP Class of 2027, writes about his experience in the Career Development Office’s “Careers In” courses, a series of noncredit courses that take place throughout a student’s first year and focus on a specific career path.

Rhea Mendiratta, MPP Class of 2026, writes about the skills she built as president of the Behavioral Science and Public Policy (BePP) Harris Student Organization.

MSCAPP students share their experience with the Harris Student organization, South Side Civic, and its annual event, Scopeathon, which aims to explore how data and technology can be used for social good and to leverage this mission in benefit of the UChicago and South Side community.

Current MSCAPP students share about the student organization, Data, Ethics, and Policy. Originally founded by MSCAPP students, it aims to supplement Harris' existing data science curricula by equipping students with ethical grounding and frameworks for conducting data science.

MSCAPP students write about their experience in the student organization, CAPP4Good, which encourages students to build tech products that help their communities based on their policy interests.

One of the best ways to get to know the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy is to visit our beautiful campus. Below are some activities and restaurants in and around Hyde Park that no one should overlook.

In this blog, Finnegan Keilty, MPP Class of 2027, shares his experience with finding community at Harris.

The MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MSCAPP) program is offered by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Department of Computer Science. In their second year, MSCAPP students have the opportunity to take electives across the University of Chicago. In this blog post, recent MSCAPP alumni share their favorite electives—and the ones that have been the most useful in their careers.

Maya Cousins, MPP Class of 2027, and Kerem Tasdan, MPP Class of 2026, write about the Institute of Politics’s trek to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.