Admitted Student Communications

Welcome to the Harris community!

We’re excited to share information about the Harris experience with you in advance of the fall quarter.

In the coming weeks, you will begin to receive three weekly digest emails. These emails will be sent until classes officially begin on September 29.

On Tuesdays, you will receive the Preparedness Digest. This series will outline key steps, actions, and tasks you need to complete over the summer to be set up for success when the fall quarter begins.

On Thursdays, you will receive the Career Digest from our Career Development Office ("CDO"). This digest will feature advice, tools, and opportunities designed to help you reach your career goals.

On Sundays, you will receive the Events Digest. Use these emails to plan your week, register for events, build your network, and get involved with your UChicago community. These emails will also include information about Harris Orientation programming.

Outside of those digests, we will also send you important emails about academics, orientation, resources, advising, etc., throughout the summer. We will also catalog each Preparedness Digest as well as other communications you may want to refer back to on the Admitted Students Portal. We recommend you review those previous communications and action items in the portal.

And remember, please email us at harrisorientation@uchicago.edu with any questions.

Welcome to the Harris community!

I’m Kate Biddle, and I serve as your dean of students at Harris.

The goal of the dean of students office is a simple but important one—to help and support you during your time at Harris. Our team oversees several of the areas that make up your student experience, including:

• Academic advising
• Course registration
• Disability accommodations
• The Writing Workshop
• Tutoring for core courses
• Academic support programs, including Math and Coding Camp and Jumpstart
• Student policies and conduct
• Student support and advocacy

The guiding values for my whole team are support and advocacy for students. Our academic advisors work directly with students to provide holistic and comprehensive advising on academic and personal matters. Our Writing Workshop ensures that policy students learn how to tell their story and communicate effectively to address pressing policy challenges. Our financial aid team supports students with financial questions and issues. Our registration team strives to offer students equitable access to the classes that will make them successful. My team and I frequently advocate for students to faculty and instructors, assist students with emergencies, and help you navigate and maximize your Harris experience through hands-on support and resources.

You will be hearing much more from me and my team in the coming months, but you can learn more about the dean of students team here and the academic support we offer, including academic advising.  

At the beginning of August, you will receive an introduction to your assigned academic advisor. At that point, your advisor will be your go-to person and first point of contact throughout your Harris experience. In addition to helping you select classes inside and outside of Harris and tracking your progress toward your degree, academic advisors also support you for both academic and personal concerns and can help resolve most day-to-day issues. They will be your point of support and your advocate for academic success.

Of course, as your dean of students, my most important role is supporting and advocating for you. I encourage you to come to me at any time during your Harris journey to seek help with a problem or emergency or to share feedback about your Harris experience. You are welcome to set a meeting with me, drop in to my office for a quick chat, or talk with me when you see me around Keller. Students are the best and most important part of my job.

I am so excited to meet you and to help you make the most of your time at Harris!

Sincerely,

Kate Shannon Biddle
Dean of Students, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Congratulations on your acceptance to the Harris School of Public Policy! My name is Dana Bozeman, and I am the associate dean of Student Engagement and Belonging. I would like to personally welcome you into the Harris community. At Student Engagement and Belonging, our mission is to enhance your experience by supporting student development and building inclusive communities of policy professionals, all the while helping to build the Harris School’s distinctive culture. 

We have a wonderfully diverse student body here at Harris; Student Engagement and Belonging strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all of them. A significant amount of my time is spent creating meaningful experiences that will help shape the way you think about policy and the world we live in. Student Engagement and Belonging is paramount to those experiences; each year we continue to enhance, tweak, and create spaces for students to engage with others outside of the classroom.

The Office of Student Engagement and Belonging is rooted in the Chicago Principles with purposeful engagement, programming, and support to create an environment that fosters belonging for students at the Harris School. Our goal is to help students find community, engage in policy praxis, experience positive mentoring relationships, and establish policy networks. Our collaborative programming will provide graduate students with academic community and professional development opportunities critical to their success at Harris and beyond. 

We have a robust roster of upcoming programming:

• Supporting cocurricular mentoring, student organizations, student-driven programming, leadership development, cultural celebrations, and networking activities.
• Helping students of diverse backgrounds and perspectives build an inclusive community. 
• Working with students in collaboration with the faculty to develop and practice the skills of civil discourse toward the goal of evidence-based policy that is informed by diverse perspectives.
• Facilitating events to mark important milestones in our students’ communal life.

We want everyone at Harris to contribute to building our unique community. We call this being "ALL IN". 

Once again, congratulations! I’m excited to welcome you to campus and look forward to meeting you. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Dana Bozeman
Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Belonging

The Harris core curriculum assumes proficiency in both algebra and calculus and requires students to use statistical coding. Additionally, all master’s students are required to pass the mandatory math exam, which will be administered during Welcome Week on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

All students should take the math and coding self-assessments and report their scores to Harris Orientation by June 8 to help gauge your current level of mastery and determine whether you should attend Math & Coding Camp. The self-assessments also help our staff understand your current skill level and plan academic support for summer programs and autumn quarter.

Please complete each self-assessment in one sitting (note that the math self-assessment has a time limit), then submit your scores using the forms linked below by June 8. We will follow up with targeted recommendations based on your results and share more information about Math & Coding Camp.

• Math Self-Assessment
  • Math self-assessment
  • Math grading guide
  • Math score reporting form
• Coding Self-Assessment
  • Coding self-assessment
  • Coding self-assessment materials
  • Coding score reporting form

Please note that the self-assessments are not officially graded and will only be used to make sure you have access to the right math and coding preparation during orientation.

Follow these links to learn more about the Math Exam and Math & Coding Camp!

We know you are curious about upcoming orientation programming, preparing for your coursework, and more. Below is a quick roadmap of important events and times to look out for, as well as a breakdown of frequently asked questions. Check out the information below and be sure to refer to the preenrollment checklist for more action items as you get ready for the start of classes.

• What are some upcoming events and dates to note?
  • June 3 & 4: Computer Science Placement Exams (for MSCAPP only)
  • June 24, 25, & 26: Virtual orientation kickoff sessions
  • Mid-July: Degree Overview Session (for MPP/MA/MSCAPP)
  • July 15 & 16: Computer Science Placement Exams (for MSCAPP only)
  • July 22, 23, & 24: Midsummer virtual orientation meetups
  • Early August: Beginning of academic advising
  • August 27–29: CAPP Camp (for MSCAPP only)
  • September 2: Welcome session
  • September 2–19: Math & Coding Camp (for MPP/MA/MSCAPP)
  • September 2–19: Mathematical Methods (for PhD/MACRM)
  • September 3: Registration information session
  • Early September: Preregistration opens for autumn classes
  • September 8, 10, & 12: Core course waiver exams (optional; more details will be provided soon)
  • September 18: Academic support info session
  • September 22–26: Welcome Week
  • September 22: UChicago Grad Orientation
  • September 23: Math Exam (required for MPP/MA/MSCAPP students)
  • September 26: Aims of Public Policy address & Academic Year Kickoff
  • September 29: Classes begin!
     
• What can I expect from my Harris experience?
  • You can expect to engage with academically rigorous coursework, focusing on quantitative, statistical, economic, and analytical skills, pursue professional development opportunities, gain a community of driven future policy leaders, and much more. Our goal is to provide a world-class experience that prepares you for your career and helps you achieve your goals while providing a lot of support along the way.
     
• What classes will I be taking in my first quarter?
  • During your first quarter, students in all degree programs will start taking their required courses. We will provide more information on registration and the exact course schedule and registration in the coming months, but in the meantime, you can view your specific degree requirements and first-quarter sample schedule on the degree requirements page.
     
• What can I do to prepare academically?
  • For MPP, MA, and MSCAPP students, we first recommend that you complete the Math and Coding Self-Assessments and submit your results to determine which skills you may need to review and help the Harris Orientation team recommend preorientation academic programming.
    
    In July, you will get access to Dataquest, a coding self-study resource, which we recommend utilizing before the start of the academic year. Students often tell us they wish they had spent more time learning to code before they started their degree program, so this is a valuable resource to take advantage of during the summer.

Lastly, we recommend attending your respective preorientation academic programming, which is designed to prepare you for your required coursework and includes optional social programming that helps ease the transition to graduate school. You will receive more information on registering for these programs, but you should save the dates if you plan to attend!

• Jumpstart
• CAPP Camp
• Math & Coding Camp
• Mathematical Methods

• When should I arrive in Chicago?
  • All MPP, MA, and MSCAPP students should plan to arrive no later than the start of Welcome Week, on September 22 and take the mandatory math exam on Tuesday, September 23. However, you may choose to participate in preorientation academic programming, like Math & Coding Camp, which starts on September 2.
    
    All MACRM and PhD students are required to attend the Mathematical Methods program, which starts on September 2.
     
• What will orientation entail?
  • Orientation is composed of academic preparation programs, community-building events, key communications, and asynchronous resources, all preparing you for your Harris experience. You will receive information throughout the summer orienting you to all of the available opportunities! We will offer virtual orientation events during June, July, and August; in-person events for the full incoming student population will start on September 2 in conjunction with the start of Math & Coding Camp and Mathematical Methods. Orientation attendance is not required, with the exception of the mandatory math exam on September 23, which is required for MPP, MA, and MSCAPP students.
     
• Who can I contact with questions?
  • You can email harrisorientation@uchicago.edu with any questions!

The University of Chicago is committed to working with students with a disability so they can achieve their academic, personal, and professional goals while at the university. We strive to be supportive of the needs of all students so they can feel confident and equipped with the proper resources they need to succeed.

Further, the Harris School of Public Policy is dedicated to the maintenance of a school community that welcomes and provides an accessible learning environment for all students. Harris is committed to serving the needs of its students with disabilities based on university guidance and policy. 

Student Disability Services, a central University office, is responsible for determining a student’s eligibility to receive reasonable accommodation(s). If you have a documented disability (including learning disabilities), please submit your accommodations request through the online portal as early as possible to initiate the process of determining your eligibility for reasonable accommodation(s). This is especially important if you will need any accommodations for optional core course waiver exams in September (you will receive more information about this in the coming weeks), the mandatory math exam on September 23, or for other orientation events. We want to make sure you have full access from day one. You can find a digest of Student Disability Services responsibilities here.

The review of documentation and scheduling intake appointments can take approximately one to two weeks depending on the volume of requests; some accommodations can take several weeks to coordinate and schedule. To ensure that disability support and services can be implemented in a timely manner, we encourage you to begin the process now. 
 
If the Student Disability Services Office determines you are eligible for accommodations, the Harris Dean of Students Office will work with you to implement your approved accommodations. Together, we aim to provide you with an inclusive educational experience.

And remember, please email us at harrisorientation@uchicago.edu with any questions.

The process for enrolling in the advanced section of a core course or waiving a core course is outlined below. The information relates to autumn and winter core courses.

In each of the autumn and winter quarters, students typically take one statistics course, one microeconomics course, and one analytical politics course. Some students may have sufficient subject matter knowledge to either select an advanced version of that course or waive a core course entirely. Additional information about core courses and the first-year course schedule are available on the MPP program page. 

Advanced Placement for Core Courses:

Students interested in taking the advanced version of a core course can self-select into advanced level courses during preregistration and registration. Statistics and microeconomics both offer advanced versions of their courses in the fall and winter, and students will be able to bid on those courses during preregistration or add them during registration, depending on space availability. There are not advanced versions of the analytical politics courses.

Students who take an advanced version of a core course in the fall typically continue taking the advanced core course in the winter, though that is not required.

Please note that taking regular versus advanced courses will not affect your ability to select any electives during the remainder of your time at Harris.
 

Waiving a Core Course:

Students interested in waiving a core course will qualify to do so based on an exam.

Students should only attempt the waiver/placement exam if they feel they have learned and retained the majority of the content for the course. You should review the syllabi for courses before registering for a placement/waiver exam; there will not be further accompanying prep material.

• Syllabi for each core course:
  • Analytical Politics I (autumn)
  • Analytical Politics II (winter)
  • Microeconomics I (autumn)
  • Microeconomics II (winter)
  • Statistics I (autumn)
  • Statistics II (winter)

• The exams will take place September 8–12 at the Keller Center.
• Exams are only administered in person.
• Exams will not be administered later in the academic year.
• If you are interested in taking the exams, please indicate your interest here.
• We will then follow up later in the summer with students who completed the interest form with links to sign up for individual exams.
• Students will be notified of the results of their waiver/placement exams by September 22.

If you have any conflicts or challenges with taking the waiver exams on the scheduled days, please email harrisorientation@uchicago.edu.  

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:

Student Disability Services, a central University office, is responsible for determining a student’s eligibility to receive reasonable accommodation(s). Examples of common accommodations include extra time on exams, low-distraction test environments, and use of recording devices, but there are many different accommodations based on a student’s unique situation.

If you believe you will need accommodations for the waiver/placement exams, please review the email from Harris Orientation sent on May 21, which has additional information about disability accommodations. You can view that communication on the Admitted Students Portal here.

And remember, please email us at harrisorientation@uchicago.edu with any questions.

Welcome to the first preparedness digest from your Harris Orientation team! 

Every Tuesday, we will send you a roundup of resources, deadlines, and reminders. We hope to provide an easy way to make sure you are ready to hit the ground running on your first day of orientation!

We will also catalog each preparedness digest as well as other communications you may want to refer back to on the Admitted Students Portal. In addition to reviewing your email for important communications and action items, you can refer to the portal as often as you like to prepare for your Harris student experience.

Harris Preparedness Highlight:

We know you are curious about deadlines and notifications over the summer. Below is a quick roadmap of some important dates to look out for. As always, make sure to check the pre-enrollment checklist for more information about next steps as you get ready for the start of classes.

• June 1: Students may begin Grad PLUS loan application
• June 1: Deadline to claim your CNet ID and UChicago email 
• June 8: Deadline to complete the Math and Coding Self-Assessments
• June 18: Registration opens for Math and Coding Camp
• July 7: You will receive access to Dataquest, an online learning platform for coding and data science
• July 20: Deadline to submit preferred name and pronouns
• Early August: Students will be assigned to academic advisors and can begin advising meetings
• Early August: Core course schedules announced
• August 3: Deadline to register for Math and Coding Camp
• August 11: You will receive access to DiagKNOWstics tutoring platform
• September 2: Start of Math and Coding Camp and PhD Mathematical Methods
• Early September: Preregistration opens for autumn courses
• Early September: First autumn-quarter tuition bill produced
• September 3: Deadline to register for core-course waiver exams
• September 23: Math exam administration (Required for MPP, MA, and MSCAPP)
• September 29: Classes begin!
• Early October: Deadline to pay tuition/bill for autumn quarter
• Mid-October: Deadline to confirm or waive University Student Health Insurance (U-SHIP)
• October 24: Deadline to submit required immunizations

• Take the math and coding self-assessments and report your results! All MPP, MA, and MSCAPP students should take the math and coding self-assessments by Sunday, June 8 to determine your current level of mastery and decide whether you should attend Math and Coding Camp. We will follow up with targeted recommendations based on your results and share more information about Math and Coding Camp. You can access both assessments, the grading guides, and reporting forms on this webpage. 
   
• Claim your CNet ID and UChicago email. Your CNet ID and UChicago email are essential for access to all UChicago systems, including important communications, resources, and orientation activities.
  • To claim your UChicago email and CNet ID, you will need your UChicago ID number, which is an 8 digit number starting with "12." You should have received an email after you paid your deposit providing you with your UCID number. If you do not know your UCID number, please email Admissions, and they will look it up for you.
  • Additionally, starting August 12, all official Harris and University communications will only be sent to your UChicago email. You are responsible for reading all email correspondence.

And remember, please email us at harrisorientation@uchicago.edu with any questions.

Below you will find a roundup of resources, deadlines, and reminders so you can hit the ground running on your first day of orientation! 

Harris Preparedness Highlight:

• Take the math and coding self-assessments and report your results! All MPP, MA, and MSCAPP students should take the math and coding self-assessments by Sunday, June 8 to determine your current level of mastery and decide whether you should attend Math & Coding Camp. 
  
  Please complete each self-assessment in one sitting (note that the math self-assessment has a time limit), then submit your scores using the forms linked below by June 8. We will follow up with targeted recommendations based on your results and share more information about Math & Coding Camp.
  • Math Self-Assessment
    • Math self-assessment
    • Math grading guide
    • Math score reporting form
  • Coding Self-Assessment
    • Coding self-assessment
    • Coding self-assessment materials
    • Coding score reporting form

• Claim your CNet ID and UChicago email. Your CNet ID and UChicago email are essential for access to all UChicago systems, including important communications, resources, and orientation activities.
  • To claim your UChicago email and CNet ID, you will need your UChicago ID number, which is an 8 digit number starting with "12." You should have received an email after you paid your deposit providing you with your UCID number. If you do not know your UCID number, please email Admissions, and they will look it up for you.
  • Additionally, starting August 12, all official Harris and University communications will only be sent to your UChicago email. You are responsible for reading all email correspondence.

Below you will find a roundup of resources, deadlines, and reminders so you can hit the ground running on your first day of orientation! 

Harris Preparedness Highlight:

• Review the Academic Support orientation module to learn more about academic support resources available to you at Harris, such as academic advising, tutoring, and coding support.
  
  Throughout the summer we will highlight various orientation modules, which are a combination of informational handouts and videos designed to provide you with the necessary information to be successful at Harris. We recommend that you review the modules prior to Welcome Week and refer back to them often to help answer your questions about Harris and university resources.

• Are you pursuing a Joint Degree with Harris and another program at the University of Chicago? Please complete this form if you are either (1) concurrently admitted to two programs at UChicago and have decided to pursue both, or (2) at another division in the university and applied to Harris while studying there.
   
• Degree Transfers: If you would like to request a change to your master's degree program at Harris, please complete the Program Reconsideration Form for Admitted Students. Please note that space is limited and very few degree changes will be approved this year

• Take the math and coding self-assessments and report your results! All MPP, MA, and MSCAPP students should take the math and coding self-assessments by Sunday, June 8 to determine your current level of mastery and decide whether you should attend Math & Coding Camp. We will follow up with targeted recommendations based on your results and share more information about Math & Coding Camp. You can access both assessments, the grading guides, and reporting forms on this webpage. 

• View past preparedness digests and other communications on the Admitted Students Portal.

Harris Preparedness Highlight:

• Review the Career Development Office orientation module to learn more about the major events, activities, and engagement milestones you can expect to experience with the Career Development Office. 
  
  We will continue highlight various orientation modules throughout the summer! We recommend that you review all modules prior to welcome week and refer back to them often to help answer your questions about Harris and University resources.

• Provide your pronouns and preferred name for student name tents! All incoming students will be provided with name tents to use in Math & Coding Camp and in your classes during the academic year. They help your instructor and classmates learn your name and how to address you. Please confirm the pronouns and preferred name that you would like listed on name tags and name tents by Sunday, July 20.

• Are you pursuing a Joint Degree with Harris and another program at the University of Chicago? Please complete this form if you are either (1) concurrently admitted to two programs at UChicago and have decided to pursue both, or (2) at another division in the university and applied to Harris while studying there.
   
• Degree Transfers: If you would like to request a change to your master's degree program at Harris, please complete the Program Reconsideration Form for Admitted Students. Please note that space is limited and very few degree changes will be approved this year

• View past preparedness digests and other communications on the Admitted Students Portal.