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The Fall 2025 Graduate Program Application is open! Apply by the final deadline on June 12, 2025.
Hear from student ambassador, Matt Shomo (Class of 2020), on how he got a job as a research assistant (RA) at Harris.
Interested in doing research while at Harris? Not sure how to get started? Worried that there are no good options for first year students? Here are some tips for locking up that resumé-boosting, experience-enriching, career-enhancing research position before you even set foot in a classroom!
Thanks to Matt Shomo, Class of 2020, for his reflection on his first quarter at Harris.
Growing up, the first day of school always felt like a big deal. It was the tangible representation of new beginnings; of a fresh start and renewed energy. Turns out that feeling doesn’t go away by the time you start 17th grade – at least not for me.
On January 7th, we officially opened our doors for the winter quarter in our new home, the Keller Center! Read on to learn more about the details behind the new building, and don't forget to register for a campus visit to see it in person yourself.
Are you stuck on finalizing (or starting) your motivational statement in preparation for our Round 1 deadline on January 18th, 2019? Learn this 20-minute exercise from our Director of Recruitment to help you make progress when your word doc is despairingly blank.
The steps below work for me when I’m struggling to get an idea moving, and I hope you find them helpful too.
At Harris, we review your applications holistically and really enjoy learning about your experience and background. Your resume is the best place to share your professional, leadership, and co-curricular accomplishments. Read on for tips on crafting your resume from our Director of Recruitment Devon Reber Drehmer!
We hope you are taking a much-deserved break from preparing your application for Round 1 to celebrate the holidays and New Year with friends and family. Our team will be working remote from December 17th-January 1st but you can schedule a phone appointment with a member of our team to review any remaining application questions you have.
Our admissions team tries our best to answer your questions as thoroughly as possible – in person, on the phone, and online, especially on our blog. With regularly updated information, the admissions blog is great resource for anyone looking to learn more about Harris. We’ve gathered our top five posts from the fall to help you as you complete your application for the next deadline.
When you arrive at Harris in the Fall of 2019 you’ll be joining us in our new building, the Keller Center. All Harris faculty, staff, and students will be moved into the building in December of 2018, and Winter Quarter classes will begin in January of 2019 in Keller.
Graduate school is challenging. The coursework is demanding, the material can be difficult, the hours can be exhausting; but at the University of Chicago, the people make all the difference.
We are excited that today is our Early Action deadline for our full-time programs at Harris Public Policy! It has been wonderful to meet so many engaging applicants who are eager to become future policy leaders, and we are looking forward to reviewing your materials.
If you need last-minute help on your application, we have several resources available to you:
Our team traveled over 22,000 miles this fall to visit prospective students across the country. Whether you came to a graduate school fair, met us for coffee before work, or mingled with our alumni at a reception, we so enjoyed getting to know our applicants on the road. Read on to hear our staff's highlights!
When I was a first year MPP student, I took what we call “the core” – classes in Microeconomics, Statistics, and Analytical Politics. During my first year in the core, I sometimes felt lost and had a difficult time applying the quantitative foundations and models to the real world.
So, to start my second year, I knew I wanted to take courses that would expand upon the concepts I learned in the core, but ultimately had real life applications.
One of the best parts about working at Harris is having the opportunity to connect with students who share our own passion for policy. We love to hear what you are reading, how you are spending your time, and which issues excite you. Many of our prospective students have shared with our team the work they have been doing on campaigns, or their interest in running for office, or how interning or working for a particular representative changed their career trajectory.
These are truly the stories we love to hear.
Did you read second year Laurel Harnett’s blog post on a day in the life of a Harris student? Now you can experience this in real time over on our Instagram page!
Follow along this week as current student Payton Head takes you around campus, through his classes, and introduces you to other Harris students!
This week, our team took a break from planning our fall events to take part in a UChicago tradition going back decades - Shake Day! Every Wednesday, students, faculty, and staff head over to the Reynolds Club on campus to grab $1 milkshakes - with free toppings! If you're visiting campus, be sure to pick up a shake and take in the beautiful Gothic architecture.
I am a rising second year student with an interest in energy and environmental policies. Prior to enrolling at Harris, I completed my bachelors and masters in Economics in India. My main goal at Harris is to learn more about how environmental science and policy intersect.
Harris faculty member Ariel Kalil has been selected as one of 20 leaders in the realm of children and family healthcare to the 2018 class of Aspen Institute Ascend Fellows. Throughout the next 18 months, Fellows will bring together their varied expertise to create new opportunities for children and families.