Admissions Blog

Curious about pursuing a career at the intersection of social impact and data analysis? Turn your passion for doing good into measurable impact with the Policy Research and Innovation Bootcamp (PRIB). PRIB is a two-week, in-person program, encompassing rigorous training in policy research methods, hands-on projects addressing real-world policy challenges, and unique opportunities for career exploration and leadership development. PRIB’s on-campus, in-person format allows you to engage and network with top policy scholars across interdisciplinary University of Chicago centers and institutes. Read more for six reasons why you should consider enrolling:

Martha MacLaren, MPP Class of 2025, writes about some of the many talks she attended during her first year at Harris.

Summer is just around the corner, and we are excited to welcome the inaugural cohort of Policy Research & Innovation Bootcamp (PRIB) scholars to campus. Unlike other Harris Credential Programs, PRIB’s unique in-person format allows participants to meaningfully engage and network with leading policy scholars and practitioners both on campus and throughout the city of Chicago. In this blog, we give you a sneak peak of PRIB’s summer 2024 offerings.

Carrie Collins, MPP Class of 2024, shares how she leveraged the resources available to her at Harris to secure her job as Associate Management Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton before graduation.

Yelyzaveta (Lisa) Fedorovska, MPP Class of 2024, moved to Chicago from Ukraine in fall of 2023. In this blog, she shares some helpful tips for graduate students looking for housing.

In this blog, James Marcucci, MPP Class of 2025, shares his first experience with opera in the city of Chicago.

We sat down with Director of Student Recruitment Jessica Gagle to answer questions and share tips on how students can work through on their EMP application.

In this blog, Evy Lanai, MPP Class of 2025, shares how she and a few fellow classmates enjoyed their Spring Break.

Graduate school is an exciting adventure that presents many changes—some of which admittedly can be stressful. This is why the Dean of Students Office emphasizes the importance of establishing a self-care routine early in your academic career and taking advantage of the many resources the university offers for mental health.

In our application, we ask students “Why Harris?” As many admitted students are weighing their grad school decisions, we asked our Harris Ambassadors what made them choose The Harris School of Public Policy for their academic home.

Carly Domicolo, MPP Class of 2024, writes about her summer internship working as a data analyst with the Inclusive Economy Lab.

Max Wagner, MPP Class of 2024, writes about his experience as a Legislative Intern in a Congressional Office on Capitol Hill.

Jordan Enos, MPP Class of 2024, writes about her summer internship as a Mayoral Fellow for the City of Chicago.

Martha MacLaren, MPP Class of 2025, shares her experience joining the Harris Student Organization, Harris Community Action, in which students can use their skills to support local nonprofits on Chicago’s South Side.

Harris students recently attended the UChicago Gargoyle Gala, the biggest social event for graduate students across divisions at UChicago. This year, the gala was held at the world-renowned Field Museum.

This year, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy is working to break down barriers for our prospective students. That's why we've waived our application fee for master's degree applicants. In this blog, we also share some information about waiving the GRE test requirement as well as tips for finding the program that is the best fit for you.

We understand finances are an important factor as you explore your academic pathway and hope the following information is useful in your decision-making process.

Dr. Ramaswami Balasubramaniam (Dr. Balu) is a development scholar, author, public policy advocate, and leadership trainer. After spending 26 years in pioneering development work among rural and tribal people, he pursued academic degrees in leadership, organizational development, and public policy. He was the Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor at Cornell University from 2012–14, and continues to hold academic positions in Cornell and other universities. He is currently the full time Member-HR in the Capacity Building Commission of the Government of India. On Friday, October 27, Dr. Balu visited the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy to connect with senior leadership and students.

We regularly host Roundtables with alumni of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar (DPSS) Program who share their UChicago experience and advice for prospective students. We asked alums how they navigated the quantitative coursework of DPSS. Below are pieces of their testimonies.

The University of Chicago Phoenix (Phil) is flying to Ohio! Ready to rise up from the ashes and make a more meaningful impact in your community?