Admissions and Financial Aid

Admissions (To download our detailed application instructions, click HERE)

Applicants for graduate study in Political Science must apply to and be accepted by both the Graduate School of the University of Connecticut, and the Department of Political Science.

In order to apply to the Graduate School, applicants need to complete a Graduate School Application form, which can be downloaded (Acrobat Reader) from the Graduate School web site. Alternately, one can also submit an on-line request form on the Graduate School web site, and an application and Graduate school catalog will be mailed. The application should be submitted to the Graduate School, along with official transcripts from all university studies, regardless of whether or not a degree was awarded, and the application fee. All application materials, including supporting documents, must be received by February 1 for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester. The Graduate School is unable to extend fee waivers, and applications will not be processed until the fee is paid. Applicants must meet a minimum GPA of 3.0. International applicants must submit transcripts and degree statements both in the original language, and an official English translation. Additionally, international applicants from countries where the official language is not English, or who have not received a degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English, must submit the results of the TOEFL examination to the Graduate Admissions Office.

 

In addition to the Graduate School requirements, the Department of Political Science requires submission of test scores from the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record examinations, a personal statement, as well as three letters of recommendation.  There is no form for letters of recommendation, but they should appear on letterhead with complete contact information for the person writing the letter. The Department is unable to act upon applications until the requirements of the Graduate School have been fulfilled. Further information about admission to the MA and Ph.D. Programs can be obtained by completing our application request form, or by contacting the Director of Graduate Studies at the address below:

Department of Political Science
University of Connecticut 
341 Mansfield Road Unit 1024
Storrs, CT 06269-1024 
Phone: (860) 486-2079
e-mail: PoliSciPhD@UConn.edu

 

Financial Aid

Graduate Assistantships - Most of our students are awarded graduate assistantships upon admission. A full-time appointment includes a nine-month stipend of $16,556.28 for beginning graduate students and $17,426.37 for advanced students (as of 2004). Tuition is waived for graduate students who are awarded half or full teaching assistantships and with full time registration (6 credits or more & maintaining a 3.0 or better). Both half and full teaching assistants may purchase excellent health-care coverage, heavily subsidized by UConn. Full-time assistantships involve a twenty-hour per week service to the department; one half of available time is typically devoted to studies and one-half to duties related to the teaching program. International applicants are eligible for Graduate Assistantships, yet must demonstrate proficiency in English at the time of the application. The submission of TSE scores is strongly recommended for consideration for financial aid. Supplemental support is often available for the summer (See below). 

Predoctoral Fellowships - Stipends of up to $6,000 are available for students who intend to earn the Ph.D. and who have demonstrated the capability for completion of a doctoral program. These awards range from tuition equivalency to the full fellowship. 

Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships - Competition for a $2,000 doctoral dissertation fellowship is held twice a year for students in the final year who have passed the general examination and whose dissertation prospectus has been approved.

Doctoral Dissertation Extraordinary Expenses - Ph.D. students who have passed the criteria for a doctoral dissertation fellowship (see above) may apply for up to $500 for non-routine expenses directly related to data collection for the dissertation. 

Summer Fellowships - $750 for one session or $1,500 for two. Awarded by the University of Connecticut Research Foundation upon nomination by the department head. 

Additional aid and loans based on need are available for domestic students through programs administered by the Office of Financial Aid.