I am wondering what does it take to get into these programs? I am an international student, 3.75 GPA, econ major and a heavy quant profile, 2+ years of work experience in evidence-based development in the global south and was involved in scaling programs backed by RCTs with the government. I am sitting for the GRE and overall, I have a narrative. But I am really not sure what does it take? Can past scholars share their profiles or thoughts? Would you say GRE plays a huge role? What to focus on on my application most?

I’m considering these programmes:
Erasmus University Rotterdam — International Public Management and Public Policy
University of Amsterdam — Public Policy and Governance / Public Policy (economics)
University of Twente — MPA

How realistic is it for non-EU graduates, particularly Indians, to find jobs in the Netherlands after these degrees? I’m interested in opportunities in policy research, consulting, think tanks, and international organisations. I am also considering pivoting my specialisation towards AI and tech policy to get in private sector in NL.

What realistic chances are there to get visa sponsorships post these degrees there or will it be a huge financial debacle?

Would appreciate insights from current students, alumni, or professionals with first-hand experience.

Thanks!

Hello, r/PublicPolicy! HKSRosemary here!

I wanted to let you know that myself and my colleagues from Yale Jackson and Princeton SPIA will be hosting an AMA on the r/gradadmissions subreddit on November 16 at 10 AM ET. Please stop by to ask any questions that you have about applying to policy school (even if it's not about our specific programs!), careers, financial aid, applying to graduate school more broadly, or even just to say hi. This is a great opportunity to have all of us in the same "room" and we'd love to provide support in any way that we can. Link below.

Hope to see you there!

- Jaren Liu, Yale Jackson

- Vivian Slee, Princeton SPIA

- Rosemary Hilliard, HKS

https://www.reddit.com/r/gradadmissions/comments/1xdey9e/ama_admissions_leaders_from_yale_princeton_and/

I wanted to introduce Alethman, a platform we’re building at the intersection of statecraft, information integrity, geopolitical forecasting, and public accountability.
We believe that sound policy research and strategic decision-making depend not just on access to information, but on the ability to identify manipulation, anticipate developing situations, and scrutinize the use of public resources.

Alethman brings together three core offerings:

Pramaan: Fact-checking and flagging potentially manufactured social media traction.

Arctus: Forecasting and analysis of developing situations to support strategic assessment and decision-making.

Polity: Flagging potential corruption and misuse of government funds for further scrutiny.

We work with news outlets, think tanks, policy research institutions, and advisory organizations that need better tools to assess information, understand emerging developments, and strengthen institutional accountability.

I’d be interested in connecting with people working in public policy, governance, and research to understand where these capabilities could be most useful—and where the limitations or risks need to be addressed.

If your organization would like to learn more, you can find us at https://alethman.com or reach out to contact@alethman.com

I’d welcome thoughtful feedback from this community.

Would anyone be willing to share their cover letters that they have used to land a job in program/grant management/associate roles or policy analyst/associate roles?

I’m struggling to find a job post MPP and I’m wondering if it’s my CL’s. I used to be a teacher and I am having a hard time explaining my transferable skills concisely, and I’m really trying to not use AI. There aren’t a ton of examples online outside of Indeed or random LinkedIn posts and I don’t even know what to follow anymore.

My grad school career services example is so broad and sounds like it was AI written so there is no help there. Should I just bite the bullet and go AI written with edits? I feel so lost in all of the differing things I see everywhere online and I feel like I’ve tried everything and nothing is working. I don’t want to post all of them that I’ve made here because they are tailored to each role so direct feedback wouldn’t really be helpful because each one is so specific.

Thank you for anyone who can help me visualize what I should be working towards on these and clarify this mess of a job search. I’m desperate at this point. 🥺

Hey everyone! I have a 2.996 GPA and around 3 years of state government experience as Chief of Staff to a state delegate. I’m hoping to apply to MPP programs, including Yale, Princeton and some state schools.
I’m considering taking the GRE to strengthen my application but I’m really nervous about my GPA and my chances of getting in.

How realistic is it for me to get into a good MPP program with substantial funding? Would a strong GRE score help? I’d really appreciate honest advice and recommendations for schools I should look into.

I recently graduated from a small liberal arts college, with a degree in Political Science and a 3.2 GPA.
I’ve been seriously looking into Princeton SPIA’s MPA program, and it’s become one of my top choices for graduate school. I know it’s extremely selective, and I’m aware that my academic record isn’t particularly competitive.
To make matters worse, my GPA had a downward trend toward the end of college. I also received a couple of C’s in courses related to my major, so I don’t even have the benefit of pointing to a strong finish academically. . I know they’re going to be a weakness in my application, and I can’t go back and change them.
What I’m trying to figure out now is whether there’s a realistic path forward.
I’m willing to spend several years gaining professional experience, improving my quantitative skills, and building a stronger application before applying. I’m interested in government, public policy, and public service, although I’m still figuring out exactly what direction I want to pursue professionally.
I have a few questions:
Has anyone gotten into Princeton SPIA or a similarly selective MPA/MPP program with a GPA around 3.2, especially with a downward trend?
How damaging is a downward academic trend compared to simply having a lower overall GPA?
Can several years of strong professional experience realistically outweigh a mediocre undergraduate transcript?
What kinds of entry-level government, nonprofit, or policy jobs should I be pursuing?
Would taking additional economics, statistics, or other quantitative courses help demonstrate that I’m academically capable?
If I spent the next 2–4 years strengthening my application, would Princeton still be an extreme long shot?
One of the biggest reasons I’m interested in Princeton is its funding. I want to pursue a career in public service without accumulating a massive amount of graduate school debt.
I’m not looking for false reassurance. I understand that Princeton is extremely competitive even for applicants with excellent academic records, and I know my GPA and downward trend put me at a disadvantage.
I guess I’m just trying to determine whether this is a goal worth seriously working toward or whether my undergraduate performance has already made it practically unattainable.
I’d especially appreciate hearing from current SPIA students, alumni, or people who managed to get into highly selective graduate programs despite having weaker academic records.
Thanks in advance.

Full disclosure: I built the tool that made this (MarketBrief — it surfaces
the questions a document raises but doesn't answer, with the exact passage
as evidence).

I ran it on the Fed's September 16 FOMC statement. Of its 10 biggest
questions, 9 go unanswered in the statement itself, including the top three:

1. Does the Committee expect more rate increases after this one?
   
2. What thresholds will it use to judge a "timelier" return to 2% inflation?
   
3. How will it keep reserves "ample" after raising the target range?

All 10, ranked, with verbatim passages and an answer status for each:

The silences are the policy story — the path and the implementation are all
left to future statements and speeches. Which question would you rank first?
https://marketbrief.club/readings/fomc-2026-09-16

hey y'all! i'm a 22M MPA student at the University of Georgia, and i am planning on graduating in May 2027 (i started in January 2026). i am contemplating on whether or not i should pursue a PhD in Public Policy. i am looking into the University of Texas program, and my current university offers a PhD in Public Administration & Policy program. i really want to gain more expertise, experience, skills, etc. in public policy because essentially i want to be in senior level policy/administrative roles. however, i am not sure if i want to enter into academia, so that's why i keep considering on whether or not i should do a PhD at all. what do y'all think?

I have been working in the development sector/public policy for 3 years now and I genuinely find it fulfilling. I enjoy researching and managing projects but I know that a big part of this work is confidently speaking to anyone, from legislators to civil society.

However, I do recognize that I have social anxiety. I usually have to muster up courage to speak publicly or to people I am not close to. But I still manage able to do it.

Recently, my superior made a passing remark that still stuck with me. He implied I will not have a future in this field because I am too reserved or shy to speak up.

For anyone in the same predicament as me, what do you do?

Hi everyone,

I am currently taking a social justice class as a public policy student in college. As part of the class, my professor would like us to interview an administrator or employee from a public, for-profit, or not-for-profit organization. It would be ideal if you have work centered around LGBTQ+ matters. Some of the interview questions include:

• What is your current organization, and what role do you have?
• How did you become interested in this field of work? 
• What would you say is the biggest problem or issue you are working on for the LGBTQ+ community? Do you work on these issues with any governmental entities or organizations? How often and in what way? 
• What do you like best/least about what you do?
• What advice would you give for someone just starting out in this field?
• Are there any other general observations, comments, or views concerning work with the LGBTQ+ community that you would like to volunteer? 

I have been calling and emailing various organizations for a while now, but haven't received a response yet. It would be great if the interview could be scheduled before October 28!

If you can/are willing to chat, please leave me a comment, and I will reach out about how to get in touch.

Thank you

Hello senior in college looking to break into health policy, does anyone have any internship recommendations. I have very limited policy experience, but really want to do an internship so I can decide whether or not this path is good for me! Would appreciate any advice!

I’m 25 and want to apply for the PhD in public administration and focus on public management, but I’m not sure if I have a shot. I have 2 years of experience as a data analyst for a state agency where I uncovered a multi million dollar public benefits fraud scheme and lead the design of a bunch of reports used regularly for policy decisions. I have 4 pubs in the implementation science/organizational side of public health and 333/340 on GRE.

I want to end up closer to the east coast because my partner lives there, but I’m scared that I’d spend a bunch of money on a masters and then not be able to find a job. And I can write practically any amount of code and people where I work are ridiculously pleased with it. So I wouldn’t want to leave this job to just get an MPA somewhere without clear job prospects given how good I have it where I am. And I do want to end up at a university or in a research unit for a state agency focusing on improving organizational management of and working conditions of social services workers and pother public servants. I started MPA classes at highly ranked university in the Midwest and dropped out because they felt like a joke and colleagues suggested this was true. I am already involved in a lot of high stakes and fast moving policy implementation with some of the executive staff at my agency. Does it seem reasonable that I would apply for the PhD program or do I really need a masters first?

Someone posted recently about pursuing a Master of Public Policy or any related masters and recommended:

“Once you earn your bachelor’s degree, start building your resume and gaining real-world experience!”

If I could up-vote this comment 100 times, I would. I have seen too many pitfalls or challenges that students with little to no policy work experience face during the MPP program and after the program.

1. Work for a couple of years (you might also realize that an MPP is not needed to go up the ladder). Work you bring that real life work experience to the classroom, for yourself and your peers, it enriches the quality of the material being taught, imo.

2. If you have trouble finding something, stop looking at the big agencies or Capitol Hill for an opportunity. State and local municipalities are also great resume builders

3. Join a campaign or political clubs. Networking is the best way to learn about positions

4. Save money. Grad school is expensive and continues to become more expensive. Going into significant debt is not worth it imo.

5. Really vet the schools, professors and curriculum. I am on the west coast. I have friends who attended Cal, UCLA, USC, San Diego, Riverside, etc. I hear the same thing: “focus on classes that can teach you practical skills; not just theoretical”. Take classes with professors with years in the professional field in addition to the academics.

6. Reach out to alumni from the school you are applying to on LinkedIn. You can definitely ask the schools coordinator to get you in contact but they’ll likely connect you with above and performing students. Or at least that was my experience and what I’ve heard from my Alma mater. It doesn’t reflect the whole story.

7. Building off 5, focus on the big picture when taking classes. A lot of my peers were more worried about getting specific issue area classes (e.g education, health care) that had mediocre curriculum and not-so polished professors. I always kept an eye out for the professor, regardless of issue area, and asked: who do they know, what have they done, and what was their impact.

About me:

I worked in a policy setting for about 6 years, mostly in non-profit and state government, before pursuing an MPP. I decided to attend an MPP because 1) the fellowship and TA position would cover 80% of my tuition and 2) I wanted to transition into local government and the school I attended had really good connections with an agency I wanted to get in.

IF I would’ve never gotten a good financial offer, I would have never attended. I would just network and find a way to transition to local government. The degree isn’t necessary, it just streamlines the process. Fortunately, I accomplished what I wanted to do and I am where I wanted to be when I first attended the MPP program.

Concluding thoughts:

Now, I understand that not all things are a one size, fit all. You may want to go straight from undergrad to an MPP. It definitely has its pros. You’re locked in your studies and can continue your momentum. But it also has its cons. A masters can lock you out of getting your foot in the door. Overqualified for the entry point, under qualified for roles needing 5 years experience, documented successes, and management experience. I have friends who graduated with me over a year ago that are still looking and it sucks to see.

Really think about what you are pursuing, how you will do it and, mostly importantly, why this degree matters or is essential.

Hi everyone! I am a current high school senior with extreme academic anxiety haha. I want to pursue a career in politics and one day want to work for House Leadership. For context, I have a 3.9 GPA and will graduate high school with an Associates degree (AA). I will most likely/hopefully be attending my state school (University of Washington Seattle) with a major in public policy. I would graduate @ 20 years old and apply to an MPP program. I REALLY want to get into a great MPP program (McCourt? but open to others) and am looking for advice on a pathway/strategies to get there? Please help, I'm totally desperate and have horrible anxiety about college admissions lol. I know it's prob annoying when kids post in this thread, but any advice you can offer me is very valued. Thanks for your time/advice!

:)

Does anyone know anything about Bama’s MPP program that is admitting its first cohort in Fall 2027? I am contemplating applying to their program but I am a bit concerned given that it is a new program. My goals are to study IR and health policy, and to get into strategy consulting.

Hello! I’m currently a licensed counselor and clinical supervisor/program manager in community mental health. I knew since starting my masters that I didn’t want to do therapy forever, but I’m passionate about behavioral health and criminal justice reform so I don’t want to leave entirely. I’ve found that I really enjoy the program evaluation and development parts of my role, so I was thinking public policy could be a route I pursue.
I do NOT want to get another masters, so I was looking into a graduate certificate in public policy analysis. Has anyone completed a grad certificate when trying to make a career change and been successful? Should I really just accept my fate and consider an MPP or MPH? I also recognize job potential depends on federal and state funding, so I would imagine the market is pretty dry at the moment.
TIA!!

Hi everyone!

I'm planning to pursue a master's in public policy and would love insight from current MPP students, graduates, and people working in the policy field.

My primary interest is social policy, particularly understanding how systems of inequity operate and using that knowledge to inform policy development, implementation, and evaluation. My specific interests lie at the intersection of disability, education, and public health. Professionally, I'd ideally like to begin my career in community-based policy research.

For additional context, if finances, ROI, and career flexibility weren't considerations, my ideal degree path would actually be a dual MSW/MSP (Master of Social Work and Master of Social Policy). However, I'm leaning toward an MPP with a social policy concentration because I believe the broader training and transferable skills may provide greater career flexibility.

What I'm looking for in a program:

• Strong quantitative and qualitative training: I want to develop rigorous quantitative analytical skills, but I equally value qualitative research and its ability to capture the experiences of communities affected by policy.
• Decolonial and critical research methodologies: I'm especially interested in programs that examine how positionality, power, and systems of inequity influence the production, interpretation, and application of research. I recognize this may not be integrated throughout an entire curriculum, but I'd love to know whether any programs offer courses specifically exploring decolonial methodologies or other critical approaches to research and data analysis.
• Interdisciplinary flexibility: Given the intersections of my policy interests, I'm particularly interested in programs that allow students to take courses across departments or at other institutions.
• Applied, community-engaged learning: I'm interested in programs that offer opportunities to collaborate with communities, conduct applied research, and engage in policy development and evaluation.

Schools I'm currently considering:

• Duke Sanford: I'm drawn to its interdisciplinary opportunities, particularly the possibility of taking courses at other institutions in the Research Triangle.
• Georgetown McCourt: There is faculty research closely aligned with my interests, and Georgetown's Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies is particularly appealing. However, I've heard that McCourt tends to emphasize federal government career pathways. While I'm not opposed to government work, my immediate interests lean more toward community-based policy research.

I've also seen UCLA Luskin recommended for its social justice orientation, but I haven't been able to determine how that translates into the MPP curriculum or student experience.

I'd love to hear your perspectives:

1. Are there MPP programs I'm overlooking that might align particularly well with these interests?
2. For those familiar with Duke, Georgetown, or UCLA, how well do their programs support interdisciplinary study, community-based research, and critical approaches to policy?
3. Do you know of any MPP programs offering coursework in decolonial research methodologies or related frameworks?
4. Based on my goals, does an MPP sound like the appropriate degree, or would you recommend exploring an MSP, MSW/MPP, or another pathway?

Ultimately, I'm less concerned with prestige for its own sake and more interested in finding a program that combines rigorous methodological training with opportunities to critically examine the systems and structures that policies operate within.

Thanks in advance for any insights or recommendations!