Application Requirements

All applicants must apply using our online application system. 

Three are three application rounds:

• Early Action - November 6th
• Round 1 - January 7th
• Round 2 - June 1st (International students requiring a University sponsored visa are strongly encouraged to submit by May 1st)

All supporting material – including letters of recommendation, transcripts, supplemental material, and writing samples – must be submitted electronically with your online application. The Division of the Social Sciences allows for a short grace period of about one week for receipt of recommendations and required test scores. Materials that arrive more than a week after the deadline may place your application at a significant disadvantage.

The Admissions Committee evaluates all official transcripts of academic work, candidate statements and essays, letters of recommendation, performance on any required standardized test, and any special factors brought to its attention. The committee considers each application on the basis of all materials submitted and does not automatically eliminate applications based on grade point averages or test scores.

Current UChicago College students applying to the BA/MA: View BA/MA application requirements on the Division of the Social Sciences website.

Online Graduate Application

Available now; through the Division of Social Sciences

Unofficial Transcripts

Unofficial transcripts are required from all prior post-secondary institutions attended. Transcripts are not required for an institution if all grades are reflected on the transcript for a different school (for example, when a student has transferred or participated in study abroad).

Candidate Statement

You must submit a 2-4 page candidate statement outlining your research interests, relevant training, your prior academic distinctions, and your interest in pursuing the CIR degree specifically. You should also include the names of 2 or 3 faculty members whose research interests align with your own, who you may wish to serve as your faculty thesis advisor.

Writing Sample

The writing sample is a critical part of your application and one of the most important indicators of your research potential. It should be a single-authored piece of original academic research that demonstrates your ability to frame a clear, focused research question, construct a persuasive argument, and support that argument using evidence, theory, and/or method.

The sample should be 15–30 pages (4000-7500 words) in length, and must reflect your capacity for independent, analytical thinking and sustained engagement with a scholarly problem. If your strongest work is spread across shorter papers, you may upload up to three documents, though a single, cohesive research paper is strongly preferred.

If it has been more than five years since your last academic work and no formal writing sample is available, you may submit a piece from your professional experience that demonstrates comparable analytical rigor. Please include a brief explanation of its context and purpose.

Resume/CV

Upload a current resume, reflecting your work experience, education, community service, professional honors, and any other relevant information.

Three Letters of Recommendation

Recommenders must submit letters through the online application. To submit your application, you must provide the names and contact information for three recommenders in the application portal. The application will not allow you to submit without the contact information for three designated recommenders listed in the portal. You can submit your application prior to the actual letters being received, but you must list the names and contact information for three recommenders in order to submit. We allow a grace period of one week for receipt of recommendation letters after our deadline; applications incomplete after that grace period may be at a disadvantage in the review process.

Guidance for who to select as a recommender, as well as best practices for requesting letters, can be found on the Division of the Social Sciences website.

TOEFL/IELTS Scores

Applicants who do not qualify for a waiver of the University’s English proficiency requirement must submit official IELTS/TOEFL scores. Acceptable test variations, score requirements, and a detailed explanation of the waiver options can be found on the Division of the Social Sciences website.

Application Fee

A non-refundable $90 application fee is required of all applicants. Application fee waivers are available; learn more about available application fee waivers on the Division of the Social Sciences website.