PhD Political Science at Yale University

Programme overview

Fields include American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political economy, political theory, quantitative empirical methods, qualitative and archival methods, and formal theory.

Faculty: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | Department: Political Science | Study mode: full-time | Location: New Haven, CT, United States

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Standardized tests: GRE is required. The prompt for the Statement of Academic Purpose for applicants to Political Science is as follows: In a succinct statement of no more than 1,000 words, please (1) discuss your motivation for conducting research, (2) provide a detailed summary of your research experience and training and how it prepares you for doctoral study in your proposed program (the standalone Ph.D. in Political Science), (3) the topic(s) you plan to study in graduate school and how you would approach those questions, and (4) why Yale is a good fit given your interests. English language: TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic is required of most applicants whose native language is not English. You may be exempt from this requirement if you have received (or will receive) an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction, and if you ha

USD 52,400 a year (2026-27). Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 2026-2027 full-time tuition rate (applies to GSAS programmes). Excludes fees and living costs; PhD students typically receive funding, see the GSAS funding page. Source

PhD applicants at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences apply for fall 2027 entry; most offers of admission for fall 2027 have a reply deadline of April 15, 2027.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences deadlines (all 11:59 pm Eastern) for fall 2027: December 1, 2026 (e.g. BBS, Chemistry, Economics, History, Linguistics, Psychology, Public Health, Statistics); December 15, 2026 (e.g. American Studies, Anthropology, Applied Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science PhD, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Law, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Political Science, Sociology); January 2, 2027 (e.g. African Studies, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Architecture, Computer Science MS, Earth and Planetary Sciences, East Asian Studies, Nursing, Philosophy). Combined programs follow the earlier deadline or December 15.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences application fee for all degree-seeking applicants is US $105, non-refundable, payable by Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express; fee waivers can be requested until January 2.

GRE General Test requirements vary by GSAS program (required, optional or not accepted) for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Apply through the official page: https://gsas.yale.edu/admissions/phdmasters-application-process

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