Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Application Instructions

Deadline: For priority consideration of acceptance and financial awards, all application materials must be postmarked or received online by January 15, with the exception of GRE scores. Otherwise your application will only be reviewed on a space-available basis until March 1.

Step 1

Gather your required application materials

  • Application fee of $50 (U.S.) for completing the online application to the University of Washington (UW) Graduate School and Evans School.

  • Resume including:
    • Relevant academic, professional, volunteer, or military experience
    • Academic and/or professional honors, prizes, or scholarships
    • Leadership positions
    • Societies and clubs to which you belong

  • Statement of purpose describing in 750 words or less:
    • Yourself and your reason(s) for applying to your specific degree program
    • Your expectations of your specific degree program in furthering your career objectives
    • Your academic background, extracurricular activities, professional experiences, community and/or volunteer work, and any other factors relevant to your interest in public policy and management

  • Personal Statement of Diversity. Consistent with our goal of enhancing the intellectual and social enrichment of the University of Washington community, the University actively seeks and welcomes students from diverse backgrounds. Please provide a statement, no more than two pages in length (500 words or less), about your personal history, family background, and other influences on your intellectual development. The statement should address educational, cultural, and economic opportunities and disadvantages that you have experienced, and ways those experiences have affected the development of your special interests, career plans, and future goals. Please note that this is not an academic Statement of Purpose, but a personal statement that addresses your intellectual growth and development, both inclusive of and beyond your academic goals.

  • Transcripts from each college or university you have attended. Ask them to mail, directly to you, two copies of your official, sealed transcripts. Do not open your transcripts because broken or tampered seals will make them invalid, and they are needed to prove completion of your bachelor’s and Masters degrees.

    Send one sealed copy of your transcripts to the Evans School. Once accepted to your program of choice you’ll be asked to send the other copy to the UW Graduate Admissions Office.

  • Two to three letters of reference to be submitted electronically by those writing the recommendations after you complete the UW Graduate School and Evans School online application. Two letters are required and up to three letters may be submitted. Letters of reference should come from people who are familiar with your professional and academic abilities.

  • GRE scores need to be requested from the Educational Testing Center. The Educational Testing Service can be contacted at 609.771.7670 or www.gre.org.

    Have the scores sent directly to the Evans School (department code 4801) and the UW Graduate School (school code 4854). Also, include an unofficial copy of scores in your Evans School application packet of required materials that can't be submitted during the online application process.

  • TOEFL scores for international students. Please see our international applicant information for more information.

Step 2

Complete the UW Graduate School online application for the Evans School.

During this process you will be asked to identify which Evans School program you are applying to, and should choose the Public Affairs (M of Public Administration) option. You will then be directed to the appropriate Evans School portion of the application to submit the majority of your required application materials.

Step 3

Required Evans School application materials that are not collected online (i.e. transcripts) need to be mailed in one packet to:

The Evans School of Public Affairs
Admissions
Box 353055
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-3055

For questions and more information about the application process, contact Student Services at evansadm@u.washington.edu or 206.543.4900.