| Public Policy and International Affairs Program

Demographics, Financial Details, Academics

A key part of your application are sections that capture information about you, your educational background, and financial situation. To complete this you will need the following information:
Percent breakdown of college costs being paid by loans, grants, parents/guardians, yourself, and/or other sources.
Your parent/guardian’s gross income and savings/assets from the previous year.
Your gross income and savings/assets from the previous year.
Unofficial academic transcripts from all colleges or universities that you have attended so that you can enter information about relevant courses and GPA.
Your preferred ranking for the Junior Summer Institutes.
A list of all paid work positions, volunteer/service positions, and extracurricular activities in which you have participated since starting your undergraduate studies, including the experiences you have listed on your resume AND the positions/ experiences you did not include on your resume.

Letters of Recommendation

The required recommendation letter should come from someone familiar with your public service activities and/or career interests. This individual can be someone who is/was your supervisor in a professional setting (internship, part-time job, volunteer organization, etc.).
If you do not have someone who was a supervisor and can speak to your public-service experience/goals, you are asked to register an individual familiar your educational accomplishments (i.e. professor, academic advisor, etc.) and can speak to your public service activities and/or career interests.
Once you submit this information, an email will be sent to the individuals with instructions for writing and submitting their letter.
These letters will be submitted through our online system, but it is your responsibility to remain in contact with the individuals you ask for letters of recommendation and ensure they submit those letters by the November 1 deadline. For additional questions regarding the recommendation process, please see our FAQ section.
Applications submitted without the required recommendation letter will not be reviewed for admission.

Personal Statements

Essay 1: All Applicants

Please upload a statement of approximately 500 words, double-spaced, 12-point font that addresses the following questions:

What are your public service career and goals? How will participating in a PPIA Junior Summer Institute (JSI) help you achieve these goals?

Essay 2: All Applicants

Please upload a statement of approximately 500 words, double-spaced, 12-point font that addresses the following prompt:

Diversity of all kinds is important to enriching the educational experience at colleges and universities. Please share with us life experiences that have shaped your perspectives and how they are contributing to the classroom and community at your college or university.

Essay 3: All Applicants

Please upload a statement of approximately 500 words, double-spaced, 12-point font that addresses the following questions:

Given your interest in PPIA, why do you want to pursue a master's degree related to public policy and/or international affairs? What specific skills do you want to gain this summer as you consider your academic and career goals?

Essay 4: UC Berkeley Law Fellow Applicants

Please prepare a brief statement, approximately 1 page, double-spaced, 12-point font about the following:

Your interests for wanting to pursue joint degrees in law and public policy, what skills you would be seeking to acquire and how you will apply such skills to further your public service career goals.

Essay 5: Carnegie Mellon, Policy + Data Analytics Track

Please prepare a brief statement, approximately 1 page, double-spaced, 12-point font about the following:

Please describe your interests for wanting to pursue a policy + data analytics degree and how you will apply such skills to further your public service career goals

Extenuating Circumstances Statement – Optional (word limit 250)

If you have any extenuating circumstances that you would like to share with the admissions committee.

Resume (PDF Format)

Please include, in two pages or less, all professional experiences you’ve had since the start of your undergraduate education.

Transcripts (PDF Format)

Unofficial academic transcript from all colleges or universities that you have attended. Note: Students who are accepted to the Junior Summer Institutes will be required to submit official academic transcripts.

Financial Documents

Please include the following information:

A copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) for the 2023-24 (current) academic year
If a SAR is not available, please upload a copy of your financial aid award letter from your undergraduate institution for the the current academic year (2023-24).
If neither a SAR or financial aid award letter is available, please upload the first 2 pages of your parents and your IRS tax return (1040, 1040A, etc.) for 2023.

JSI APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS