PhD Economics Applications

This page collects resources related to graduate school applications in economics. The information include:

1. General resources
2. Standardized tests
3. PhD application mentoring programs
4. Broader mentoring programs
5. Scholarships
6. Sample application materials

Please reach out if you have any questions or information that could be added to this page (konstantinpoensgen [ a t ] fas.harvard.edu).

General resources

There is no shortage of resources on the web about applying to graduate school in economics. This is a non-exhaustive list of resources that I find useful.

• AEA on preparing for graduate school and suggested timeline
• A practical guide to a PhD in economics – Abdoulaye Ndiaye
• Guide for students considering a PhD - Dick Startz
• Applying to economics PhD programs - Ben Davies
• Extensive application guide - Torsha Chakravorty, Aishwarya Kekre, Prerna Kundu, Lakshya Narula and Vaibhav Oiha
• Notes on applying for a PhD - Jesse M. Shapiro
• FAQs on PhD applications - Chris Blattman
• How to get into an Economics PhD program - Aparna Soni
• Advice for applying to grad school in Economics - Susan Athey
• For the ambitious, prospective PhD student: A Guide - Rachael Meager
• Resources for economics students including on applications - EconThaki

Standardized tests

• GRE study resources collected by GAIN
• Free TOEFL study resources

PhD application mentoring programs

• Duke Economics Graduate Mentorship Program
• Duke Pre-Graduate Fellows Program
• Economics Applicant Mentoring Programme (AMP) at Cambridge, LSE, Oxford, UCL and Warwick
• Graduate Applications International Network (GAIN)
• Harvard/MIT Application Assistance and Mentoring Program (AAMP)

Broader mentoring programs

• Association for Mentoring & Inclusion in Economics (AIME)
• Opportunities for students from the Global South
• Research in Color Foundation
• Sadie Collective

Scholarships

Applying to scholarships (or external funding) is particularly important if you are applying to Master’s programs. PhD programs tend to be funded, but it can still be useful to secure external funding in either the application stage or later funding/teaching situation. It is critical to search for scholarships early on in the application process – waiting for after the grad school applications is often too late. If your country is offering scholarships for graduate studies (like the NSF in the US) it is definitely worth applying to those and it might help you get into departments that are otherwise unable to fund you.

• Some resources are linked here.
• Africademics Scholarship Mentoring Programme

Sample application materials

To provide an example of application materials, the following documents are the ones I had submitted in my application to PhD programs in economics (12/2022). Please keep several things in mind:

• my application materials are not necessarily “good”
• they only represent one possible content/structure
• everyone’s application profile is unique

Keeping those disclaimers in mind, these were my application materials:

• CV
• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• Writing sample
• Diversity statement
• Research proposals on local taxation, health insurance, and innovation productivity

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