MPA@UNC Admissions Overview

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

In order for your application to be considered complete, the following items must be submitted:

• Online application, including your statement of purpose and resume
• Unofficial Transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended, including graduate studies (Official transcripts will be required upon admission)
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official scores for the GRE, LSAT, or GMAT (submitted by ETS, LSAC, or GMAC) no more than five years old
• English language proficiency scores from TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic (required if English is not your native language or if your undergraduate degree was completed in a country where English is not the primary language of instruction)
• Application fee payment

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Successful applicants for MPA@UNC must have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited university or internationally equivalent bachelor’s degree. Academic performance is evaluated by your grade point average (GPA), typically requiring a 3.0 or higher, and standardized test scores on either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Please have official transcripts from all previously attended postsecondary institutions and standardized test scores mailed to MPA@UNC, 8201 Corporate Dr. Suite 900, Landover, MD 20785

PRE-REQUISITE COURSE

Successful applicants are required to have completed a three-credit course in American Government and Policy prior to beginning MPA@UNC coursework. (Students can apply and be granted conditional admission without the course, but it must be completed prior to beginning the course of study in MPA@UNC.)

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The online application includes a statement of purpose in which each applicant is required to respond to the question: “Why do you want to earn an MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill?” In one to two pages, please address your professional goals, experiences leading you to consider a career in public service, and why MPA@UNC would be ideal for you.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Three current letters of recommendation from persons qualified to evaluate your academic and professional qualifications are required. You should solicit recommendations from individuals who are familiar with your academic achievement and who can address your potential for success in this particular academic setting. If you have been out of school for a number of years and are unable to contact former professors, letters from other individuals who can address your achievement and potential will be accepted. We advise against personal references, and against using generic letters of recommendation such as those provided by campus career planning and placement offices.

Although work experience in a public service profession will enhance your application, it is not a requirement for admission to MPA@UNC.

TEST SCORES

All MPA@UNC applicants are required to submit scores from the GRE, LSAT, or the GMAT. The GRE reporting code is 5816. The GMAT reporting code is D40-55.

If English is not your native language or if your undergraduate degree was completed in a country where English is not the primary language of instruction, you will also need to submit scores from either the TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic.

PERSONAL INTERVIEW

A faculty interview may be required at the discretion of the admissions committee. A brief interview will also be conducted and recorded by a senior admissions counselor for faculty review as part of your whole application.

APPLICATION FEE

The application fee for MPA@UNC is $85.00, which is non-refundable.

Please make the check payable to “The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill” and send it to the following address:

The Graduate School
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Attn: MPA@UNC Program,
200 Bynum Hall, CB# 4010
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-4010

APPLICATION FEE WAIVER

Application fee waiver requests are available for four groups of domestic applicants listed below. For those applicants, when completing the online application, please fill out the Application Fee Waiver questions to apply and upload the required documentation listed below as part of your submitted application.

1. Full-time permanent employees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who submit an application and upload a UNC-CH Employee Application Fee Waiver approved by Employee Benefits.
2. Current McNair Scholars applying for a graduate program to begin immediately following graduation – with no breaks in enrollment from the undergraduate to graduate level. Only a verification letter signed by the current campus McNair Representative will be considered.
3. U.S. citizens who meet the following need-based eligibility:
   • are currently enrolled in a degree program with no breaks in enrollment from point of entry at the undergraduate level
   • have continuously received need-based financial aid
   • have had no breaks in financial support since onset of support
4. Participants in the Summer Pre-Graduate Research Experience (SPGRE) or Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) applying for a graduate program to begin immediately following graduation with no breaks in enrollment from the undergraduate to graduate level. Only a verification letter signed by the current SPGRE or MURAP Director or Program Coordinator will be considered.

We will be happy to consider your waiver request if you can satisfy these criteria and upon receipt of the required documentation. While participation in select scholarship programs or payment waivers granted by other sources do not automatically grant fee waiver eligibility at this campus, we welcome fee waiver requests from participants who meet the above need-based eligibility criteria.

Please present a copy of these instructions to the financial aid office at all institutions that you attended. Request a letter on University letterhead with an original signature certifying the specific items listed above including both your enrollment history and financial aid history from point of entry at the undergraduate level. Scan and upload this official letter in your online application in the Application Fee Waiver section. No other forms of documentation can be accepted (no form letters, photocopies, or financial aid transcripts, please.)
Upon receipt of your fee waiver request, the Admissions Office will review your materials and mark your application as “paid” or contact you for additional information/payment.

This is a fee waiver process and not a fee payment reimbursement process. Once the application fee is paid by either check or credit card, waiver or reimbursement is no longer an option.

The page at the following link also contains the most up to date information about Application Fee Waivers:
http://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/feewaiver.html

APPLY ONLINE

If you are serious about becoming a leader in public service, click here to start an application.