A Close Look

For the 2025 PhD admission cycle, at least 137 MAPSS alumni applied to PhD programs. Of those 137, 99 let us know the outcomes of their applications, and 63 of those (64%) were successful in securing fully funded doctoral offers and an additional 9 alumni (9%) received a partially funded offer.

The detailed outcome data below are based on a survey of MAPSS alumni who applied to PhD programs in the social sciences during the 2025 application cycle, supplemented by reports from PhD applicants and instructional professors.

More broadly, over the past five years, 65% of MAPSS graduates who applied to PhD programs in the social sciences received fully or partially funded offers. Despite continued pressure on PhD admissions across the U.S. and across the disciplines, our students continue to secure funded doctoral offers at leading programs nationwide and around the world.     

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Anthropology

In 2025, 9 of 13 (69%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • The City University of New York
  • Cornell University (Science and Technology Studies)
  • Graduate Institute Geneva
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Rice University
  • The University of California, Berkeley
  • The University of California, Davis
  • The University of California, Irvine
  • The University of California, Los Angeles (Ethnomusicology)
  • The University of California, Santa Barbara (Ethnomusicology)
  • The University of Florida
  • The University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
  • The University of New Mexico
  • The University of Virginia

 

Over the past 5 years, 60 of 90 (67%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • Arizona State University
  • Binghamton University
  • Central European University
  • The Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • The City University of New York
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Graduate Institute Geneva
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (HASTS)
  • McGill University
  • New York University
  • Northwestern University
  • Oklahoma State University
  • Oxford University
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • Princeton University
  • Rice University
  • Rutgers University
  • Stanford University
  • Tulane University
  • University College London
  • The University of Arizona
  • The University of British Columbia
  • The University of California, Berkeley
  • The University of California, Davis
  • The University of California, Irvine
  • The University of California, Los Angeles
  • The University of California, Riverside
  • The University of California, Santa Barbara
  • The University of California, Santa Cruz
  • The University of Central Florida
  • The University of Chicago
  • The University of Colorado Boulder
  • The University of Florida
  • The University of Georgia
  • The University of Illinois Chicago
  • The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • The University of Indiana-Bloomington
  • The University of Manchester
  • The University of Maryland
  • The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
  • The University of Minnesota
  • The University of New Mexico
  • The University of Notre Dame
  • The University of Pennsylvania
  • The University of Pittsburgh
  • The University of Southern California
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • The University of Virginia
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Yale University

History

In 2025, 8 of 17 (47%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • McGill University
  • National Tsinghua University (Political Economy)
  • The National University of Singapore
  • Rice University 
  • Stanford University
  • The University of Arizona
  • The University of California, Berkley
  • The University of New Mexico
  • The University of South Carolina
  • The University of Texas at Austin

 

Over the past 5 years, 57 of 98 (58%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • Baylor University
  • Boston College
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • The City University of New York
  • The College of William and Mary
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Florida State University
  • Georgetown University
  • Harvard University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Loyola University
  • McGill University
  • The National University of Singapore
  • National Tsinghua University
  • New York University
  • Northwestern University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Oxford University
  • Princeton University
  • Queen’s University
  • Rice University
  • Rochester University
  • Stanford University
  • The State University of New York at Stony Brook
  • Temple University
  • Texas A&M University
  • Tulane University
  • The University of Arizona
  • The University of California, Berkeley
  • The University of California, Davis
  • The University of California, San Diego
  • The University of California, Santa Cruz
  • The University of Chicago
  • The University of Georgia
  • The University of Illinois Chicago
  • The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • The University of Indiana-Bloomington
  • The University of Miami
  • The University of Michigan
  • The University of Minnesota
  • The University of Mississippi
  • The University of Nevada, Reno
  • The University of New Mexico
  • The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • The University of Notre Dame
  • The University of Pittsburgh
  • The University of South Carolina
  • The University of Southern California
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • The University of Toronto
  • Virginia Tech
  • The University of Washington
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Western Michigan University

Political Science

In 2025, 10 of 18 (56%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • Baylor University
  • Fudan University (Philosophy)
  • George Mason University
  • King's College London
  • The Ohio State University
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • The University of Amsterdam
  • The University of California, Los Angeles
  • The University of California, San Diego
  • The University of Hong Kong
  • The University of New York
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

Over the past 5 years, 54 of 81 (67%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • Arizona State University
  • Baylor University
  • Brown University
  • Columbia University
  • Cornell University
  • Emory University
  • Fudan University
  • George Mason University
  • George Washington University
  • Georgetown University
  • Harvard University
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • King's College London
  • The London School of Economics and Political Science
  • The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • McGill University
  • New York University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Oxford University
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • Princeton University
  • Rochester University
  • The State University of New York at Stony Brook
  • Syracuse University
  • Tsinghua University
  • The University of Amsterdam
  • The University of California, Berkeley
  • The University of California, Davis
  • The University of California, Irvine
  • The University of California, Los Angeles
  • The University of California, San Diego
  • The University of Chicago
  • The University of Florida
  • The University of Hong Kong
  • The University of Indiana-Bloomington
  • The University of Massachusetts
  • The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
  • The University of Notre Dame
  • The University of Pennsylvania
  • The University of Southern California
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • The University of Toronto
  • The University of Utah
  • The University of Virginia
  • The University of Washington-Seattle
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Yale University

Psychology

In 2025, 16 of 23 (70%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • Brown University
  • City University of Hong Kong
  • Columbia University (Special Education)
  • DePaul University
  • Florida State University
  • Harvard University
  • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • Indiana University Bloomington (Cognitive Science)
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • New York University
  • Northwestern University
  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • Penn State University
  • Texas A&M University
  • Tufts University (Cognitive Science)
  • The University of British Columbia
  • The University of California, Los Angeles
  • The University of California, Merced
  • The University of Chicago
  • The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • The University of Maryland
  • The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
  • The University of Pennsylvania
  • The University of Southern California
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • University of Toronto

 

Over the past 5 years, 45 of 75 (60%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • Brigham Young University
  • Brown University
  • Cambridge University
  • Chatham University
  • City University of Hong Kong
  • The City University of New York
  • Columbia University
  • DePaul University
  • Duke University
  • Florida State University
  • Georgetown University
  • Harvard University
  • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • The Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • McGill University
  • Michigan State University
  • New York University
  • Northwestern University
  • The Ohio State University
  • Ohio University
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • The University of Pittsburgh
  • Purdue University
  • Temple University
  • Texas A&M University
  • Tufts University
  • The University of British Columbia
  • The University of California, Davis
  • The University of California, Irvine
  • The University of California, Los Angeles
  • The University of California, Merced
  • The University of California, Santa Cruz
  • The University of Chicago
  • The University of Connecticut
  • The University of Florida
  • The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • The University of Indiana-Bloomington
  • The University of Maryland
  • The University of Miami
  • The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
  • The University of Minnesota
  • The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • The University of North Carolina-Charlotte
  • The University of North Carolina-Greensboro
  • The University of Notre Dame
  • The University of Oregon
  • The University of South Carolina
  • The University of Southern California
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • The University of Texas at Dallas
  • The University of Toronto
  • The University of Virginia
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • The Wright Institute

Sociology

In 2025, 12 of 21 (57%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • Boston University
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Loyola University Chicago
  • Northwestern University
  • Rice University
  • Rutgers University
  • The State University of New York at Albany
  • Temple University
  • The University of California, Santa Barbara
  • The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
  • The University of Minnesota
  • The University of New Mexico
  • The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • The University of Notre Dame
  • The University of Pennsylvania
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Washington University in St. Louis

 

Over the past 5 years, 83 of 114 (73%) applicants received funded offers

The universities that extended offers include:

  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Brown University
  • Columbia University (Teachers College)
  • Cornell University
  • Duke University
  • Emory University
  • Harvard University
  • Heriot-Watt University
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • The London School of Economics
  • Loyola University Chicago
  • McGill University
  • Michigan State University
  • New York University
  • Northwestern University
  • The Ohio State University
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • Princeton University
  • Purdue University
  • Rice University
  • Rutgers University
  • Saint Louis University
  • Stanford University
  • The State University of New York at Albany
  • The State University of New York at Buffalo
  • Temple University
  • Tulane University
  • The University of British Columbia
  • The University of California, Berkeley
  • The University of California, Davis
  • The University of California, Irvine
  • The University of California, Los Angeles
  • The University of California, San Diego
  • The University of California, Santa Barbara
  • The University of Chicago
  • The University of Connecticut
  • The University of Illinois Chicago
  • The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • The University of Indiana-Bloomington
  • The University of Louisville
  • The University of Maryland
  • The University of Michigan
  • The University of Minnesota
  • The University of New Mexico
  • The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • The University of Notre Dame
  • The University of Pennsylvania
  • The University of Southern California
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • The University of Toronto
  • The University of Virginia
  • The University of Washington-Seattle
  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Washington University in St. Louis

  • Yale University