Educational Studies

To submit a successful application for admission, you need to provide the following:

• Academic Statement of Purpose
  • The Academic Statement of Purpose serves to demonstrate a fit between your background/interests and the Educational Studies doctoral program philosophy, structure, and offerings. The statement should take the form of a concise and coherent essay, approximately 2-3 pages in length, double-spaced. Please be sure to address the following elements in your statement: 
    • 1. A clear statement about the opportunities, issues, and/or problems of education that motivate you to pursue the Educational Studies doctoral program
      2. A concise summary of relevant academic or professional experience. Please explain the connection between your academic or professional experience and the opportunities, issues and/or problems of education introduced in #1.
      3. An overview of your short-term and long-term career goals. Please introduce how you will go about addressing the opportunities, issues, and problems of education introduced in #1.
      4. A clear statement explaining how you expect that the doctoral program will allow you to better understand the opportunities, issues, and problems of education that motivate your graduate studies and on which you will focus your career. Please make specific reference to details such as course offerings, experiential learning opportunities, and campus resources.
      5. A clear indication of the faculty members that you would like to work with and what aspects of their work and projects.
• Personal Statement 
  • 500 word limit
  • How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan? For example, if you grew up in a community where educational, cultural, or other opportunities were either especially plentiful or especially lacking, you might discuss the impact this had on your development and interests. This should be a discussion of the journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree. Please do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose. 
• Sample of Academic Writing
  • Ten to 20 pages (approximately) of your academic writing.
  • Sample can come from a course paper, Master's thesis, published work, etc.
  • Applicant should be the solo or main (first) author of the submitted sample.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
  • We strongly encourage two of your letters come from individuals who are familiar with your academic performance. The third may be from a professional reference.
  • Register your recommenders' names and contact information on the online application so that they will be sent instructions for submitting their letters via the application system. Let your recommenders know that they need to upload a letter and that it is required by the program. 
  • As soon as you click "save" on the page of the application where your recommenders' contact information is entered, they will receive an email with instructions for completing the process. Proceed to this point in the application process as soon as possible to trigger that email.
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Test Scores (See test details in Step 5 below) 
  • English proficiency scores (for non-native speakers of English only)
  • GRE Test Scores are not required for admission

Create an account with Rackham Graduate School.

This program, like all of the Marsal Family School of Education's graduate programs, is administered through the University of Michigan's Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Rackham offers a host of resources and administrative support to help see you through from submitting your application to completion of your degree.

• After completing page 5 of the application, you will receive an e-mail with your U-M ID. A U-M ID number will be issued to you via email within 5 business days of completing pages 1-5 and advancing to page 6 of the ApplyWeb application. Having your U-M ID number to include on all your application materials ensures accurate and timely processing, so we encourage you to complete pages 1-5 early in the process.
• If you need to submit your application before you receive your U-M ID number, you may still complete the application. Include your date of birth and the program’s name on your application materials.
• Current and former U-M Ann Arbor students, alumni and employees: You do not need to obtain a new U-M ID number. Use your previously obtained U-M ID number.
• If your personal information has changed (for example, legal name, gender), make sure the personal information you submit with your application matches your previous Ann Arbor campus record. If your previous Ann Arbor campus record does not display your current personal information, contact the Registrar’s Office or the Shared Services Center to change your personal information before you apply.

Include at the top of each document:

• The type of document (Academic Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement, Sample of Academic Writing, or Curriculum Vitae or Resume)
• Your name
• The name of the graduate program (PhD in Educational Studies)
• Your 8 digit U-M ID (if known)

Set document margins to one-inch and verify that any tables fit within the margins. Recommendation: Convert documents to PDF format before uploading.

• TOEFL, MELAB, ECPE, or IELTS scores (for non-native speakers of English only; valid 2 years from test date)
  • Information regarding English Proficiency tests and exemption guidelines can be found on the Rackham Graduate School website. 
• GRE Test Scores
  • GRE test scores are not required for admission, but scores (valid 5 years from test date) can be included with your application.
  • Provide ETS with the U-M Institutional Code of 1839 and your scores will be sent directly to the university.
• Test scores must be sent directly from the testing center to the Rackham Graduate School. We recommend starting this process early as it can take up to two weeks for the scores to be received. 

• Upload an electronic version of your official transcript(s) for each Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, or Doctoral degree earned or in progress through your ApplyWeb application account (part of the Rackham application system). Do not upload academic records printed from your school’s website or student portal.
• You are not required to send official transcripts at the time of application. If you are recommended for admission, the Rackham Graduate School will require official transcripts. Admitted applicants will receive an email notification when the official transcripts are required.
• Students who have studied in a country outside of the U.S. should review the required credentials from non-U.S. institutions. For all degrees obtained at non-U.S. institutions—Request that degree-granting institutions submit official transcripts/records to the Rackham Graduate School at the time of application.
• Information for submitting official transcripts can be found on the Rackham Graduate School website.

• Check the status of your letters of recommendation, change a recommender, or resend the notification email to your recommender using the ApplyWeb Activity Page
• Please reach out to [email protected] if there are any questions regarding the submission of the letters of recommendation.

Check on your application status. If you’ve been accepted, you will receive an email with information on how to send your official transcripts.

• If you have been accepted, congratulations! You may accept or decline the offer of admission in your U-M Friend Account.
• For international students that accept offer of admission, Rackham prepares immigration documents for visas.

For general questions regarding the Educational Studies doctoral program:

Lisa K. Hawkins, Ph.D.
Educational Studies PhD Program Manager
[email protected]

U-M Office of Financial Aid
www.finaid.umich.edu