Political Science Predoctoral Summer Institute

The PS-PSI 2025 will be held from June 1 to June 7.
Applications are due on February 9, 2025.

About the PS-PSI

The Political Science Predoctoral Summer Institute (PS-PSI) is a week-long pipeline program for students attending college / university in the greater DC-Maryland-Virginia region who are considering pursuing a PhD in political science or a closely related field. We hope to reach an excellent, diverse group of political science students who are considering a career in the field. Our goals are to increase access to political science PhD programs and to contribute to diversifying the discipline.

The Institute offers opportunities to meet other undergraduate students with similar interests, interact and network with faculty and graduate students from Georgetown University, and ongoing support for graduate school decision-making and applications. Participants will learn about the substance and methods of political science and about political science PhD programs, discuss research interests, and workshop application materials.

The PS-PSI offers the following benefits.

Room and board for the week of the Institute.
Mentoring from PhD students and faculty, during the Institute and the following year.
A stipend of $1,000.
A modest travel reimbursement. We have a pool of funds dedicated to our travel reimbursements; and we will reimburse students until it runs out. We can reimburse participants up to $150.
Modest support for taking the GRE. We have a pool of funds dedicated to our support for GRE preparation and fees; and we will reimburse participants’ claims until it runs out. We can reimburse participants up to $440. Participants need to take the GRE by October of the year following Institute attendance to be eligible for funding.
Research consultation.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, applicants must fulfill all of the following requirements:

Be a sophomore, junior, or senior
Be enrolled at a college or university in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware
Be majoring in political science or a related field
Be interested in pursuing a PhD in political science.
Have a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Applications from individuals who do not fit all of these requirements will not be considered.

Zoom Info Sessions

Want to know more? We’ll hold Zoom info sessions every other week through January 2025. Please register using the links below.

Wednesday, November 13, 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Tuesday, November 19, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Tuesday, December 3, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Friday, January 17, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Tuesday, January 28, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm