Grad School (2025): A Data-Driven Field Guide

Grad school is a series of bets. Cohorts are small, fees add up, and funding isn’t equal. If tenure-track is your finish line, you need departments with multiple advisors in your niche and real placement proof. If you’re policy-bound, methods and internships matter more than prestige. In this post I turn the decision into numbers—cohort sizes, fee ranges, stipend bands, GRE strategy—and give examples you can copy for IR, political economy, and policy analytics.

1) Decide the end goal: academia vs. policy

Outcomes & pay (U.S.)

• Academic/political scientist track. Median pay for political scientists was $139,380 in May 2024 (federal gov’t median: $151,630). Growth outlook 2024–34: –3% overall, with ~500 openings/year mostly from retirements. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Policy & analytics track. Common roles and 2024 median pay: Management analyst $101,190, Operations research analyst $91,290, Market research analyst $76,950. All project solid openings; management analysts project +9% growth to 2034. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Where programs sit on the spectrum (examples)

• Academic-leaning PhD: Stanford Political Science (GRE required for Fall 2026; typical admits ~V166+/Q163+), Princeton Politics (GRE required). (Political Science at Stanford)
• Policy-leaning master’s (MA/MPP/MPA): Foreign Policy/TRIP’s 2024 rankings highlight programs like Georgetown SFS, Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton SPIA, Johns Hopkins SAIS, GW Elliott—rankings reported for undergrad, master’s, and PhD (academic vs policy) audiences. (Foreign Policy)

Rule of thumb: If you want a tenure-track job, pick a research PhD with strong placements; if you want impact roles in government/NGOs/think tanks, a policy master’s or methods-heavy social-science PhD can be more direct.

Step 2) Degrees → typical roles (with real-world examples)

Step 3) Admissions profile: what data say (not myths)

• GPA: Many top departments state no hard minimum but say admits are typically top 5–10% of their cohort / ~3.6+ at U.S. schools. (Columbia Political Science FAQ.) (polisci.columbia.edu)
• GRE: Requirements vary by department in 2025. Examples:
  • Required: Princeton Politics (General Test), Stanford Political Science (required for Fall 2026). (Graduate School)
  • Optional/varies: Columbia Political Science lists GRE as optional on one page, while GSAS pages note programs that still require it—always verify the department page. (polisci.columbia.edu)
  • Typical admitted scores (one data point): Stanford PolSci says admits “typically” have ~V166+/Q163+/AW 5.5. Treat as illustrative, not a cutoff. (Political Science at Stanford)
  • Test facts: Since Sept 22, 2023 the GRE is ~1 h 58 m (about half the old length). Percentile tables were updated (2021–2024 cohort) — use percentiles to interpret your raw scores. (ETS)

GRE costs you should actually budget for

• Registration: commonly $220 in the U.S. (non-ETS reference, but widely reported). ETS fee-reduction voucher lowers the General Test to $100 if eligible. (Magoosh)
• Score reports after test day: $40 per recipient (your first 4 on test day are free). This adds up if you apply widely. (ETS)

Step 4) Funding & stipends (hard numbers)

If you’re comparing offers, line up 12-month stipends, tuition coverage, health, and summer funding. Example current figures:

• Yale GSAS (PhD, most fields): 2025–26 $50,777 12-month minimum stipend; tuition $50,900 covered; comprehensive health insurance included for student & dependents. (Yale Graduate School)
• Columbia GSAS (Hum/SocSci): 2024–25 $35,353 AY stipend + $6,365 summer (total $41,718 if on 9-month + summer); minimum 12-month stipend listed as $47,137 for students not on appointment. (GSAS Columbia)
• Princeton (Hum/SocSci): University notes annual increases (AY24–25 up 4.25%), full-funding guarantee through regular enrollment; 2025–26 living-expense estimate $38,610 for 12 months guides stipend setting. (Graduate School)

Tip: Normalize to monthly take-home and compare against local rents. A $50k stipend in New Haven stretches differently than ~$42k in NYC.

Step 5) Building your school list (and how to sanity-check it)

A) Match your subfield + methods to department depth

• Security/IR: Princeton Politics & SPIA Security Studies (core faculty include Ikenberry, Bass); Georgetown SFS; MIT; Stanford CISAC (interdisciplinary). (Princeton SPIA)
• Political economy: Chicago, Stanford GSB Political Economics (requires PhD-level micro sequences), UC Berkeley, Columbia. (Stanford Graduate School of Business)
• Quant methods: programs emphasizing formal theory/measurement (e.g., Rochester, WUSTL—check current faculty pages and seminars; verify recent hires).

B) Reputation signals (use carefully)

• For IR specifically, TRIP/Foreign Policy 2024 offers separate rankings for policy vs academic training—use as one signal, not gospel. (Foreign Policy)

C) Placements & outcomes

• Skim recent placement lists (e.g., Princeton Politics; Harvard Government) and see if exits align with your goals (tenure-track vs postdoc vs policy). (politics.princeton.edu)

D) Funding vs cost of living

• Put stipends next to rent. Use the Yale/Columbia/Princeton figures above as reference points while you check your target city.

E) Application spread

• A pragmatic mix is ~15–20 applications: 5 reach, 5 competitive, 5 safety—especially because many cohorts are small and fees stack up (see budgeting below).

Step 6) Preparing a stronger application (what to actually do)

1. GRE plan (if your target programs require/allow it)

• Target taking it by September/October so you can retest if needed. Use official ETS materials and chase percentile gains (percentiles—not just raw points—are what committees often glance at). (ETS)

2. Letters of rec (3)

• Prioritize research-active faculty who can speak to your potential for original research. Ask early; share your draft SOP + writing sample and bullets of accomplishments.

3. Writing sample

• A polished 15–30 page paper is typical for PhD apps; some departments specify ranges (always follow the department page).

4. Staying organized

• Track: deadlines, fee, GRE policy, writing-sample length, faculty of interest, funding notes, and where your letters have landed.

Step 7) Budgeting the application season (realistic line items)

• Application fees: Major programs range roughly $105–$155 today (e.g., Harvard GSAS $105; Stanford $125; UC Berkeley $135 U.S. / $155 international). For 9 schools, that’s ~$945–$1,395 just in app fees. (Harvard GSAS)
• Testing (if applicable): GRE registration often ~$220 (U.S.), fee-reduction voucher $100 if eligible, and $40 per extra score report beyond your free four. If you apply to 9 schools, you may buy 5 ASRs = $200. (Magoosh)

Savings: Check department/grad school fee waivers (Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard list options). Also look for ETS fee reduction and TRIO/McNair-type waivers. (Graduate Admissions)

Step 8) Where (and when) to apply: a checklist with data hooks

1. Substantive fit
   • Pull faculty rosters: count tenure-track/tenured in your niche (signals investment).
2. Placement evidence
   • Skim the last 3–5 years of placement pages for roles you’d want (AP jobs? think tank research?). (politics.princeton.edu)
3. Funding
   • Compare 12-month stipend + health + summer; examples above (Yale/Columbia/Princeton). (Yale Graduate School)
4. Reputation (IR only)
   • If IR is your field, cross-check TRIP/Foreign Policy 2024 rankings (academic vs policy). (Foreign Policy)
5. GRE policy
   • Confirm for this cycle on department pages; examples show how policies differ (Princeton required; Stanford required for Fall 2026; Columbia optional on one page). (Graduate School)

Step 9) Timeline realities & the April 15 rule

• Many programs release results late Feb–March. If your offer includes funding, most U.S. research universities adhere to the CGS April 15 Resolution, giving you until April 15 to decide (for fall term funding offers). The resolution was reaffirmed in Oct 2024 and remains in force; details and exceptions (e.g., MBA/med/law) are outlined by CGS. (CGS)Worked examples (how to apply all this)

Example A — “Academic IR, security focus”

• Shortlist PhD programs with multiple senior IR/security scholars and strong placements (e.g., Princeton Politics + SPIA; MIT; Stanford PolSci/CISAC; Georgetown Gov for methods/fieldwork fit). Verify GRE policy (Princeton required; Stanford required this cycle), inspect placement logs, and compare funding. (Princeton SPIA)

Example B — “Policy analytics in multilateral orgs” (master’s)

• Use TRIP/Foreign Policy’s policy-oriented rankings to assemble a set like Princeton SPIA (MPA), Georgetown SFS, Johns Hopkins SAIS, GW Elliott; then compare career reports and required quant. (Foreign Policy)

Example C — “Quant methods to private-sector policy work”

• Consider PhD/MA programs with rigorous methods sequences and links to data-heavy roles; benchmark likely salaries against BLS medians for OR/market research analysts ($91,290 / $76,950). (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Bottom line

• Choose the lane first (academic vs policy) using outcomes and pay data.
• Verify GRE requirements and interpret scores by percentiles (shorter test; percentiles updated). (ETS)
• Compare funding apples-to-apples (12-month stipend + health + summers) and actual placements. (Yale Graduate School)
• Budget realistically for fees (apps $105–$155 each at major programs; GRE ASRs $40 each). (Harvard GSAS)
• Use April 15 to compare offers with funding (know the rule and its scope). (CGS)