Admissions

The Stern doctoral program seeks to admit students who have a passion to learn and ask interesting questions, and who demonstrate a high level of academic ability, requisite training, and motivation to develop into top quality researchers. We look carefully at applicants’ academic performance as evidenced by courses taken, grades earned, and the rigor of the institutions attended. We also expect that applicants will have clear career goals, and that they have thought about questions or problems within their field of study that they wish to explore. Previous graduate work and professional work experience are not admissions requirements. Students who will have completed their bachelor’s degrees are eligible to apply.

Students from all academic majors are eligible to apply; however we find that having a strong foundation in the basic social sciences, math, or engineering disciplines is helpful.  Academic prerequisites for all our majors include basic coursework in calculus, matrix algebra, micro and macro economics, and probability and statistics. These should be completed before enrolling in our program, but not necessarily before applying.

Because of our focus on excellence, admission to the Stern doctoral program is highly selective. We enroll on average 20-24 new students each year, across our eight different departments. Students are admitted for the fall semester only.  The program is full-time and requires students to be in residence for 11 months of the year. Most of our PhD students finish all degree requirements in five years.

A separate application for financial aid is not required since admitted students not supported elsewhere are fully supported by Stern. The deadline for all application materials to be received by our office is January 10.

NYU Stern Doctoral Office
Tisch Hall 
40 West Fourth Street, Room 826
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212-998-0740

Doctoral Program Homepage