PS The statement of purpose should be a concise statement about the applicant's academic and research background, career goals, and how the University of Michigan's Department of Political Science will help him/her to meet their career and educational objectives. Applicants should speak specifically to how their research interests align with those of the faculty in the Department. We encourage applicants to write about their specific area of research and discuss how this research fits into the larger department as a whole. Although you are welcome to reference faculty members with whom you share research interests, we strongly discourage you from giving superficial reviews of their work. “Fit” is an important criterion when reviewing applications so we encourage you to focus on your own personal academic “fit” and strengths. There is no specific limit to the statement; most are 2-4 pages (500-1,000 words) in length. Fee Non-U.S. citizens, $90 RL All applicants are required to submit three (3) letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation should be submitted through the online application system. Instructions for submission can be found HERE. At this time we are not able to accept letters from letter services such as Interfolio. Letters of recommendation should be from a person who is familiar with an applicant's research ability, writing ability, work ethic, and ability to be successful in a doctoral program. We strongly encourage applicants to have letters of recommendation submitted by political scientists, academics in related fields, or other academics who would be able to able to effectively gauge your success in a rigorous political science PhD program. Transcript The Department will accept scanned copies of transcripts, which should be uploaded to the online application, however hard copies of official transcripts for all institutions the applicant has attended must be mailed to the Rackham Graduate School. More information about uploading and sending transcripts is HERE.   If an applicant is not able to scan a transcript and upload it with their application, then an official transcript should be sent to: Rackham Graduate School Attn: Transcripts/UMID# (if known) or Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy) 915 E. Washington Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070 USA