PhD Frequently Asked Questions

The fee is set by the University of Minnesota Graduate School and cannot be deferred. The current fee is $95 for international applicants and $75 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The fee is paid online when you submit your application.

Applicants may submit a request to be considered for an application fee waiver by emailing an extenuating circumstances statement to our program email ([email protected]) for review by the Director of Graduate Studies and Department Coordinator. All application fee waiver requests are due by December 14 (12:00 PM CST). 

Please include in your request: 

• extenuating circumstances statement (required for consideration)
• most recent resume or CV (optional)
• most recent academic transcript (optional)

Our program is full-time and in-person only. The nature of a doctoral program, with its focus on research and academic placement, requires the student to work closely with the faculty. Part-time or distance learning programs do not provide these close connections.

Yes, we require either GMAT or GRE scores for all applicants. Scores must be less than five years old.

You may check on the status of your application at the Graduate School through the online application system. The Ph.D. office will notify you by email regarding your application status soon after we receive and process your application. If you have not heard from us within one month after submitting your application, please contact us.

There is no separate application form for financial aid. Each student admitted to our program typically receives full funding. This consists of a minimum $23,000 per year stipend (combination of fellowship, research assistantship, and teaching assistantship), full tuition waiver, low-cost student health insurance, and a $1,200–$1,500 research and teaching supplement. Students making good progress may also receive an additional $5,000 summer research fellowship.

As a full-time program, it typically requires 4-6 years to complete.

We make admission decisions on a rolling basis starting in late January. We make the majority of admission decisions in February and March. Admissions should be finished by the April 15 national deadline.

The Graduate School issues official written notification of all admission or rejection decisions. Prior to this, however, you may hear of the decision from the faculty coordinator in the area to which you applied. The status of your application can be learned from the appropriate area coordinator. Please do not call the Graduate School or the Ph.D. office, as no decisions will be provided over the phone.

English Language Proficiency exam scores are not required if you have completed 16 semester credits or 24 quarter credits of post-secondary coursework in an English-speaking country within the past two years. Otherwise, you must include exam scores with your application. You may read more about the English Language Proficiency Policies from the Graduate school. 

The Duolingo Test is an acceptable English test option for our application. You can find details about the English language proficiency requirement, and which tests are acceptable, on this Graduate School admissions page. 

We do not have a specific cutoff score for the GRE or GMAT. On our web pages, you can find test score statistics for students who have been admitted to our program.

A personal statement is required as part of your application. The other materials (for example: writing sample or research statement) are optional. You may include them if you wish, though we cannot speak to review committee members about if they will read all optional materials.

There is no specific length requirement for the personal statement. 2-3 pages are most common.

The deadline for Fall applications is December 15. You may still apply to our program at any time; however, your application will be date and time stamped so the committee will see that you applied after the deadline.

Yes, anyone outside of Carlson can obtain a minor in Business Administration.  Please see the catalog information regarding a BA Minor.