Graduate IPED Admissions

Students in IPED shirts posing for a group photo with ocean in background

The Master's Program in International Political Economy and Development (IPED) accepts approximately 25 students each year. We seek students from different parts of the world that possess intellectual ability as well as enthusiasm for understanding the political, economic, and social challenges of the current economic world order. IPED attracts highly competent individuals who normally pursue international careers in the following fields:

  1. Financial analysts or management consultants in the private sector
  2. Economists and policy analysts in the public sector
  3. Project managers in the non-profit sector such as relief and development agencies or human rights organizations

Being part of a Jesuit University that tries to live out the Ignatian tradition, we hope to assist in the professional development of individuals who will bring to their professional lives a high regard for ethical and moral principles. The program seeks to be a meeting ground for talented individuals from different cultures, faiths, and ideologies who, while seeking to improve their own professional possibilities, will do so in a way that contributes to the common good.

Admission requirements for the M.A. program are the following:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher

Statement of Intent
A 500 - 1500 word statement of purpose that indicates how the IPED program would prepare you to reach your future career goals. It should also indicate if you are applying for any special fellowships (Arrupe, Global Markets, Public Service, Peace Corps).

Supplemental Essay (Optional)
You may choose to answer this optional essay question. Your answer will help the admission committee get a better understanding of your unique perspective and potential contributions to our community. 

Please discuss how your life experiences, perspective, or worldview have motivated or inspired you, posed challenges, helped you build skills, or taught you valuable lessons. We are eager to learn how these experiences have helped shape who you are and prepared you for graduate study, in keeping with our mission of "graduate education for the global good."

Official transcripts 
Please be sure to order official final transcripts from all previously attended institutions confirming degree conferral (if applicable) at least one month before the posted application deadline. Transcripts should be sent directly from your prior institution(s) via secure electronic delivery to the Office of Admissions at [email protected].

If electronic delivery is not available, please request that your transcripts be submitted by postal service in a sealed envelope from the institution to: 

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Office of Admissions
Keating Hall Room 216
Fordham University
441 E. Fordham Rd.
Bronx, NY 10458

Please note: We strongly recommend that you upload unofficial copies of your academic transcripts to your application while the Office of Admissions awaits receipt of your official transcripts. 

Please ensure that all official transcripts from previously attended post-secondary institutions are submitted in English, or are accompanied by a certified English translation. For academic transcripts from institutions outside the United States, applicants are strongly encouraged to obtain a course-by-course credential evaluation. Transcripts and credentials conversion information is available on the GSAS International Students page.

Three letters of recommendation 
When communicating with your recommendation letter writers, please provide them with at least one month’s advance notice to submit their recommendations. To facilitate this process, enter the following information for each of your recommendation providers: name, address, email address, phone number, and institution. Make sure you enter your recommenders' email addresses correctly so that they each receive an automated email instructing them on how to submit their recommendations online. Mark the waiver statement for each recommender you enter. They will be notified electronically of your request. Please note: you may submit your application even if the submission of your recommendation letters is in progress.

Previous professional work experience, which includes long-term volunteer service with organizations like the Peace Corps, is playing a larger role in the admissions process, especially for those who wish to specialize in international development studies.

Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
International applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete and submit to GSAS prior to matriculation their official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Please visit the ETS/GRE website for more information. GSAS will also consider a student’s International English Language Testing System (IELTS)—Cambridge English Proficiency Level language testing results.

GRE and TOEFL
To be admitted to the IPED Program applicants should score at least 154 on the quantitative GRE, 156 on the verbal GRE, and 4.0 on the analytical GRE.

For international students, TOEFL scores substitute for the verbal and analytical GRE scores. The minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 100. For the last three years, the average GRE scores for matriculated students were 160 verbal, 157 quantitative, and 4.6 analytical. The average cumulative undergraduate grade point average for our matriculated students was 3.48.

English Proficiency Requirements

International applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete and submit to GSAS prior to matriculation their official scores from one of the following accepted English language competency exams:

Official TOEFL, IELTS, DET, PTE Academic, or Cambridge English Qualifications scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (our ETS TOEFL score code #2259). 

Exam Score
TOEFL iBT 100
IELTS 7.0 band score
DET 130
PTE Academic 68
Cambridge English Qualifications 185 Overall Score on the B2, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency exam

Exemptions to the English Language Requirement

Exemptions from this requirement can be requested by the applicant in her/his application, or can be made in writing by the applicant to [email protected]. Exemptions are generally permitted for international applicants who:

  1. are native English speakers from countries where English is an official language; and/or
  2. have completed, within the past five years, at least two years of study at an undergraduate or graduate institution in the United States or in a country where English is the official language of instruction.

GSAS retains the right to request language evaluation from any applicant. The Fordham English Language Test (FELT), administered by Fordham’s Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC), may be required for those students whose English proficiency scores do not meet GSAS program requirements. Additional coursework may also be recommended by the IALC.

Students are permitted to register for two GSAS courses during the academic term in which they are completing any IALC-recommended coursework, which generally occurs during their first semester of study.

Please note: Tuition costs associated with the learning of English as a second language are the responsibility of the student and will not be covered by a GSAS tuition scholarship. GSAS merit-based tuition scholarships are not applicable to the costs of additional coursework recommended by the IALC.

Please note: Applicants who do not wish to be considered for university merit based financial aid may substitute GMAT scores in place of the GRE. These individuals are still eligible for financial aid in the form of loans.

Admission decisions are based solely on merit without regard to citizenship, ethnicity, nationality, race, sex, or religion.