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Application FAQs


Please review the Frequently Asked Questions below and contact us if you have additional questions.

Applications for Fall 2024 admission are now closed.

All applications are submitted online.

The Laney Graduate School application for admission

Students are only accepted for fall admission. The three important admissions dates to remember are:

  • Deadline for completing online applications is January 1.
  • Admissions offers are made in the months of February, March and early April.
  • Student decisions must be submitted by April 15.

View our degree program statistics:

  • Number of applications we receive
  • Number of students accepted into our program
  • Time to degree

Yes. We examine each applicant on the basis of their own portfolio. International students typically enter the U.S. on an F-1 visa.

Visit Emory's International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) for more information.

Without reviewing your complete submitted application including Statement of Purpose and letters of recommendation, we are unable to comment on your chances of successful admission.

Students admitted to our program receive multiple years of support (tuition plus stipend) contingent upon acceptable progress towards degree completion. The stipend is typically paid over a period of 12 months.

Advanced students may receive additional support through teaching, research grants, or dissertation completion fellowships. Additional funds are also available through special competitive fellowships offered through the University.

Students have the opportunity to teach in summer for additional pay starting at their third year.

Students are expected to serve as research assistants, teaching assistants, and/or teaching associates in all years in which they receive a fellowship, excluding the first year when they have no service assignment.

All students are required to complete the Laney Graduate School’s TATTO (Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity) program.

This program involves a sequence of pedagogy courses taught within the LGS as well as the department. Provided that this training is completed successfully, you will receive hands-on experience with teaching through TA duties starting at the second year.

You will have the opportunity to teach your own course(s) after your third year.

If you have completed your undergraduate or graduate education at an English-speaking university, this requirement is waived. No documentation is needed to secure this waiver if you graduated from a U.S. university.

To secure the waiver from a foreign university with English as the language of instruction, please include a letter from the university (on university letterhead) stating that instruction at that university is provided in English. This letter can be attached and submitted with your resume.

The GRE has been required for all applicants in the past but is OPTIONAL for Fall 2024 admissions and we will not put any applicant at a disadvantage because they don’t submit a GRE score. GRE Scores are valid for a period of 5 years.

When GRE is required, the admissions committee will accept self-reported GRE scores for initial review but official scores are required if you are admitted.

The TOEFL or IELTS is required of all international students from non-English speaking countries provided they do not have an undergraduate or master's degree from an English-speaking institution.

The GRE has been required for all applicants in the past but is OPTIONAL for Fall 2024 admissions.

When GRE is required, the admissions committee will accept self-reported GRE and TOEFL scores for initial review. Official scores are only required if you are admitted.

  • The department code for the GRE is 1801.
  • The department code for the TOEFL is 84.
  • Emory’s code is 5187.

The admissions committee will accept unofficial transcripts for initial review. Official transcripts are required if you are admitted.

We do not require the TSE, but we do have an ELSP proficiency assessment, which all non-native English speakers must take upon arrival at Emory. You are exempted from or placed in the ELSP course sequence based on the outcome of this assessment.

We do not have strict minimum requirements, although we recommend that applicants demonstrate a score of at least 60% on the GRE Quantitative Exam and 50% on the GRE Verbal Exam. Note: GRE is OPTIONAL for Fall 2024 admissions.

We recommend that you show high grades in your upper level economics, mathematical, and statistics courses.

Three letters of recommendation are required, although you can submit an additional fourth letter if you choose to do so.

No, it is not necessary to secure a faculty advisor prior to being admitted. That is something that is done after your first year in the program. It is, however, useful to review our faculty biographies found on our website to determine whether your areas of interest are aligned with our faculty research areas.  

Please do not send questions to faculty or current graduate students during the application process. Instead, check our Application FAQs or send your questions to our program staff at econgrad@emory.edu.  We will connect you with faculty and current graduate students as you move along the process if needed.

No. Most questions are answered in our Application FAQs. We will connect you with faculty and current graduate students as we move along the process if needed.

 

No campus or departmental tours are arranged for applicants prior to admission.

Yes. You are encouraged to submit a writing sample such as a research paper or previously-published article (solo or co-authored work).

We encourage applicants to submit a video as part of their PhD application. While not required, the video offers you the opportunity to provide more details regarding your areas of interest and why you believe the PhD program in Economics at Emory is a good fit for you.

We have found that advanced preparation in mathematics and statistics is very useful to our students.

Most students enter the program with courses such as:

  • Real Analysis
  • Multivariate Calculus
  • Linear Algebra
  • Differential Equations
  • Probability Theory and Statistics
  • Econometrics
We do not require these courses for admission, but strongly recommend them.

No, although students who have taken more advanced courses in economic theory, mathematics, and econometrics find it advantageous while taking our program first-year doctoral classes. 

No. Our doctoral program is independent of our department 4+1 Master program. At the moment our department does not offer a self-contained Master's level program in Economics.

If you have specific questions about the application process, please contact our Graduate Program Coordinator, Renee Sevy-Hasterok.