MarDoctor of Philosophy in EconomicsUniversity of Maryland · College Park, Maryland, United States

Program Overview

Dates and tuition are specific to the 2027 intake

Please check the official program website (link below) for specific writing guidelines

Statement of purpose

Graduate School suggests about 1,000–2,000 words.

CV or resume

Current academic CV or resume.

Writing sample

Optional

Optional; up to 3 samples.

Recommendation letters x 3

Usually from former professors able to evaluate academic potential.

Supplementary application

Department supplementary form required by the catalog.

Academic: Bachelor's degree with GPA 3.0/4.0; Graduate School minimum in prior undergraduate and graduate coursework. Department has no GPA cutoff above the Graduate School B-average; admitted students are generally well above a B, especially in economics and mathematics.
Prerequisites: Coursework prerequisites; By the deadline: advanced undergraduate microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics; equivalent of three semesters of calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations. Real analysis or other upper-level mathematics is common among admitted students.
IELTS: 7.0 overall (R7.0, L7.0, S6.5, W7.0); Graduate School full-enrollment minimum.
TOEFL: New scale: 5.0 overall (R5.0, L5.0, S4.5, W5.0) | Old scale: 96 overall (R26, L24, S22, W24); Graduate School full-enrollment minimum. Economics Ph.D. will not consider scores below full enrollment. Old scale for tests on/before 20 Jan 2026; new scale on/after 21 Jan 2026.
GRE: Required (no minimum published); Required for Fall 2026 admission (department FAQ) and listed as required in the catalog. Scores older than 5 years must be retaken. No published numeric cutoff; admitted students typically have very high GRE scores, especially quantitative.