Students are admitted to the program by the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley, on recommendation of the Jurisprudence and Social Policy admissions committee.
Applications for entry in Fall 2024 opened on September 15, 2023 and will close on December 15, 2023 at 8:59pm PST.
ALL application materials (including letters of recommendation for all applicants, and test scores for international applicants) must be received by the December 15 deadline.
All directions and requirements for applying to the PhD in Jurisprudence and Social Policy can be found in the Graduate Division Online Application
Along with the Graduate Division forms, applicants are asked to submit:
- transcripts of grades
- three letters of recommendation (additional letters will not be read)
- a statement of purpose (2-3 pages, double-spaced)
- a personal statement (2-3 pages, double-spaced)
- a sample of past written work (25-50 pages)
Beginning with the 2022-2023 application cycle (entry in Fall 2023), the GRE requirement is no longer required for the JSP Ph.D. and will not be reviewed.
International applicants will also need to fulfill the UC Berkeley Graduate Division's requirements for international students in addition to the application requirements. Information on TOEFL exemptions can be found in the link above.
If you have questions about the online application, please contact the Graduate Division at gradadm@berkeley.edu
If you have questions about admission to the JSP Ph.D. program, please check out our FAQ then contact us at jsp@berkeley.edu if you have additional questions.
For admissions information regarding the J.D., contact:
UC Berkeley School of Law
J.D. Admissions Office
396 Simon Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
Phone: (510) 642-2274
admissions@law.berkeley.edu
For admissions information regarding the LL.M. and J.S.D., contact:
UC Berkeley School of Law
Advanced Degree Programs
214 Boalt Hall #7200
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
Phone: (510) 642-1476
LLM@law.berkeley.edu