FAQ
All MPS admission decision letters will be sent to applicants by March 1. If you complete your application by the Priority Deadline of October 15, you will receive your decision by November 30.
Visiting the Clinton School can be a great way to glimpse the unique strengths of the MPS program. The best time for prospective students to visit the school would be during weekdays, anytime throughout the Fall semester, and prior to the beginning of the Admission Committee's application review in February. Visiting during the weekday increases your ability to sit in on a class, meet current students, attend one of our renowned speaker programs, and meet with the admissions director. We highly encourage any interested applicant to plan a visit between September and early February.
Please email admissions@clintonschool.uasys.edu to schedule a visit to the Clinton School building at least two weeks in advance. Drop-in visits are not ideal and cannot always be accommodated. Planning your visit at least two weeks in advance allows you to get the most out of your stay!
An interview is not required but may be requested at the direction of the admission committee. All such interviews are conducted by Skype. Visiting the Clinton School and meeting with the Admission Director is highly recommended for all interested applicants.
Students admitted to the Clinton School widely range in age, with one recent cohort enrolling students as young as 22 and as old as 54. The average age of an MPS student is 27 years old. The average undergraduate GPA for an enrolling MPS student ranges from 3.4-3.6. The Clinton School typically enrolls 40-45 students per entering class each Fall.
In keeping with the suggested minimum criteria for graduate studies at the University of Arkansas, the Clinton School recommends that applicants have at least a 2.85 cumulative grade point average in their baccalaureate-level courses.
Yes, all international students whose native language is not English and who did not receive an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited US college are required to submit TOEFL scores. A minimum of 550 for the paper-based examination, or 79 for the internet-based examination, is required to be considered for admission into the Clinton School.
The Clinton School admissions process is self-managed, and students are responsible for ensuring that their application documents are uploaded/submitted by the deadline. Applicants will be notified in an email when their application file is complete.
In recent years, the average GRE composite score (Verbal + Quantitative) has been 307, and the average LSAT has been 152.
An MPS applicant could choose not to submit a test score if they feel their academic transcript/GPA are sufficiently strong on their own and that, together with the other required documents (essays, recommendations, public service & professional experiences), feel the entire application file will demonstrate to the Admission Committee that the applicant can handle the academic rigors of graduate school. This can be especially true for those with a strong undergraduate GPA, have already completed a master's degree, or have had a robust professional career/resume.
NOTE: While the Clinton School is GRE test-optional, our concurrent degree partner programs may require a graduate exam for their specific application process.
The MPS application requires one letter of recommendation from an academic or public service reference. Your letter of recommendation and the letter of reference form must be emailed directly from the recommender to the Clinton School at admissions@clintonschool.uasys.edu. Please make sure your recommender emails their recommendation information by or before the deadline.
The Clinton School does not require an application fee for our applicants. We invite all interested public servants to apply to our innovative MPS program.
To complete your MPS application, please submit/upload:
- A fully completed application form
- An updated resume that includes a description of public service experiences
- Two required short-answer essays; a third essay question is optional:
1) Cite the specific elements of the MPS program that appeal to you and how attending the Clinton School will help you realize your long-term professional and public service aspirations. (400-500 words)
2) Discuss an issue you are passionate about and include any actions you have taken to constructively address it in your community. (400-500 words)
3) Optional – You are in an elevator with one of your personal heroes. This person could be living or deceased or a fictional character from a book, movie, or television show. Describe to the reader who this person is in 25 words or less. Using 100-150 words, write your "elevator speech" to help them learn about you and your life's interests and purpose. Note: Please do not use President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, or Chelsea Clinton as your elevator hero. (100-175 words)
- Official transcripts from all degree-granting higher education institutions attended
- One letter of recommendation is required:
1) Letter addressing the applicant's academic preparation
2) Letter addressing the applicant's public service record
To be considered for committee review, your recommendation letter should be typed by the recommender and at least one full page in length. For your own benefit in our committee review, please make sure that your reference can personally and authoritatively speak to your qualifications and preparation in some detail; reference letters that only offer brief or casual comments are typically not well reviewed by the Admission Committee. All letters of recommendation must be accompanied by a Letter of Reference form completed by the individual writing the recommendation. Letters of recommendation and the Letter of Reference forms must be emailed directly from the recommender to the Clinton School at admissions@clintonschool.uasys.edu.
Applicants who choose to submit a graduate test score for Admission Committee review can upload a copy of the official test score transcript into the Clinton School application platform, as well as submit the scores electronically using the appropriate submission code:
GRE - Testing code: 6368
MAT - Testing code: 2298
GMAT - Testing code: 9575
LSAT - Testing code: 6368
International applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited US college or university and whose native language is not English are required to additionally submit official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
MPS applications may be completed using the school's secure online platform. All application documents can be uploaded onto the platform and submitted. Applications can be saved and edited/added to before submission.
The MPS degree program has two application deadlines.
The Priority Deadline is October 15. Applicants will receive admission and merit scholarship decisions by November 30.
The Regular Deadline is December 15. Applicants will receive admission notification by March 1.
The Clinton School accepts applications during the fall semester. The Priority Deadline to apply is October 15. The Regular Deadline to apply is December 15.
You can email admissions@clintonschool.uasys.edu with questions about the deadlines or late applications.
Yes, up to 6 credit hours of graduate work may be transferred for the Core Courses, and up to 6 credit hours of graduate work may be transferred for Elective Courses (all pending approval by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs).
No, the MPS curriculum track begins only in the fall semester.
For students who are admitted, the Clinton School MPS program begins with a weeklong orientation in mid-August. All incoming MPS students are required to attend orientation. Classes generally begin in the week following orientation.
Clinton School students come from diverse personal, educational, professional, political, and service backgrounds. The Clinton School highly values and seeks this diversity, and consequently, there are no specific prerequisite courses.
For those Clinton School applicants who are interested in pursuing a concurrent degree, please complete the respective application for the corresponding school.
Information about their respective applications, testing requirements, deadlines, and tuition costs can be found below.
- UA Little Rock Bowen School of Law
- UAMS Boozman College of Public Health
- UAF Walton College of Business
- UA Little Rock School of Social Work
Once a student has been admitted into both the MPS and their concurrent program of choice, they may then plan to enroll in their respective concurrent degree program.
