To qualify for admission, you need a strong record in courses such as intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics, calculus, and statistics. An economics major is not required.
Applications must be submitted no later than midnight on January 15. Our Admissions and Financial Aid Committee begins to review applications in early February. Admission and aid offers typically begin in late February. We do maintain a wait list which is often active until April 15th.
Recommended mathematics preparation includes:
Additional math courses, such as real analysis or differential equations, improve your chances of success in the program.
Applicants must provide:
When reporting any test scores, please use the institutional code 5820; no department code is necessary.
Most of the students we admit have a GRE quantitative score that exceeds the 90th percentile. The GRE advanced test in economics is not required.
Writing samples and research examples are not required and, if submitted, cannot be reviewed. However, the statement of purpose in the online application is required; please do not confuse it with a writing sample.
Applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. (See details below.)
A master's degree is not a prerequisite for our doctoral program. Students in our program earn an M.A. while working towards the Ph.D.; however, UVA does not offer a terminal master's degree program. Students who are primarily interested in a terminal M.A. degree are advised to consider other universities with more applied master's level courses.
Students admitted to the program are typically offered an aid package of $20,000 per year, guaranteed for 5 years (conditional on maintaining good standing). The package includes a teaching assistantship (instructorship in years 4 and 5), full tuition waiver, a stipend, and health insurance.
Early application is crucial for international students, since mailing delays and communication problems are not unusual.
Our Department strongly supports, and adheres to, the Council of Graduate Schools' Resolution regarding the April 15 decision deadline, which says "Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for the acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution."
(No additional financial aid application is necessary. However, if you wish to apply for a student loan, see Student Financial Services.)
Once enrolled, you will have the opportunity to earn additional and alternative awards, such as research assistantships, the Graduate Teaching Award, the Snavely Awards for Outstanding Dissertation Proposals ($1,500 each), and the Huskey Travel Awards.
Students interested combining law and economics must be admitted by both the Department of Economics and the Law School. There is no formal joint program, but some students have worked on law and economics degrees simultaneously.
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam is required for international students whose native language is not English. Required TOEFL scores are: 600 (paper-based test), 250 (computer-based test), 90 (internet-based test.) An IELTS score of 7.0 is also acceptable proof of English proficiency. Test scores are valid for two years from the test date.
These scores are the minimum scores that the University routinely accepts. In unusual circumstances, the Department is sometimes able to obtain exceptions to this requirement from the Graduate School, though only when the shortfall is modest, and the application is in other respects extraordinary.
If a bachelor's or master's degree is being completed (or has been completed) at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction, the applicant will qualify for a TOEFL waiver (unless otherwise notified). Admitted students enroll at UVA in early August; the qualifying degree must be completed before enrollment.
No formal waiver request process is required; the Department will record waivers as it reviews applications in January and February.
If your instruction in English was/will be less than two years, we recommend that you contact the Department in advance for a waiver request.
We have found that being skilled in the writing and speaking of English is vital to the success of our graduate students. Good English-language skills help students qualify for and succeed in teaching positions, find better jobs when graduating from the program, and "sell" their research to colleagues.
All newly admitted international students are re-tested for English Proficiency when they arrive at UVA in early August. The CAELC (Center for American English Language and Culture) administers two tests: the University of Virginia's English Language Proficiency Exam (UVAELPE) and the SPEAK test. Based on results of these tests, the CAELC may make recommendations for further English study; we view these recommendations as requirements. The courses are free and are designed not to overburden students with a heavy academic workload.
The SPEAK test is given to all current and prospective Teaching Assistants (TAs). A student must earn a minimum score of 55 on the SPEAK test in order to be a TA. Current TAs will not lose their TA position if they score below 55; however, they must meet the ESL requirements recommended by the CAELC (such as successful completion of one or more ESL course, or achieving a score of 55 or better on a future SPEAK test). Students who are not TAs will not be eligible for TA positions until they meet their ESL requirements. Click here for more information regarding CAELC testing.
We expect all of our international students to work hard at improving their English skills, whether it be through the CAELC courses or through many other opportunities available to students.
Immediately after being admitted to the University, an international student is then required, by the International Studies Office (ISO), to provide a Form I-20/Form Ds-2019 Request packet. This information is needed to issue the student an I-20 for his or her F-1 Visa.
Please note that the ISO will only issue Form I-20 once it confirms the following:
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) will not issue a student visa to any student for whom the sum of financial aid received (including aid from the University) and personal/family resources listed is insufficient to support them in the United States. The exact level of support required by the INS will be specified in the information that you will receive once admitted. Financial aid awards in the Department of Economics are made with full knowledge of INS requirements. However, in some cases, the student may list a combination of: 1) the fellowship amount(s) expected from international agencies, home-country sources, etc., and 2) personal or family assets.
The Department of Economics makes financial aid decisions in late March and early April.
Please apply early; most documents can be submitted via the online application or by email to . Submitting documents to the Economics Department, instead of directly to the Graduate School will also create a delay.
If you need to submit any hard copies, you may experience a mailing delay. Some international mail delays are three weeks, even with airmail. If your application packet is not completed by February 1, your opportunities for financial aid will be significantly reduced.
For further information, visit the the web page of UVa’s International Studies Office.
Applications and all credentials should be submitted to the Graduate School of Arts Sciences through the online application. If necessary, credentials may be submitted directly to GSAS at the email or postal address above.
Please do not submit any documents directly to the Economics Department.