MPA application dates COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

MIA/MPA application dates COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog SIPA will be closed Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 in observance of Thanksgiving. Here in the U.S. people are planning Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends.   The feast will continue through the weekend.   This is also a weekend when a number of prospective applicants are planning to sit down and fill out their applications for graduate school taking advantage of the long weekend. As you browse through our website for application deadlines, you may find a couple of confusing application dates for the MIA/MPA program.   We say our application deadline is January 6, 2014 (for Fall 2014) but that deadline is for those applicants who wish to be considered for a merit fellowship.   If you are one of the few who does not need funding, then mark February 5 (final application deadline) on your calendar. So if you wish to be considered for a merit fellowship, you must make sure your application is submitted complete, which means all documents are received by the Admissions Office by January 6, 2014 at 11:59:59 pm EST (keep in mind there are no deliveries to our office after 5pm EST).     This is where it gets confusing.  There are a couple of SIPA scholarship deadline exceptions that you may still be eligible for even if you submit your application after January 6.   These are  SIPA scholarships (outside the first year Merit Fellowship consideration) and require a separate scholarship application.   These SIPA scholarship applications must be submitted by January 27.   Unfortunately, you cannot get started on them without first submitting your program application. so get moving on it and good luck. We wish you a safe and happy holiday!