Six Tips on Applying for Doctoral Studies in the United States

Each year thousands of students around the world seek admissions into American doctoral programs. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), over 100,000 foreign students are currently seeking doctoral degrees in the U.S. (IIE has information about student numbers through its Open Doors information resource.) The numbers are significant as admission into doctoral programs is an extremely competitive process; and space is limited. For example, some departments have a limitation in the number of doctoral candidates they mentor at any given time. Competition is even higher for funding American doctoral programs which can take a few years to as many as seven or eight years—a significant sum of money and time for anyone—to complete.


EducationUSA provides links to several online resources on doctoral programs and financial aid, in addition to books and other resources in their centers around the world. Some great resources exist at home too. In fact some of the best tips come from successful Yemeni doctoral candidates currently in the U.S., or how have just completed their programs and returned home. Their experiences are distilled to help you become a successful doctoral candidate.

Here are the six top tips.

Tip #1: Networking and Laying the Groundwork. Take every opportunity to meet people who have studied in the U.S. or are teaching at U.S. institutions.

“I had an opportunity some years after returning to Yemen to attend the TESOL International conference [the world’s largest English teaching conference] in Texas. I had been working as a teacher of English as a foreign language but my previous academic study was in literature. The conference was important in many ways. I learned a lot of new information on the field and got to bring home a lot of resources. I also met some linguistics professors from the University of Memphis. They were planning a teacher training workshop later in the year in Yemen. When I returned to Yemen, I looked at the university’s website and the requirements for applying for its doctoral program. I saw that there was a match and I started the application process. When the professors came to Yemen, I spoke to them again and stayed in touch. I told them that to afford their program I needed an assistantship that could provide me with a stipend and tuition reduction. The meeting and following up the contacts helped. I not only got admitted to the program a year later but had an opportunity to teach soon after I arrived into the U.S. One of the professors I met in Texas later served on my dissertation committee.” – Shafiqa Anwar, doctoral candidate in Applied Linguistics at the University of Memphis and faculty of the Institute of Languages at Aden University.

Tip #2: Researching and applying to many appropriate institutions as early as possible. Most doctoral candidates note that they applied to more than one institution.

“The University of Minnesota was one of ten universities to which I applied for doctoral study, and one of three universities that admitted me . . . Applying for doctoral programs is a one-year process that calls for compliance with the university deadlines and fulfillment of its requirements, i.e. standardized tests, letters of recommendation, statements of purpose, writing samples, etc. So, start your application process the earliest possible! Set certain criteria for your selection of the universities. The more programs you apply for, the better your chances are.”-Waleed Mahdi, doctoral candidate in American Studies at the University of Minnesota, ICGC-MacArthur Fellow, founder of the Network of Yemeni Scholars (NYS), with Taiz University.

Tip #3: Get good recommendation letters. Request you current professors to recommend you. The letters should be written confidentially and directly to the university’s department chair.

Tip #4: Have a strong academic record and the appropriate examinations. Make sure that you meet the required standardized test scores as well as other academic requirements. Waleed Mahdi also note: “I looked at all the programs I was interested in for my doctorate. I had a lot of options as I finished my Masters' with a 4.0 GPA. That made it very easy to get my doctorate admission. There were other requirements too like, GRE.”

Tip #5: Build a good resume and demonstrate prior teaching or research experience. In addition to work experience it is useful to have publications, in professional journals or in other accessible content. “While I was looking at the programs I was interested in, I was also looking for opportunities for a scholarship and an assistantship. These would be the main source for my tuition fees and stipend. I got both. While working on my master’s, I already had the chance to be a teaching assistant. This experience helped me a lot during these first years of my PhD. I did very well working with my professors that I could go from being a teacher assistant to an adjunct faculty now. Working as an adjunct is a main source of funding and has built up my resume which I started before applying for my PhD.” – Farouk

Tip #6: Perseverance and Hard Work. All the previous steps have mentioned the preparation for the application. Simply put, it takes a lot of hard work to put together a number of good applications for doctoral program as well as funding for those programs. However once the applications are submitted, the work isn’t done. It’s important to follow up all requests for additional information as soon as possible. “Remember, my motto ‘persistence’ and ‘consistency’ are keys to success.” –Waleed Mahdi, NYS

Some good tips to success! Special thanks to contributors and good luck on your journeys!