Applicants to the Stevens Doctoral Program must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university (or expect to receive one by the time they enter the program).

Applicants to Stevens Doctoral Program, regardless of citizenship, must either meet one of our waiver criteria (more information below) or submit proof of English language proficiency. Non-US residents should also consult the International Applicants page to learn more about eligibility requirements.

Chicago Booth prides itself on a fair and impartial selection process. To find out more, read the Nondiscrimination Statement.

Admissions Timeline

🠊 Early September: The application for the next academic year will become available.

🠊 December: The application deadline is December 15.

  • After submitting, you can log into your online application to monitor the receipt of your test scores and letters of recommendation. You can also upload updated transcripts via your applicant status page.
  • The Stevens Doctoral Program will process test scores validation and waiver requests after an application has been submitted.
  • The timeline for application review varies by dissertation area, but can begin immediately after the deadline. Your application will be reviewed by the admissions committee of the dissertation area to which you applied.
  • We recommend all materials (including test scores and recommendations) be submitted on time in order to guarantee they are considered along with the rest of your application.

🠊 January through early March:  Applicants will receive invitations to interview and/or offers of admission directly via email. On your application, please enter a contact email that you use regularly.

  • Dissertation area committees may invite applicants for virtual interviews. The areas that conduct interviews are: Accounting, Behavioral Science, Econometrics & Statistics, Finance, and Management Science/Operations Management.
  • Because each dissertation area has its own admissions committee and review process, decisions are not released simultaneously for all applicants. Until you receive a decision from the program, you are still under consideration.
  • Generally speaking, all applicants should have their decisions by March.

🠊 April 15: Admitted applicants are required to return their responses. Offers not acknowledged by April 15 may be rescinded.

🠊 May: The Stevens Doctoral Program will contact incoming students with information on matriculation, international student visas, and other items of interest.

🠊 September: All admitted students will need to be in residence for the program. 

Application Checklist


Hardship Requests for Delayed Test Scores:

Applicants for whom a recent natural disaster or other major, widespread disruption has affected their ability to submit required components may submit a Hardship Request as described below. Please note all applicants have to submit their application by the deadline regardless of if they've been granted more time to fulfill an individual component.

If the impact of the incident or disruption makes it difficult for you to submit one or more required components – such as GRE scores,TOEFL scores, transcripts, etc.– by the deadline, please complete your application to the best of your ability and then submit a formal hardship request. We will launch the hardship request form here when the application goes live. If deemed eligible, we may approve a temporary delay of test scores and allow you to submit your application without one or more required application materials (e.g. GRE or TOEFL scores), although it does not waive the requirement(s).

You will still be required to submit the missing item(s) as soon as circumstances allow. Please note we cannot extend an offer of admission before all materials (including official test scores) have been submitted.

Application Fee: Waiver Eligibility Requirements and Instructions

Upon submission of an application, applicants will be prompted to pay the $80 processing fee. You may be eligible to receive an application fee waiver if you meet at least one of the below requirements. Note that you'll only be able to submit a waiver request and supplementary documentation within the application. You can find more information about the approval and notification process on our FAQ page. 

Fee Waiver Categories:

  • Category A: Current University of Chicago student or University of Chicago alumni from degree programs (includes current non-degree visiting students and past non-degree visiting students).
    You'll be instructed to upload your transcripts as verification.
  • Category B: Current University of Chicago Staff (including full-time research professionals).
  • Category C: Current/recent participants in a qualifying program.
    Documentation certifying participation is required. Acceptable forms of documentation include award or acceptance letters, letters from program directors, program completion certificates, etc. Qualifying programs are:
    • AEA Summer Programs attendees
    • Americorps/Vista
    • Big Ten Alliance FreeApp Recipients
    • Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars
    • California Forum on Diversity
    • Expanding Diversity in Economics (EDE) Summer Institute attendees
    • Fulbright/IIE Fellowship recipient
    • GEM
    • GRE fee reduction voucher recipients
    • IDDEAS participants (IDDEAS@Booth/Kellogg or IDDEAS programs hosted by other schools)
    • Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)
    • Leadership Alliance
    • Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
    • National Name Exchange
    • Next-Gen Psych Scholars Program (NPSP)
    • Peace Corps
    • PhD Project Annual Conference attendees
    • Posse Foundation Scholars
    • Project SHORT
    • Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA)
    • Ronald McNair Scholars and/or Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program
    • SACNAS
    • Sadie Collective
    • Summer Institute for Social Science Research Methods
    • Teach for America
    • U.S. Armed Forces or uniformed services: Currently serving (active duty or reserves) or honorably discharged
  • Category D: Current undergraduates receiving need-based financial aid from a U.S. institution:
    If you are currently (as of the date of the application deadline for this program, i.e. December 15, 2024) enrolled as an undergraduate student at an institution within the United States and are receiving need-based financial aid from your current institution, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. A copy of the institution’s financial aid letter or a letter from the institution’s financial aid office is required.
  • Category E: Individuals experiencing financial hardship:
    Applicants who are experiencing financial hardship and are not eligible for a fee waiver under any of the other categories may be considered for a fee waiver. Applicants requesting an application fee waiver on the basis of financial hardship must upload a brief written statement which explains their financial hardship and how they intend to cover their pre-matriculation expenses (e.g. moving expenses) if admitted.

Application fees are non-refundable. If you are requesting an application fee waiver, do not pay the application fee while your request is under review. You should only pay the fee if you receive an email from us indicating that your request has been denied.  If your request is approved, we will manually waive the fee once we have determined your eligibility.

Application fee payment will not be refunded if:

  • You pay the application fee before receiving our fee waiver request decision, and later have your waiver request approved.
  • You do not complete the fee waiver request form inside the application and pay the fee, then later realize you were eligible for a fee waiver.

Fee Waiver Decision Notification
We will not be reaching out to applicants whose request for a fee waiver has been approved. You will only be notified via email if your request has been denied. We do not make any determinations before your application to the Stevens Doctoral Program has been submitted, so please make sure to do so by the application deadline. You can find more information about the eligibility and notification process on our FAQ page.

Admission to Joint PhD Programs


US Military Personnel

Admitted students who are called to active duty prior to matriculation will be granted a deferral of admission and Chicago Booth financial aid to the following year. Deferrals will be reviewed/extended on an annual basis.

The Stevens Program at Chicago Booth accepts up to three courses in transfer credit from other approved institutions. These credits can only be used toward the coordinated sequence requirement. The Stevens Program does not grant credit for experiential learning or online courses.

For details on readmission, taking a leave of absence, resuming studies, academic grievance policies, and add/drop requirements, please see this Guidebook.


Contact Us

If you still have questions after reviewing our doctorate in business FAQ, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Phone: 773.702.7298
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