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Two-Year Master's Programmes at Sciences Po, Domestic Graduate Procedure: unsuccessful applications
As we receive an increasing number of excellent applications each year, we select only the very best. We understand your disappointment and your wish to know more about the reasons for our decision.
Selection at Sciences Po is highly competitive and our decision should in no way cast doubt on your qualifications or experience. Here are some examples that may explain why your application was unsuccessful.
Assessment of your application
The selection panel assesses each element of your application in detail. The assessment is based on all the information provided by the applicant: academic transcripts, motivation letter, choice of master’s programme, work experience or internships, career plan, personal background, nonprofit and/or political engagement, etc. Check our selection criteria.
It is possible that, despite an excellent academic record, your application was considered insufficient in other areas, such as your motivation or the arguments put forward to justify your application to Sciences Po. It may also be that your qualifications or career plan are not sufficiently coherent with the master’s programme to which you have applied.
The CV is essential. It should not be a mere chronological listing of your experiences and activities. A CV must be tailored for its purpose and convincingly highlight the aspects of your experience that relate to your choice of master’s programme.
The motivation letter must be carefully written, both in form (spelling, paragraphs, etc.) and in substance (the clarity of ideas and structure of arguments). Candidates are expected to do their research on the chosen programmes and institutions so they can demonstrate their motivation and clearly explain how their qualifications and experience are relevant to the curriculum and educational objectives, as well as to their professional goals.
Assessors read a huge number of motivation letters every day, so they much prefer those written with care.
More about the motivation letter.
References carry a lot of weight in the assessment of your application. Your referee may not have taken the time to write convincingly about your qualities. The choice of referee is essential, but so is their awareness of how your study plan at Sciences Po relates to your career goals. It is also important to prepare the referee for the procedure they will have to follow (online account, time left before the deadline, language required, etc.) so that they can support your application as effectively as possible.
The entire application must be legible. Documents must be correctly scanned, clearly named and uploaded in the requested format. The care, time and attention devoted to producing a clear application also demonstrate the candidate’s motivation and respect for the assessor's work.
Your interview
The interview panel bases its assessment on several criteria, including: the candidate’s oral communication skills, motivation, open-mindedness, interest in innovation, intellectual curiosity, ability to mobilize and connect relevant knowledge, awareness of contemporary issues, critical thinking, and capacity to develop a personal and well-structured reflection.
This is not a traditional knowledge-based examination; however, applicants are expected to demonstrate the above-mentioned qualities to the best of their ability. The panel reserves the right to ask any questions it deems relevant in order to better assess the applicant’s profile.
As a result, interviews are not standardized and may vary from one candidate to another. They are structured as a conversation, built around the discussion points brought forward by each candidate — including their interests, academic background, motivation to join Sciences Po, and personal journey.
Decisions
The decisions of the selection committees are final and cannot be appealed.
Please note that admissibility and admission are two distinct stages of the domestic admissions process. It is therefore possible to have an excellent application file without being admitted following the interview. No re-evaluation of the application will be conducted in this regard.
We do not provide for a waiting list.
Attending courses & organising your study
Strongly committed to accessibility, Sciences Po offers individualised assistance to help students overcome the effects of temporary or permanent disabilities. Upon admission, the disability centre assists students throughout their studies at Sciences Po.
