Frequently Asked Questions

• Meet employment eligibility as required by the UIC Office of Student Employment
• Upperclassman with a minimum of 45 credit hours (12 at UIC for transfer students)
• 2024-2025 registered full-time student with a minimum of 12-credit hrs. and a maximum of 15-credit hrs. per semester
• Minimum undergraduate GPA of a 2.75 on a 4.0 scale
• Undergraduate students from any major are eligible to apply

Any applicant where neither parent has received a bachelor’s degree or higher.

You will be required to construct two policy responses.  Though these are short essays, your answers should thoughtfully communicate your policy interest. This information will allow us to closely match you with an internship site upon acceptance to the UPPF program. Answer each question in 150 words or less.

Yes, when filling out an application you will be prompted to upload an up-to-date resume for full consideration to the program.

A statement detailing how the Urban Public Policy Fellowship program is related to your academic and career goals. It is one of the most important components of the application and is equivalent to an interview.

Your personal statement should include the following:

• An expansion of one of the public policy issues mentioned above specifically, what motivates your interest in the policy issue.
• Involvement in community and/or UIC campus activities.
• Your personal and professional goals
• Why you believe you are an excellent candidate for the program

The essay should be one to two double-spaced typed pages. Please do not exceed two pages (approximately 750 words).

Your letter of recommendation may be from a professor, faculty member, academic advisor, program or community, or a mentor. Letters of recommendation from relatives or acquaintances are not acceptable.

Example of relatives or acquaintances include parents, siblings, family friends, or paid private tutors/counselors.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the person you have asked to send in the recommendation letter has done so. Your recommender can submit the letter anytime during the application process. However, your application is not complete until your recommender submits your letter.

Letters of recommendation can be uploaded directly to https://forms.uofi.uic.edu/sec/604871797. Your recommender will be prompted to upload the letter recommendation. The final application deadline for this program is Sunday, May 12, 2024 at 11:59 pm CST. ALL application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received by this date for full consideration.

We encourage students to reapply, as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements.

Yes, and if you are placed on the wait list, you will be notified of that fact when admissions decisions are released. We realize that this is a difficult position to be in; we will inform you as soon as possible if and when a participant decides not to participate in the program.

You can contact Gabriela Avila, the Program Coordinator via email at avilag@uic.edu or by phone 312-355-0154