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Welcome to the School of Public Affairs Pursue Your Higher Purpose with SPA

Front of Kerwin Hall

Congratulations on your admission to one of the nation’s top schools for Public Affairs! We are inspired by your commitment to a profession that is devoted to solving some of the greatest challenges facing this generation and generations to come. We invite you to take a moment to reflect on and celebrate all your efforts and achievements that have brought you to this next phase of your academic and professional journey. And we are so happy to welcome you to the SPA graduate student community!

Admitted Student Checklists

As you consider your SPA graduate admissions offer, please take the following steps:

✓ Create your . You will need your ĢƵ ID number, which can be found on the top left side of your admission letter, under your address. Note: Creating this account does not mean that you accept the offer of admission. What it provides is additional information that will enable you to access helpful resources to assist you in making your decision to say YES2SPA!

✓ Submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid () if you wish to apply for Federal student Loans. ĢƵ's FAFSA code is 001434. The Office of Financial Aid (OFA) at ĢƵ will review this information and will notify you of your eligibility. Questions may be directed tofinancialaid@american.edu.

✓ Engage in SPA’s upcoming virtual events (see sidebar for schedule and details).

✓ Identify your Graduate Advisorso that you can collaborate on creating an academic plan that optimizes your interests and course of study.

✓ Say YES2SPA by remitting your nonrefundable deposit of $250 US dollars. (Deposit is not required until the date specified in SPA’s admission letter and will be credited to your student account when you begin your graduate program.)

✓ Email your official undergraduate e-transcript confirming your successful completion of a Bachelor's degree before the first day of the semesterto GraduateAdmissionsDocuments@american.edu.Please refer toSPA's FAQ(s)

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✓ Connect and follow us on social media.Follow us on , , and .

✓ Visit ĢƵ's Off-Campus Housing site, which offers access to living options in the area and helps you develop a student profile in an effort to identify potential roommates. Questions may be directed to offcampushousing@american.edu.

✓NEW: DMV Neighborhood Housing Guide.The School of Public Affairs (SPA) has leveraged an array of resources to compile the D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) Neighborhood Housing Guide. This guide offers incoming students insights into transportation, a few of the well-known DMV neighborhoods, and other helpful information to support students as they consider where they will live in the exciting DMV region.

Important Reminders

  1. Stay in touch...we are here to support you!
    spagrad@american.edu
  2. Use your ĢƵ email account only and always! All correspondence will now only be sent to your "name@american.edu" account. Please regularly monitor your inbox.
  3. Explore the portal. It contains a wealth of information that will inform and support your student life on campus.

SPA’s Fall 2025class is open and welcomes your YES2SPA! Please refer to the response dates on your admission letter for the deadline to respond. Please be mindful that merit aid decisions are made separately from admissions decisions. Merit aid notifications will begin around the prioirity deadline of February 15 and will continue until our Fall 2025 response deadline of April 15.

In order to confirm:

  • Pay the non-refundable enrollment deposit (directions attached to your SPA admissions letter). The deposit holds your place in the incoming class, enables you to register for your courses, and will be applied to your student account as a credit toward tuition.
  • Questions: spagrad@american.edu

All SPA admitted students are strongly encouraged to register and attend a virtual SPA Post-Admission Workshop (PAW).* The monthly sessions are led by Jennifer Forney, Assistant Dean of Graduate Enrollment, who will explain next steps following the exciting news of your admission.** Agenda items include: financial and merit aid; advising and course enrollment; and engagement opportunities like major events, campus visits, as well astopical, virtual sessions. Please don’t miss the chance to know what to expect in the important weeks ahead as you enter the decision-making stage of accepting your admissions offer and joining our graduate student community with a YES2SPA!

*Admitted students whocannot attend an upcoming PAW should consider scheduling a meeting ortelephone conversation with the assistant dean. Please reach out to spagrad@american.edu to schedule.

**Post-Admission Workshops are intended for admitted students to SPA’s rangeof on-campus ٱ’s degrees

Your SPA Graduate Advisorwill be contacting you after your enrollment deposit to enroll in Fall classes.

It is time to begin your career development with an SPA CareerStart virtual session! Please register for ONE of the dates and join your SPA Graduate Career Advisor, Rob SanGeorge, for a comprehensive overview of the robust ĢƵ career services available to you!

Post-attendance, you are encouraged to schedule a 1:1 “coaching” session with Rob as an important next step.

Please know that SPA will be offering Mr. SanGeorge the names and emails for our new Fall 2025 cohort across all of our degrees very soon. With your “YES2SPA”, you will be added to the restricted social media platform that shares weekly postings of internships and relevant job postings in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

Instructions for accessing the virtual session will be emailed to all registrants the day prior. Registration for SPA JumpStart (invitation forthcoming) will include the on-campus/in-person CareerStart session on Friday, June 13 as part of the event agenda. Register now to reserve your spot!

This event is intended for deposited* Fall 2025 on-campus ٱ’s and graduate certificate students to the School of Public Affairs.

*SPA’s deposited F25 international students should have secured their I-20 before registering.

Dates: Thursday, June 12 & Friday, June 13

Location: ĢƵ-East Campus | Constitution Hall*

*Draft agenda offered upon registration. Final logistical information offered week of event.

The School of Public Affairs (SPA) will host SPA JumpStart 2025, a specialon-campusinitiative that offers a robust agenda oriented around career development and the introduction to integral campus and community services to support your successful onboarding as a new graduate student!The experience is designed to cater to all of SPA's on-campusٱ’s degrees and graduate certificates and will “JumpStart” new students’ academic, professional, and social preparedness in graduate student life.

The agenda includes a(n): career development workshop and panels, professional headshots, a SAMI (SPA's skill institute) sampler, campus resource fair, housing bus tour, current student and alumni panel as well as a Book Talk, ice cream social, and community cook-out!The event is complimentary for one and all!JumpStart offers SPA’s Fall 2025 class an opportunity to further engage with; SPA faculty, alumni, staff, and current as well as incoming students, campus and community resources, and your new Washington, D.C. home.

The event is sure toJumpStartyour academic and professional careers! We look forward to you joining and actively engaging with the ĢƵ/SPA/and Washington, D.C. community-at-large!

Please mark your calendars for SPA’s new ٱ’s student orientation. The event should be considered mandatory for all on-campus ٱ’s and graduate certificate students as it offers important information about academic policies, support services, as well as the opportunity to meet your respective department and peer network. An invitation with additional detail will be extended closer to the orientation date.

Questions: spagradaffaris@american.edu

New SPA graduate students begin their academic and professional journeys to Realize their Purpose!

Questions: SPA_GradEvents@American.edu

Join staff from ĢƵ's Office of Financial Aid to learn about the student loan processes and options for financing your education. Note that much but not all of the presentation will be focused on federal loans (available to US citizens, US nationals, green card or I-94 holders, and a limited number of others found here: )

Join staff from ĢƵ's Office of Graduate and Professional Studies to learn about living in DC, including options for living on campus.

Join staff from ĢƵ's International Student Scholar Services office to learn about the visa and paperwork processes for studying in the US and at ĢƵ.

Join staff from ĢƵ's Veterans Services office to learn about GI, Yellow Ribbon, and other related benefits.

Other SPA/Campus Resources

Academic Calendar
Career Center
International Student & Scholar Services
Military & Veterans Student Services
Off-Campus Housing Services
SPA Graduate Council
Student Health Center
Student Jobs (on-campus)
University Center & Student Activities

Chat with a Current Student

Like you, every SPA student has a unique story to share about how they intend torealize their purpose @ SPA!Whether you are driven to impact an issue or motivated to build a practical skillset, a ٱ’s degree from SPA can, and will, make the difference.

Learn More