Are You Our Ideal Candidate ?

What are your chances of admission and what are our selection committees looking for?

When it comes to applicant profiles, qualifications and experience, each graduate school has different priorities. Understanding them early in the process will help you figure out if you and your dream school are a good fit for one another. You will then be able to highlight just the right elements of your application file.

Remember, the purpose of the application file is to help the selection committee make a reasonable prediction of your chances of success in our programmes. We will be using your proven track record as the basis.

The good news is that you do not have to guess what the Graduate Institute is looking for: our admission counsellors reveal how we analyse our applications.

Who decides?
 

At the Graduate Institute, professors make up the selection committee for each programme and make their admission decision based on the file you submit. During the application process, all your interactions will be with our admission team, not with the professors who make the admission decisions.

Top priority: your academic training
 

Even though 80% of our alumni report stable employment in a professional position six months after graduation, we see ourselves primarily as an academic institution. We place a high stake in the theoretical foundations of our disciplines, in critical thinking and in research output. In fact, we do not require our applicants to have professional experience: many candidates apply directly out of their previous degree.

We give top priority to your previous academic performance: what you studied and how well you performed. 

Know your subject
 

We expect our students to come fully prepared with the theoretical foundations and study skills needed for the rigours of graduate level reading, thinking, research and writing. We are also looking for sufficient knowledge in the discipline that you plan to study. 

Students in our two interdisciplinary programmes tend to have a wider range of academic profiles and come from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds.  

In addition, applicants to one of our economics programmes will need to confirm their quantitative abilities with a top-range GRE quantitative score.

Top achievers
 

Our selection committees are likely to consider the top tier of the applicant pool in any given year – it is a competitive selection. That’s why we do not work with GPA cut-offs: the average GPA of that top tier is different each year. 

We will pay attention to your grades on courses that are relevant to what you wish to study with us, as opposed to other subjects – another reason we don’t work with cumulative GPA cut-offs. The committees will also notice progression trends throughout your years of university study. So, if there are any “blips” on your record, you can provide a brief explanation in your cover letter.

Critical thinkers
 

The students who excel at the Graduate Institute have the ability to take a critical distance from any single-minded theory or opinion, “zooming-out” to see the bigger picture. They develop an aptitude for complexity, a tolerance for multiple viewpoints and a curiosity to approach issues from new and even opposing angles. This intellectual maturity feeds on a diversity of experiences, which is another common feature of our successful applications.

How can you map out your intellectual growth journey in your application? For some, it may be purely academic, seen through your choice of courses, inspirational thinkers or research projects. Other students may have challenged themselves to a study abroad experience. All kinds of work experiences may have led you to question your certainties and develop new skills and perspectives. 

There is no set recipe: just be sure to help your application readers trace your trajectory across your transcripts, your CV/resume and your motivation letter. Perhaps your referees can even mention it in their recommendation letters.

are we a good fit for your aspirations?
 

This goes deeper than the common advice to verify that you’ve addressed all your materials to the correct school. Throughout your application, and especially in your motivation letter, the committee will be sensitive to statements that confirm that you have understood who we are and why we are the right place for you to achieve your goals. This might include what we stand for: our values, our unique history and our academic culture – what makes us different from other schools and right from you.

Our website, social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), admission counsellors, current students and faculty profiles, publications and events are all good places to learn more about our school. 

Be sure to clarify your goals and objectives, to help the committee understand your motivations.  

And if you have any questions, you can always email us at prospective@graduateinstitute.ch.