2024-2025 Public Policy Leaders Program Application

CAREER ADVANCEMENT PUBLIC POLICY LEADERS PROGRAM 

The Public Policy Leaders Program (PPLP) is a three-year, selective track within Careers in Policy and Social Impact offered for students who are ambitious about pursuing public sector and social impact careers. Key program benefits include:

Access to exclusive internship grants in the policy and social impact sector.
Career treks just for PPLP students to domestic and international locations such as Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, CA.
Training in hard and soft skills relevant for policy careers from the Harris School of Public Policy, the Institute of Politics, the Social Sciences Division, and the Crown School
Talks on policy careers from faculty, staff, alumni, and graduate school mentors.
The Public Policy Leaders Program gives students who are interested in public policy and service a competitive edge in their professional development. Students apply at the end of their first year at the College and spend three years as a part of this special career development program.

While activities and requirements differ by year, key tenets of each Public Policy Leaders experience are to engage with fellow students and professionals to gain industry knowledge, strengthen professional skills, and enhance recruiting strategies to support internship and full-time recruiting goals.

Students engaging in the program will be interested in careers in a wide range of policy areas, including (but not limited to) social/urban policy, education policy, environmental policy, health policy, global affairs, international development, social justice, non-profit administration, and government.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Commitment to the Public Policy Leaders Program extends from enrollment in the program to graduation in order to receive transcript designation. The program requirements are:

Treks. Attend at least one Career Advancement trek while in the program.
Appointments. Meet with a Career Advancement adviser once per quarter.
Programs. Attend required programming.
2nd-Year: Regular events on Wednesday evenings from 5-7 p.m.
3rd-Year: Optional programs.
4th-Year: Regular events on Thursday afternoons from 12-1 p.m.

APPLICATION
We’re excited to open our application for the Class of 2028 now to join PPLP during the 2025-2026 academic year!

YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION USING THE LINK BELOW TO BE CONSIDERED:

https://careeradvancement.wufoo.com/forms/mjqoe3z10kvh0d/

Application requirements include:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Please respond to the following questions (200-300 words/question):

In 1-2 sentences, please describe your interest in policy and what particular areas of public policy your are most interested in. 

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the Public Policy Leaders Program, and how will it contribute to your greater UChicago experience? (200 - 300 words) 

Please describe an area of public policy that is of particular interest to you and assess why it's an important. (200 - 300 words) 
 

TIMELINE:

Applications are open now, and will close on Sunday, April 13th at 11:59 PM. 

QUESTIONS?
Please contact Tala Ali-Hasan, Associate Director, Careers in Policy and Social Impact, at talihasan@uchicago.edu with questions about the Public Policy Leaders Program.