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Thank you, I'm so happy that I finally got accepted! I'm crossing my fingers for you! Please continue to update us; I'll still browse the forums even when I'm in grad school. Honestly, what I did differently this time, compared to the first few attempts, was emailing professors with similar research interests at all 20 schools. The outreach was very time-consuming. Even though I had an email template where I introduced myself and my research, I still had to tailor the rest of the email to explain how our research aligns and why the program was a good fit for me. My goal was to find at least three professors with the same alignment at each school; you never know what the funding situation is like for every program and professor, and that changes every year. Interestingly, at the same university that rejected me last year, one of the professors responded to my email and told me he had reached out to the admissions committee to look out for my application. That's when things started to get going: I got interviewed by the program directors in January, was accepted with funding in March, and was flown out for a campus visit later that month. I really think reaching out to professors made a huge difference for me, since I never made it this far previously. As for what stood out in my application this time, nothing in particular honestly, since my stats were the same as before when I applied a few times (same GPAs, no GRE score, etc.); except for the additional year of research experience and publication, but that was a given. I rewrote my SOP obviously, and my SOP for each application cycle was strong. From the interview (where I got accepted at), the program directors shared that they cared more about fit and that they were more incline to admit students that they know will accept the offer. Quite a long post, but I hope it helps!

Yes, good news finally! I got accepted with funding to only one out of the 20 programs that I've applied to. Did the two programs that you've applied to let you know when they will get back with decisions? It's possible that some programs need more time to figure out their funding situation (the current climate is tough) and decide after mid-April.

Shoot, I just saw your post! And yes, this forum is super dead, unfortunately. How’s everything on your end? Did you hear back from that school you interviewed for?

I applied to health policy programs. I would share the name of the school, but since they're interviewing fewer people this time, I just don't want the adcoms to figure out who I am here (if they ever browse this forum). But I might share the name of the school later. What subject/track are you applying to?

I've heard from some programs that they may not get back until February. That could be the case.

I have, I just finished my formal interview yesterday. Did you get any notifications?

This forum is for prospective applicants for PhD public health programs for Fall 2026. Good luck!

Just got another rejection, sigh. And yes, I've heard that PhD admissions are impacted by the funding cuts. Such bad timing, especially when I am thinking about applying again next year :'-)

Thank you! This is health policy, and I'll share the exact name once the admissions process is over (since I don't want to spoil the only good thing that I have, haha).

Just posting a quick update after my interview in case anyone’s curious about what can happen next: The school that interviewed me is flying me out for an in-person visit in March! I’m honestly shocked; this is a top program that accepts very few students. Still waiting to hear back from other programs and trying to stay hopeful.

Wow, that's crazy urgent! But congrats!

The wave of rejections this week hurts :'-) At least I got one interview last month.

That's how I felt about my alma mater with my master's, lol.

Wow, you're on a roll! That's actually the same program that I applied for.

Ah, you're right; my apologies. It's right here at the bottom of the page: https://publichealth.nyu.edu/admissions/apply/doctor-philosophy-public-health-phd :'-)

Oh gosh, I'm crossing our fingers for us! I don’t want to overthink this, but is it possible to still be accepted without an interview at this point? I spoke with a professor at another university who mentioned that applicants they’re interested in but have questions about their applications are typically interviewed. Now this is me inferring; those they’re confident about might receive acceptances directly?

Oh, I didn't know that! Is that how NYU operates: send rejections, then conduct interviews with some applicants? So, there's hope for us?

Hope the interview went well! NYU is another school that I hope to hear back from...

I've applied for Hopkins but haven't heard back 😕 Apparently, someone shared in the Grad Cafe results that they got an interview from Hopkins 🥲 And good luck to you as well!