Expanding access to research and evidence-based policy careers in political science
Whether a talented undergraduate ever considers graduate study depends heavily on whether someone told them it was possible. That is a solvable problem. The Pathways Consortium equips students to pursue research and doctoral study addressing complex public challenges. We run the Political Science Predoctoral Summer Institute, a one-week, fully funded residential program to broaden access to research and evidence-based careers in political science across Washington, DC, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.
A one-week, fully funded window into doctoral study
We run the Political Science Predoctoral Summer Institute (PS-PSI), a one-week residential program that shows high-potential students what doctoral study involves and how to pursue it. Each summer it brings together twenty students from across the region.
Participants gain research experience and mentorship from faculty and current doctoral students during the Institute and the year that follows. We provide full financial support, covering travel, lodging, a $1,000 stipend, and GRE preparation and fee support for all participants.
See yourself as a researcher.
If you are an undergraduate or recent graduate in DC, DE, MD, VA, or WV curious about a PhD, the Institute is built for you.
Build the pipeline with us.
We are scaling a proven pilot into a durable, multi-institutional consortium. We welcome partnerships with institutions and funders who share our vision.
What four years of the pilot have shown us
Expanding access and impact
Georgetown University developed and hosted the Institute from 2022–2026, at approximately $3,750 per participant. We are now scaling the Institute into a regional initiative–the Political Science Pathways Consortium–bringing together up to 16 PhD-granting departments across Washington, DC, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, in partnership with the American Political Science Association (APSA).
Georgetown serves as inaugural lead institution (2025–2029), with hosting responsibilities rotating among member universities beginning in 2027.
In a time of rapid political, social, and technological change, the need for rigorous, policy-relevant research has never been greater — and the research community should be as broad as the questions it studies.