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Statements and Curriculum Vitae or Resume

Please consult Rackham’s guidance and policies related to the use of generative artificial intelligence before preparing your academic statement of purpose or your personal statement. Visit your program’s website for any additional requirements for the academic statement of purpose or personal statement. Contact information is listed on our Programs of Study webpage.

The academic statement of purpose, the personal statement, and a curriculum vitae (CV) or resume work together to give a fuller picture of your interests, motivations, and experiences. These three documents must be uploaded to the ApplyWeb application.

Formatting

  • Include at the top of each document:
    • The type of document (Academic Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement, or Curriculum Vitae orResume)
    • Your name
    • The name of the graduate program (i.e. Chemical Engineering, Mas)
    • Your 8 digit U-M ID (if known)
  • Make sure margins are at least one inch so nothing is cropped/cut off when you upload the documents to the application.

Academic Statement of Purpose

The academic statement of purpose should be a concise, well-written statement about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how this graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives.

Personal Statement

How have your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan?

For example, if you grew up in a community where educational, cultural, or other opportunities were either especially plentiful or especially lacking, or are undocumented or DACAmented, you might discuss the impact this had on your development and interests. This should be a discussion of the journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree. If you will be a graduate student with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA), it is important to mention DACA in your personal statement since this is a consideration for some financial aid.

The personal statement has a 500 word limit and should be different from your Academic Statement of Purpose.

Curriculum Vitae or Resume

A curriculum vitae (CV) or resume describes your education, work experience, research publications, teaching experience, professional activities, volunteer activity, community engagement, as well as honors and awards.