Webinar series: Preparing for graduate study abroad for African students
Each year, J-PAL Africa runs a three-part webinar series for African students interested in pursuing graduate study in Economics, or related fields, abroad. The webinars take place throughout the year, and provide guidance on what graduate study abroad entails, how to prepare for a graduate program, and how to develop a competitive application. The first webinar focuses on preparing for graduate study in Economics abroad generally, while the second and third webinars provide guidance on applying to Master’s and PhD programs in Economics and related fields in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
For those interested in applying to graduate programs in economics or related fields, we encourage you to join our upcoming webinar on Putting Together a Successful PhD Application to North American Universities, happening on 16 September 2026, 17:00 GMT+2.
Apply to join the webinar here.
Recordings of previous webinars are available here.
Webinar 1: How to prepare for graduate study abroad
The first instalment in the series targets Africans who would like information on pathways to acquire the skills and experience that sets one up for graduate study abroad and strengthens one's application. This year our webinar featured Dr. Josué Awonon, Senior Policy and Research Manager at J-PAL Africa, Dr. Yvan Andriameva Assany, Policy Manager at J-PAL Africa, and Dr. Nkechi Owoo, J-PAL Invited Researcher and Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Ghana. The webinar happened on the 13 March 2026, and the recording is available here.
Webinar 2: Putting together a successful application, North America edition
The second instalment of the Pre-PhD webinar series targets prospective African students who are preparing to apply to PhD programs in North America. The webinar will take place on 16 September, 17:00pm GMT+2, and features a panel of admissions faculty from a number of schools including Cornell University, McGill University, Tufts University, University of Houston, University of Delaware, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Wisconsin, University of Virginia and the George Washington University. At the end of the webinar, participants will have a chance to ask questions directly of admissions faculty in breakout groups. If you are interested in attending the webinar please apply here.
Webinar 3: Putting together a successful application, Europe and UK edition
The third and final instalment of the Pre-PhD webinar series targets prospective African students who are preparing to apply to Masters or PhD programs in Europe. The webinar will take place in October 2026, and will feature a panel of admissions faculty from the University of Louvain, Trinity College Dublin, NOVA School of Business and Economics, CERDI at the University Clermont Auvergne, University of Potsdam, Oxford University, UNU-MERIT United Nations University, Wageningen University, and ETH Zurich. To attend this webinar apply here.
Resources
Below we provide links to a number of written resources that may be helpful in the application process. They were last updated in February 2024 and may not be comprehensive, but we hope they will serve as a useful starting point in your PhD application journey.