2023/2024 Graduate School
Application Program
Queer students and scholars are underrepresented and marginalized within STEM fields. Applying to graduate schools typically costs many hundreds of dollars which poses a major barrier to queer students, who are disproportionately affected by economic hardship. Queer students also do not have many sources and role models to turn to for advice when preparing their application materials for graduate school applications. The aim of oSTEM/Queer in AI Graduate School Application Programs is to alleviate the financial burden of queer students and connect them with senior queer scientists for application feedback.
Financial Aid Program
oSTEM and Queer in AI are working to end application and test fees as a barrier to queer STEM scholars applying to graduate programs. We are pleased to announce our 2023 Graduate School Application Financial Aid Program, which will provide up to USD 750 per individual to cover application or test fees for queer people applying to STEM graduate and medical degree programs.
The scholarship program has two deadlines: November 1st, 2023 and February 1st, 2024. We strongly prefer you only apply once, you may apply for aid to masters or PhD programs at either deadline. but keep in mind many PhD programs have december deadlines.
Applications submitted by each deadline will be reviewed approximately one week after the deadline to enable scholarships to be distributed on PhD and masters application timelines.
Scholarship be used for any graduate school program: Master, PhD, etc.
Open to international applicants AND non-US universities, too!
Questions? Email queerinai-ostem-grad-app-program@googlegroups.com.
Application Review Program
As the graduate program application season begins, queer prospective grad students are seeking help with writing their CV, statement of purpose, and personal statement. oSTEM and Queer in AI want to connect mentors at all levels of seniority (PhD students, postdocs, professors) in all areas of STEM with grad school applicants with similar research interests. By connecting students with queer researchers in their fields, we will provide expert feedback on all parts of grad applications.
To apply to get feedback on your application: please click the link below and create a new application for review submission.
To apply to be a mentor: we are also seeking qualified application reviewers! If you have successfully applied to graduate schools in the past, please consider applying to be a mentor.
Instructions of Submission
Here is a general walk through about the submission process.
For submissions of the Financial Aid track:
Submit your application at https://form.jotform.com/232668532628060
Your application will be reviewed after the next of our two submission deadlines: November 1st, 2023 and February 1st, 2024. Expect to get a decision approximately one week after the closest deadline.
For submissions of the Application Review track:
Log in to the CMT conference submission site (https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/User/Login?ReturnUrl=%2F). If you do not have an account, you can register one for free using any email address you have.
Search for “Queer in AI Grad Admissions Program 2023” in the search box for conference list.
Go to the conference “Queer in AI Grad Admissions Program 2023” and create a submission for the Application Review track.
In the submission, please provide the required materials and answer the demographic questions.
The chair will match you with a senior mentor in your closely related field.
The mentor will give full feedback on your application materials.
Mentors are also encouraged to set up one 30-minutes long meeting with the applicant. But the meeting can go longer or shorter based on availability and needs of the mentor and the applicant.
FAQ:
Here are some frequently asked questions and the answers from our past communication. We hope this will help address your questions.
“Who should I contact with questions about the program?”
Please send your inquiry to queerinai-ostem-grad-app-program@googlegroups.com with the subject “[Inquiry] QinAI Graduate School Application Program”.
“How many people can apply?”
This year, we aim to cover as many as possible applicants.
“Do I need to upload all receipts at once or one by one?”
Please upload your receipts all at once. Remember that the chairs and reviewers are volunteers and they have their own work.
Other application aid and mentorship resources
You may be eligible to apply to the graduate application financial aid programs run by other affinity groups in STEM fields, such as the Black in AI academic program (https://blackinai.github.io/#/programs/academic-program).
There are student-run application support programs (https://twitter.com/jbhuang0604/status/1446981455683407873) organized by specific universities and departments, some of which might also allow you to waive certain fees.
Some graduate programs will waive their application fees for certain applicants. Typically, you can request a waiver either based on financial need, or as a participant of a program or organization supporting an underrepresented population in STEM (such as oSTEM or Black in AI). For the specific eligibility criteria and the required documents, please check the website of the specific graduate program or contact the graduate admissions office of the department/university. For a list of many schools and programs that offer waivers, see https://www.andrewkuz.net/public/dashboards/cs-hci-phd-application-review-programs/2024/html/cs-hci-phd-application-review-programs-2024.html and https://github.com/KaiserWhoLearns/CS-PhD-Application-fee-waivers.
Some schools organize recruiting events for potential applicants and will waive the application fees if you attend the event. One example is the Purdue Big Ten+ Graduate School Expo (https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/gradexpo/).