CU Engineering waives application fees for PhD programs
Now through Nov. 15, 2019, any U.S. citizen or permanent resident with an undergraduate GPA of 3.4+ who applies to a PhD program in the college can do so for free — a $60 savings.
The decision to waive fees again comes on the heels of a successful pilot program in fall 2018 that increased highly qualified applicants (3.4+ GPA) by 10 percent and increased applications from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM by almost 50 percent. The college now has about 1,200 doctoral students enrolled.
“We’re committed to thoughtfully growing our PhD programs and to increasing the diversity of our graduate student population while we do so,” said Meredith Canode, director of graduate programs. “The fee waiver is one tool in our tool chest that helps improve access for top-notch students.”
The college is also:
- Attending more student recruiting events across the nation
- Training graduate application review committees on implicit bias and holistic review practices
- Improving marketing and communications to prospective students
These efforts, among others, support the college’s strategic vision to become a premier destination for graduate students from all types of backgrounds.
“Diversity of experience creates diversity of perspective, and these differences encourage approaching questions and problems from different angles — a huge value in scientific research,” Canode said.