Prospective Graduate Students

The Office of Graduate Access and Retention provides professional development, mentoring, and financial support to prospective graduate students from communities historically and intentionally marginalized in science, math, and engineering fields. Through this initiative, we cultivate a community among graduate students, offering them opportunities to connect, socialize, and succeed in STEM fields.

Colorado Advantage Program

The Colorado Advantage Program invites prospective applicants to CU Boulder during a weekend in the fall to learn about STEM doctoral opportunities, meet with faculty, tour research facilities and interact with current graduate students. Applicants for the program must be intending to apply for admission into a STEM PhD program for the following fall term. The goal of the program is to recruit a diverse pool of candidates into CU Boulder’s STEM doctoral programs.

Office of Graduate Access and Retention Fellowship

The Office of Graudate Access and Retention provides support aimed at enhancing the recruitment of first-year graduate students from communities historically excluded and intentionally marginalized within the U.S. into Master's and Ph.D. programs. This includes both citizens and permanent residents. Annually, departments must show their commitment to actively recruiting and retaining students from these targeted communities to qualify for funding. Graduate program coordinators are required to nominate candidates who have either received an offer of admission or have accepted their offer for enrollment. GAR will issue approval or decline notices to graduate program coordinators by mid-March each year.