Frequently Asked Questions

General

  • No, GAIN does not offer scholarships.

    Selected students receive financial support only to cover application expenses, including fees for standardized tests and applications.

  • If you know someone who would be a good fit for our program, please share our website with them. Prospective participants can apply directly through the respective page or sign up to our reminder list.

    If required, please reach out to us on our contact form in the footer for further information.

  • If the application form is not loading or working properly, please try using Google Chrome and clearing your browser history. If you are on a mobile device, please try accessing the form through a laptop or desktop computer. If the problem persists, please reach out to us at info@gain-network.net.

  • Yes, it is completely free to join the GAIN Webinar Series and Mentoring Program. However, participants are responsible for providing their own internet to access webinars (via Zoom), mentoring sessions and GAIN materials.

  • After the GAIN mentoring program, mentees enrolled in a graduate program will receive an invitation to join the GAIN Alumni Network, a support community for our graduate students. Alumni members receive continuous support to ensure that they stay on track with their studies and graduate in excellence, receive support for their job search and continued professional development.

  • GAIN runs only one application cycle in a year which will be communicated through our social media platforms as well as our website.

    Applications open once per year for interested participants and once per year for interested mentors.

  • Yes, GAIN is on social media.

    You can find us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

  • For Master's Programs
    Included:

    • Economics (and subfields, e.g. health economics, development economics)

    • Public policy programs with a strong economics focus

    Excluded:

    • International Relations

    • Political Science

    • Business

    • Accounting

    • Finance

    • Other

    For PhD Programs
    Included:

    • Economics (and subfields, e.g. health economics, development economics)

    • Public policy programs with an economics focus

    • Political science

    • Finance

    • Other quantitative social sciences

    Excluded:

    • Financial Mathematics

    • International Relations

    • Business

    • Accounting

    • Other

Webinar Series and Mentee Program

  • The GAIN Webinar Series introduces the different aspects of the application process, including GRE preparation, school selection, recommendation letters, motivational statements, scholarships, etc.

    In the mentoring program, mentees receive one-to-one mentoring by global research professionals throughout the application cycle. Selected students will also receive financial support to cover application expenses, including fees for standardized tests and applications.

  • All GAIN participants who complete the webinar series and assignments are eligible to apply for the second phase, the mentoring program. However, not everyone who applies is automatically admitted.

    We evaluate our participants for the mentoring phase based on a number of tasks related to the webinars and the application process, such as GRE mock exams, their academic performance, statement of purpose, etc.

  • We encourage anyone interested in graduate school to apply to be a part of our webinar series but not to the mentoring program. This could be useful in understanding the requirements for graduate applications, such as research experience or required courses which might need some work before you are ready to apply, or even understanding whether this is the right path for you. Webinar participants are not required to participate in the mentoring phase.

  • No, the GAIN program is open to students from any African country.

  • During the webinar series, participants are expected to attend the bi-weekly, 2-hour webinars. If a participant is interested in applying to the mentoring program, they will need to account for additional time to prepare and submit all required assignments.

    During the mentoring program, applicants must commit some time - based on their own and their mentor’s schedule - to attend mentoring sessions, prepare for standardization tests, write their SOPs, email professors, and submit their applications, etc. The time commitment for the mentoring phase is, thus, dependant on the mentor and the mentee.

  • Yes, students may apply to the GAIN program more than once. However, they will not be granted any exemptions and must, therefore, apply for the mentoring program again. This requires the attendance of the Webinar Series.

  • Each participant may apply twice per track after the webinar series. This means that if you have already applied for a Master's program twice, you are not eligible to apply again for a Master's track. However, you are still welcome to apply for a PhD track if you are considering that path.

  • Yes, students may apply to the GAIN program more than once. However, they will not be granted any exemptions and must, therefore, apply for the mentoring program again. This requires the attendance of the Webinar Series.

Mentor Program

  • If you can no longer execute the responsibilities of a mentor, please send us an email to mentoring@gain-network.net.

  • The time commitment for the mentoring phase is dependant on the mentor and the mentee and the application timeline. However, mentors should have the ability to commit 4-8 hours a month on average throughout the entire application cycle from June to April.

  • Yes, GAIN has a large number of resources to support mentees during their application process. However, mentors are welcome to share their own resources with their mentees.