Our Program

The Webinar Program

Our webinar series covers every aspect of the graduate application process and features panel discussions with leading African scholars worldwide. The webinars take place every two weeks on Zoom from January-June. Previous seminars have covered: scholarships and funding opportunities; strategies for taking standardized tests (GRE, TOEFL, etc.); how to write an academic CV as well as statement of purposes; how to find letter of recommendation writers; advice for choosing universities and different career paths; and balancing family responsibilities with graduate studies.

Towards the end of the webinar program, participants may apply to be considered for the mentoring phase of the program. The application includes the submission of a CV, statement of Purpose and the most recent university transcript. Before being officially admitted, promising applicant will have to prepare for a take an official GRE test in a pre-mentoring phase. 

The Pre-Mentoring Phase

Before the second phase of the program, promising applicants to the mentoring phase will be accepted into a pre-mentoring phase. This involves a 3-month GRE bootcamp with access to GRE preparation materials as well as GAIN resources. By the end of July, all pre-mentoring participants will have to have taken a GRE. The best-scoring participants will be selected for the GAIN mentoring phase.

The Mentoring Program

In the mentoring phase, GAIN matches each accepted mentee to a suitable mentor. Mentors meet virtually with mentees every two weeks to support them in choosing programs of study, preparing application materials such as the CV and statement of purpose, and preparing for standardized tests such as the GRE and TOEFL. Matching between mentors and mentees is based on the field of study, professional experience, and personal background, e.g. country of origin. Our volunteer mentors are professors, researchers, and policy advisors at leading institutions worldwide with a passion for improving representation in the research community. In 2024, around 75 students advanced to the mentoring phase.

Financial Support

GAIN also offers financial support to cover the costs incurred in the application process, which may be prohibitive for prospective students from low-income countries. These include fees for a limited number of applications, standardized tests, and the submission of test scores. Mentees with the highest real GRE scores from the pre-mentoring phase will be eligible for Mentoring+, which means they will get a larger budget and more hands-on support by the GAIN team.

GAIN Alumni: Grad School Support

After being admitted to a school, mentees can become a GAIN Alumni. This is an extension to our current two parts, the webinars and the mentoring. By joining the GAIN Alumni Network, they will receive a variety of support such as monthly check-in calls and targeted webinars. With this, we aim to increase the study success and graduation rate of our participants.