Graduate Retention Enrichment and Academic Champions (Grad REACH)

Graduate Retention Enrichment and Academic Champions (Grad REACH) is an academic retention program that is open to all full-time graduate students, but is focused on students who are traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields. These groups include students who identify as Black/African American, Latinx, Hispanic, Indigenous/Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaskan Native/Pacific Islander.

Grad REACH is open to students enrolled in programs within the Colleges of Computing, Engineering, and Sciences. The program includes peer mentoring, pairing upper level graduate students with newer graduate students. Benefits of the program include monthly meetings covering professional development topics, access to corporate sponsors, faculty research talks, connection to campus resources, and academic enrichment activities. Students will be assigned to small peer mentoring groups based on major and on similar professional and academic goals. Students are eligible to apply to BOTH the Grad RISE and GRAD REACH programs (these are separate applications). Grad RISE provides funding, while Grad REACH does not. Students awarded the Grad RISE fellowship are required to participate in Grad REACH, and must also complete a Grad REACH application. Please read the entire application, double check it, and ensure that all of the above eligibility requirements are met before submission.

The application period for participation in Grad REACH normally closes June 1 each year. However, the window is being extended through the summer this year. Please apply by August 1, 2023. Grad REACH notifications and peer mentorship matching announcements will be completed at the end of summer. Grad REACH programming is being planned for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.