Scholars Applications

Here you’ll find everything you need to know to apply—from who’s eligible, to how groups are formed, to what the application process looks like.

Clipboard Scholars Eligibility Criteria

1. Completion of the Most Recent Academy Course

  • Applicants must have successfully completed the most recent Academy course in their chosen domain as a student or Teaching Assistant.
  • Course completion is validated through certification, confirming successful completion of both tutorials and projects.
  • Teaching Assistants are eligible to participate as equal collaborators in project teams.
  • Scholars may only participate in the ISP within the same domain as their Academy course (e.g., completing the Academy in Computational Neuroscience allows applying only to the ISP in Computational Neuroscience).

2. Team Participation

  • The ISP is a collaborative effort. All applicants must be part of a team.
  • Individual applications will not be considered.
  • There is a maximum team size of 4, and each applicant may only be part of one team.

3. Commitment to the Program

  • Scholar teams must commit a minimum of 5 hours per week for a six-month period.
  • All team members should ensure they can consistently meet this time requirement alongside their other responsibilities.

4. Motivation and Fit

  • Motivational Statement: Scholar teams must submit a detailed statement explaining:
  • Why they are interested in the Impact Scholars Program
  • What they hope to achieve
  • How their skills and experiences make them a strong fit for their selected project
  • Alignment with Project Goals: We seek scholar teams who not only have a strong technical foundation but also clear and realistic goals for how the program will support their research interests or career development.

People Holding Hands Group Formation

Applicants have two options for selecting a project:
    Continue a project started during the Academy
    Join a project shared by one of our partner organizations

Magnifying Glass Tilted Left How to Find a Team

    Explore available projects – Browse the project galleries to find a a project of interest.
    Join the #ISP-group-formation channel on Discord – Post a message about the project you’re interested in and find potential teammates.
    Organize your team independently – Discuss roles, expectations, and contributions with your teammates.
Scholars should be mindful of time zones when forming teams, and have overlapping hours for smoother communication.
Teams should agree on common availability for meetings and collaboration.

Spiral Calendar Key Dates & Process

  • July 25 (last day of the Academy): Each Academy project group will submit their project slides through the Project Submission Form. This form will also include a section where any member of the group—students or TAs—can indicate their interest in participating in the ISP.
  • July 29: The Academy Project Gallery and the Partner Project Gallery will be published on Discord.
  • July 29 – August 7: During this period, students interested in joining the Impact Scholars Program must form their own teams.