Getting You into IU

Program Description

Indiana University’s Graduate School in Bloomington is committed to attracting outstanding graduate students by providing opportunities to explore the university’s academic and research environment. The Getting You into Indiana University (GU2IU) program offers prospective Ph.D. and master’s students a no-cost visit to campus, where they can engage with faculty and current graduate students, learn about ongoing research, and experience the strength of IU’s graduate programs firsthand.

The University Graduate School will host the next Getting You into Indiana University (GU2IU) in fall 2025.

Participants will learn more about IU’s Ph.D. and Masters programs, research opportunities, and funding options. Additionally, participants will meet with faculty, staff, and current graduate students, attend sessions on preparing competitive applications for graduate admission, how to thrive as a graduate student, and additional IU resources. All participants will receive an application fee waiver for doctoral programs in The Graduate School.

Application Deadline

Details about GU2IU Fall 2025 will be announced later in the summer.

Prospective Graduate Participant Benefits

Interact with world-class faculty in your interested discipline and research interest
Network with current graduate students and other prospective students
Engage administrators on strategies for submitting a competitive application and how to secure funding
Be exposed to research opportunities

Eligibility Requirements

All applicants must:

Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.
Plan to enroll in graduate school in 2026.
Demonstrate a strong academic record, with a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
Show a clear research trajectory and commitment to graduate study, preferably through prior research experience, scholarly presentations, or research-intensive coursework.
Provide a faculty letter of support that describes their readiness for graduate study and ability to succeed in a rigorous academic environment.
Submit a statement outlining their research interests and how pursuing graduate study at Indiana University Bloomington aligns with their academic and professional goals.
Scholars who had to confront and surmount significant societal barriers to pursue higher education are strongly encouraged to apply. Such barriers may include:
- Coming from a low-income background.
- Residing in remote or rural areas.
- Being the first in their family to attend college.
- Living with a disability.
- Following a non-traditional academic trajectory (such as taking a break from formal education due to insurmountable challenges).
- Balancing significant caregiving responsibilities.

Selection Criteria

Prospective graduate students must possess a strong academic profile for the program they are interested in visiting. The strongest applicants for graduate study will have a clear sense of how and why each specific program is a good fit for their intended work. We suggest looking carefully at our degree programs and faculty and indicating which you are most interested in. To that end, the application limits you to be able to pick ONE PhD program of interest.

Application Timeline (for Spring 2025)

December 31: Student applications due
January 1-3: UGS reviews applicants
January 3-24: Departments review
January 27: UGS sends offer to selected participants
January 31: Confirm participants
February 23: Deadline for departments to submit personalized schedule(s) to UGS
February 27: Airplane tickets are purchased & itineraries sent
March 9-11, 2025: GU2IU host

Application Checklist

To be considered in our selection process, interested students must submit all application materials electronically by December 31, 2024.

GU2IU Program Application (Click HERE)
Statement of Interest (500 words or less directed towards your graduate program of interest that indicates your research and/or professional interest and why you want to pursue these interests at Indiana University)
Unofficial copy of transcript (.pdf format)
Current CV/resume (.pdf or Word.doc format)
A letter of recommendation (.pdf format)

***We anticipate very high demand for this program. Not being admitted to GU2IU does not determine your future admission to any particpular IU Graduate Program.***

For any additional questions regarding this program please contact Katie Trzepacz at katrze@iu.edu.

Additional Information about GU2IU

Indiana University partnered with Purdue and Northwestern Universities in the National Science Foundation (NSF) - Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program from 2004-2012. The AGEP program was designed to build infrastructure at each university to support the recruitment of students into our graduate programs. Out of the AGEP program, Indiana University developed one particularly successful program – Getting You into Indiana University (GU2IU). The program was institutionalized following the end of the AGEP grant.

Getting You into Indiana University (GU2IU) is a campus recruitment program for prospective students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. or M.F.A. at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. The program brings up to 75 prospective graduate students (US citizens and permanent residents) to campus each year. GU2IU began as a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program. The goal of GU2IU is to increase the number of underrepresented students applying to and pursuing graduate degrees. Once institutionalized, it was opened to all PhD and MFA granting disciplines. Currently, 70% of these underrepresented students have an interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in a STEM field.

Students are recruited from schools throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. We receive about 120 applications each year; thus, there is strong competition for available slots. Successful applicants are nominated by a faculty member, and virtually all have prior research experience gained through participation in programs such as McNair Scholar Programs, NSF REU, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bridges, and other similar initiatives to the Doctorate.

Up to 50 students attend the fall event and up to 25 attend the spring event. The three-day event is an all-expense paid trip for selected highly qualified applicants including airfare, lodging, and meals. Campus-based representatives included administrators, faculty, staff, and student representatives. All were available to answer questions and interact with potential students. Student areas of interest include Life Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science; Physical Sciences: Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy, Informatics, Computer Science; Human Development: Education, Health Behavior, Public Health.

Departments/Programs that have participated in GU2IU are campus-wide and include:

When you visit IU through the Getting You into IU program, you will:

Attend sessions on preparing competitive applications for graduate admission and fellowships
Meet individually and in groups with IU faculty
Sit in on classes in the school or department which interests you
Tour departments and research facilities
Attend formal and informal sessions with current graduate students to talk about degree programs and graduate student life at IU

Getting You into IU

Program Description

History of GU2IU

Previous GU2IU Department Participants

About the Visit

Graduate School Bloomington resources and social media channels