Home | MIT EECS GAAP

The Graduate Application Assistance Program (GAAP) is a student-run initiative offered by PhD students in the MIT EECS department. We pair eligible underrepresented applicants with current student volunteers, who mentor them 1:1 through the graduate application process, meeting periodically with applicants all the way up to the deadline. Since 2020, GAAP mentors have helped ~1,000 applicants through the application process!

GAAP signups for applicants applying to graduate school in Fall 2023 are now closed. Stay tuned for our 2024-25 cycle!

Concerned that you discovered GAAP too late? Don't worry! We match applicants with mentors weekly up until November 8th (and by lottery when there are not enough mentors available).

Note: The program is designed for underrepresented groups, defined as those groups for which representation in the EECS PhD program at MIT is significantly less than representation in the general US population. The signup form will walk you through our eligibility criteria.

For current MIT graduate students

Mentor for GAAP

For just a couple of hours of time commitment, you can make a lasting positive impact on a young researcher's career. It's also a special opportunity to gain valuable mentoring experience, which is an important part of any academic or industry CV. All current MIT EECS graduate students are eligible to mentor. We will provide you with mentoring resources if you need them! Sign ups are now closed. Stay tuned for our 2024-25 cycle!

Join the GAAP Team

GAAP is run by a team of dedicated student volunteers. We could always use some help! To join the team, reach out to the GAAP team (see Contact).

For prospective donors

GAAP is funded by generous donations from organizations and individuals committed to promoting equity in the graduate school admissions process. If you would like to support our program to ensure its long-term continuity, please reach out to the GAAP team (see Contact). We would like to thank the MIT/IBM Watson AI Lab, MIT Quest for Intelligence, and MIT EECS Department for their support over the years.

Some more resources for applicants

The official MIT EECS graduate admissions website
Helpful information on statements of purpose from the MIT EECS Communication Lab
Quotes from MIT faculty about what they are looking for in statements of purpose

Meet the GAAP team

GAAP is run by a team of graduate student volunteers at MIT! Alphabetically, the 2023-24 team is: