FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HPRS is designed for full-time doctoral students in a research-based program who are from historically marginalized backgrounds. Scholars must be full-time students during their time with HPRS.

In 2025, HPRS is selecting up to 40 doctoral students who are beginning their second year in fall 2025 in a full-time doctoral program and do not expect to graduate before spring/summer 2028.

Applicants must be from historically marginalized backgrounds and be able to describe how their background, identity, or lived experiences have positioned them to contribute to the goals of the program. Examples of marginalized backgrounds include, but are not limited to, first-generation college graduates; individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds; individuals from communities of color; and individuals with disabilities. These examples are illustrative but not exhaustive. If an applicant is applying because they have a marginalized background not listed above, the applicant must clearly describe how they meet the eligibility criteria in the application form.

Yes. In 2025, we are selecting up to 40 doctoral students who are starting their second year of studies in fall 2025 in a full-time doctoral program and do not expect to graduate before spring/summer 2028.

No, only U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or individuals granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) status or Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time of application are eligible to apply. Changes in federal policy or law may necessitate that we consider adjustments in eligibility and grant terms. Additionally, home institutions must be based in the United States or its territories for their students to be eligible.

Yes, but note that this program is designed for students who do not have a policy or public health background and that some of the training and activities will be redundant to activities in your doctoral program. The program also will limit the number of public health and policy students accepted into each cohort.

No, our eligibility criteria must be complied with in full. Applications that do not meet all eligibility criteria will be screened out and not sent for further review.

The 2025 application is the final year that HPRS will recruit a new cohort. HPRS will select up to 40 doctoral students for its ninth and final cohort in 2025.

All scholars are required to participate in and complete online activities during the academic year, and attend certain in-person activities in the fall and summer, as outlined in detail in the program application.

Many applicants select their doctoral advisors as their home institution mentors. Your home institution mentor must be a faculty member at your home institution who is able to support you throughout the HPRS program. This includes participating in periodic calls and webinars and supporting you to ensure that you receive awarded funds. Your home institution mentor must also submit a reference as a part of the HPRS application. Your home institution mentor does not need to have a background in health policy or public health.

For the second reference, you may choose anyone you like. They may be someone that you have worked with academically or professionally and do not need to be from your current institution.

While it can feel important to include all of your experiences and activities, brevity is important. Pare down the activities and experiences you showcase to the most representative of you as a candidate. Think about and only include what is most important for the reviewers to know about you, and remove anything else that may not be relevant to the HPRS application. One of the easiest ways to shorten a CV is to cut long descriptions of your older roles to a brief summary. If you’ve got a lot of experience, you can list your oldest roles to save space.

One issue behind wordy resumes is usually an excessive amount of helping verbs and articles. To tighten up your resume, watch for helping verbs such as “have,” “had,” “may,” and “to be” and articles such as “a,” “an,” and “the.” All together, these words can add a great amount of length to your resume.

For further tips that may help as you edit our CV, check here

Unfortunately, late submissions are not accepted for any reason. It is recommended to start early and submit your application materials in advance of the deadline so you can successfully complete the application process.