Chemistry Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Programs

Are you a recent college graduate from a traditionally underrepresented background seeking research experience to help you place into a Ph.D. program? Yale’s Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) may be the perfect opportunity for you.

The Yale Chemistry Department has teamed up with the Yale Office of Graduate Student Development and Diversity to support multiple post-baccalaureate students from June 2025 – May 2026/27 in the following programs:

  • the one-year NIH PREP (National Institutes of Health Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program),
  • the two-year ESI PREP (Emerging Scholars Initiative Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program), and
  • the two-year CHRP PREP (Culture Heritage Research and Practice Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program).

Accepted students will receive a $42,000 stipend, health insurance, tuition for courses, money for a new laptop computer, and travel-related expenses.

Each student works closely with Yale faculty and graduate students in laboratories conducting world-leading research. By showing their success using all the tools in this environment, students will demonstrate their suitability for admission to top graduate schools.

Chemists in the Yale PREP program also interact with other post-baccalaureate students across the science and humanities on campus. Together, they hone skills in resume building, career workshops, preparation for graduate applications, as well as research and coursework.

Students will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills through involvement in student groups, such as:

  • the Professional Development Network to develop career opportunities,
  • the Joint Safety Team to enhance lab safety,
  • the Women in Science at Yale club,
  • the Yale chapter of National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, and
  • the DEIB Peer Resource Advocates, which directs students to university resources and organizes trainings and community social gatherings.

Yale’s PREP programs have a great track record of placing students into graduate schools. To participate in one of the programs, you must:

  • be a US citizen or permanent resident, and
  • have earned your bachelor’s degree in a relevant field prior to the start of the program, but no more than three years before you apply to the program.

 Learn more and apply. 

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on February 28, 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact Kara Swenson, Professor Patrick Holland, or Professor Caitlin Davis.