Graduate School Application

Webinar on "Applying to US graduate schools in STEM fields"

On August 23,2021, Prof. Sossina Haile and Dr. Iwnetim Iwnetu Abate presented a webinar on "Applying to US graduate schools in STEM fields". Here are the slides that Prof Sossina Haile and Dr. Iwnetim Iwnetu presented during the webinar. 

The video recording of the webinar can be found here.

Section 1: The Application Process

US has several universities with excellent graduate school program. Most (if not all) universities offer PhD programs in STEM for FREE  plus monthly stipend. In addition, one can directly apply to the PhD program right after Bachelors without Masters degree. 


The following are the main requirements for graduate school application in the US. Please refer to documents at the bottom of the following list for details on the application process.  

Note: 


Here additional documents that cover the application process in detail in addition to the slides Prof. Sossina Haile and Dr. Iwnetim Abate used during the webinar.  

Section 2: Identifying Programs

Section 3: Timeline for the application process 

Section 4: Statement of Purpose (SOP) Samples

The SOP is where you articulate why you want to PhD at X university and why you are a good fit. The main components of an SOP are as follows. Please refer to documents at the bottom of the following list for details on the application process.   


Here samples of SOP and documents that cover the SOP writing process in detail.  

Section 5: Curriculum Vitae (CV) Sample


Section 6: GRE and TOFEL Resources

Exam Resources:These are some resources to study for these exams. 

Study Plans: Magoosh has different study plans you can adapt


The figure below summarize how one can prepare for these exams. 

Section 7: Funding your education  

While most (if not all) PhD programs in STEM are offered for Free at US universities, funding your Masters degree can rather be difficult. The figure below summarize how one can fund their higher education in the US.

You can refer to these websites on how to get:


Note: There are several Masters programs in Europe and Asia which are for free. You can refer to this website to find them.