Join us to be a Bridge for Pursuing Higher Degrees (B4PhD) Scholar! 

The Purdue University College of Science invites prospective graduate students to join us for a free and online mentoring program designed to help you prepare for graduate school—from the application process, to becoming a grad student, to thriving on your way to your graduate degree.  

As a B4PhD Scholar, you would join in three online sessions in the spring of 2026 and participate in associated activities and assignments to help you envision your graduate school journey. The program also includes exclusive mentoring with current Purdue graduate students, who will help demystify what graduate school is all about.  B4PhD Scholars have an opportunity to participate further in the "Mentor Meet-and-Match", working with faculty whose research interests overlap your own to learn more about work in your fields of interest.

Become a B4PhD Scholar Mentee

Interested in pursuing a graduate degree in science?  Curious about graduate school?  If you are a freshman, sophomore, or junior interested in one of the many departments in the College of Science please consider becoming a B4PhD Scholar. 

Our departments include:

• Biological Sciences
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
• Mathematics
• Physics and Astronomy
• Statistics

Apply to be a B4PhD Scholar - link to application will open in 2026

Subscribe to our mailing list here to receive a link to the mentee application when it goes live!

Become a B4PhD Graduate Student Mentor

Are you a current Purdue University College of Science graduate student?  Interested in sharing your graduate student experience?  Consider becoming a B4PhD mentor and engage with fellow graduate students to mentor undergraduates for a wide variety of colleges and universities.  Our B4PhD scholars wish to learn more about the graduate school experience and they prefer to hear it from current graduate students like you!  Become a mentor and refuel your passion for the sciences, gain valuable mentoring, speaking, and collaboration experience.

Apply to be a B4PhD Mentor - link to application will open in 2026

Subscribe to our mailing list here to receive a link to the mentor application when it goes live!

Anticipated Timeline*

1. Early February 2026: Scholar and mentor applications accepted.
2. Late February 2026: Application deadline.
3. Mid-March 2026: B4PhD Scholars notified of their acceptance into the program.
4. Late March 2026: B4PhD Scholars meet their mentors, participate in an online chat, and receive their first assignment.
5. Early to mid-April 2026: B4PhD live online sessions begin.

Three 90-minute sessions will be held via Zoom. (We observe Eastern Time, please check your time zone against Purdue’s, West Lafayette, IN Time Zone.)

Sessions will include short presentations, small-group discussions with your graduate student mentors, and assignments that will help you prepare to apply to graduate school and/or summer research programs.  Faculty panelists from several of the College of Science departments will be in attendance to share valuable information about pursuing further education via graduate studies and research opportunities.

• Session 1 – Demystifying graduate studies: What is graduate school and is it right for me
• Session 2 – Explaining the graduate school application process.
• Session 3 – Understanding networking with faculty, thinking about advisors, making your game plan, and next steps.

Selected participants who are in their final year of undergraduate studies are also strongly encouraged to visit Purdue's campus as part of a planned visitation. Apply to Discover Purdue! in addition to applying to the B4PhD Scholar Program. We look forward to receiving your application soon!

Questions?

If you are interested in learning more or in becoming a B4PhD scholar, mentor, or faculty panelists, please subscribe to our mailing list here. We will send you a link to the B4PhD Scholar application when it becomes available!  If you prefer to reach out via email or have questions, feel free to send us an email at science@purdue.edu.

Contact:

Janice Evans, PhD
Associate Dean for College Initiatives and Graduate Education
Professor of Biological Sciences
janiceevans@purdue.edu

*Anticipated timeline subject to change.