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• for people who will enter the US on passports from countries that do not participate in the US visa waiver program, but do have sufficient funds to attend the ISG workshop.
• for people who will enter the US on passports from countries that do not participate in the US visa waiver program, and also do not have sufficient funds to attend the ISG workshop.

the programs to increase representativeness of ISG students

Students who hold passports from countries that are not part of the U.S. visa waiver program may choose to apply for either (1) the Early Registration Program; or (2) the International Scholars and Cultural Exchange Program (ISCEP) scholarship—but not both. Information on which countries participate in the U.S. visa waiver program can be found here: . All applicants should have a passport valid through October 2025 or beyond and should have an intermediate or better proficiency in the English language, suitable to be able to function successfully at the ISG workshop. 

Applications for both programs are due by July 12, 2024, and acceptance decisions will be returned to applicants soon after that along with further information about next steps. Please direct any questions you might have about these programs to ibgworkshop@colorado.edu.  

Early Registration Program.

Applications to the Early Registration Program are solicited from individuals who (a) are interested in attending the 2025 ISG workshop (March 3-7, 2025); (b) will enter the United States on passports from countries that do not have a visa waiver with the U.S.; and (c) have access to sufficient funds to attend the workshop. Estimated total cost of attending the workshop is around $2,500 - $4,000 USD ($200 for the reduced registration, $160 for the US Tourist Visa, ~$1,100 for hotel, ~$300 for food not covered by the workshop registration, ~$100 for incidentals, and between $700 - $2,000 for flights). International students who meet qualifications (a) and (b) above but who do not have access to sufficient funds to attend the workshop should instead apply for the ISCEP scholarship.

The goal of early registration is to allow students from non-visa waiver countries to have additional time to try to secure a relevant (e.g., B-1/B-2) visa. To encourage representation from these countries, we will also reduce the normal registration fee from $600 to $200 for awardees. We will reserve 10 spots for this program. If we receive more qualifying applications than this, we will select awardees based on fit, merit, diversity of the applicant pool, and likelihood of obtaining a visa in time. We will let applicants know whether they are accepted into the program in mid-July, at which time we will explain how to register for the workshop. Students who are accepted into the program should begin the visa process shortly thereafter to increase the probability that they will obtain a visa interview in time. In order to allow students on the waitlist to be able to attend, and to minimize the number of empty seats at the workshop, students in this program who do not obtain a visa by January 1, 2025 will have their registration withdrawn and their registration fee reimbursed.  

To apply for the Early Registration Program, please fill out the form here ( ) by July 12, 2024.  

International Scholars and Cultural Exchange Program (ISCEP)

Applications for the ISCEP scholarship* are solicited from individuals who (a) are interested in attending the 2025 ISG workshop (March 3-7, 2025) and working at the Institute for Behavioral Genetics (IBG) the two weeks following (March 10-21, 2025); (b) will enter the United States on passports from countries that do not have a visa waiver with the U.S.; and (c) do not have access to sufficient funds to attend the workshop.  

International students who meet qualifications (a) and (b) above, but who do have access to sufficient funds to attend the workshop should instead apply for the Early Registration Program.  

The ISCEP scholarship will fully fund 2-3 junior researchers (e.g., graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, early career faculty) to attend the 2025 ISG workshop and to work at IBG for the two weeks following, applying skills learned at the workshop to real data by collaborating with researchers at IBG. More information on IBG can be found at its website (/ibg/). Recipients will also be expected to give a talk to the IBG community describing genetics research in their home country and presenting their previous research and future directions.  

ISCEP funding includes flights, hotel, and meals while in ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ, CO as well as reimbursement for visa fees (which must be paid initially by the students). Awardees will work with administrative staff at CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ to obtain a J-1 visitor visa, which typically has a much shorter wait time than tourist (B-1/B-2) visas.   

ISCEP scholarships are highly competitive. Applicants will need to explain how participation in the ISCEP will further their educational and career goals, upload a curriculum vita as well as a letter of reference from their supervisor, and demonstrate that attendance at the ISG workshop would present a financial hardship to the student and/or their institution.  

To apply for the ISCEP scholarship, please fill out the form here ( ) by July 12, 2024. 

*NOTE: Funding for the 2024 ISCEP scholarship was generously provided by Regeneron Genetics Center. Funding for this year's ISCEP scholarship is pending. We hope to know soon if funding for 2025 has been renewed.