Multicultural Engineering Recruitment for Graduate Education (MERGE)
Grainger Engineering is one of the world's top-ranked engineering colleges. Our students, faculty, and alumni set the standard for excellence. We drive the economy, reimagine engineering education, and bring revolutionary ideas to the world.
Each fall, the MERGE Program provides an opportunity for students with diverse experiences and goals, and who come from many educational, socio-cultural, geographic, and familial backgrounds to explore and consider Grainger Engineering graduate programs. MERGE supports prospective students through pre-application seminars, program-specific connections, and campus visits.
MERGE 2024
Virtual event: Friday, September 20, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST
- Live virtual visit for all participants
On-campus visit event: November 7-8
- A select group of MERGE participants will be invited to attend an on-campus follow-up visit, sponsored by The Grainger College of Engineering.
All MERGE participants are eligible for an application fee waiver when applying to a Grainger Engineering graduate program.
MERGE participants who enroll in a Grainger Engineering graduate program will be eligible for $700 of professional development funds unless they participated in the sponsored MERGE campus visit in 2024.
Application Information
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S. citizens or permanent residents
- Currently enrolled in or recently completed an accredited curriculum in engineering, computer science, or physics
- Minimum GPA of 3.2 (on a 4.0 point scale)
- Persons with diverse experiences and goals, who come from many educational, socio-cultural, geographic, and familial backgrounds
Application Requirements
- A resume or CV
- An unofficial transcript
- An academic statement addressing your plans for graduate study, including research interests, career goals, relevant coursework completed, and other educational experiences (up to 1,000 words)
- A personal statement addressing both of the following prompts (up to 1,000 words):
- Please describe any experiences and/or challenges that may have shaped your intellectual and personal development.
- Provide insight into your potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect in which scholars with diverse perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and collaborate productively and positively.
I had a fantastic time, learned much, and felt more welcome by The Grainger College of Engineering than I have in both of my undergraduate colleges in 5 years.
Jared Canty
2022 MERGE Participant
MERGE helped me directly connect with professors and PhD students in their labs. I felt welcomed into the communities at UIUC and I am excited to learn even more as I begin the application process. The MERGE programming also helped me connect with students in different disciplines sharing my interests in research and passion for access and inclusion. It was great to not only connect with people in my field but form relationships with people across engineering disciplines!
Alice Zhang
2022 MERGE Participant
Want to hear about upcoming MERGE events?
Contact us to be notified of future events or to ask questions about the program.
Graduate Program Rankings
The graduate engineering program at The Grainger College of Engineering is ranked #9 overall in the U.S. News & World Report (published June 2024). The following list includes our ranked graduate engineering degree programs and specialties.
- Ranked Degree Programs
- #7Aerospace Engineering
- #6Agricultural Engineering
- #17Biomedical Engineering
- #12Chemical Engineering
- #1Civil Engineering
- #4 Computer Engineering
- #5 Computer Science
- #4 Electrical Engineering
- #4 Environmental Engineering
- #15 Industrial Engineering
- #5 Materials Science and Engineering
- #6 Mechanical Engineering / Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
- #6Nuclear Engineering
- #9 Physics*
- Ranked specialties
- #8 Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence
- #6 Computer Science - Programming Language
- #5 Computer Science - Systems
- #6 Computer Science - Theory
- #13 Physics - Atomic / Molecular / Optical*
- #5 Physics - Condensed Matter*
- #5 Physics - Living Systems*
- #6 Physics - Nuclear*
- #12 Physics - Quantum*
*Note: U.S. News & World Report did not rank national Physics graduate degree programs in 2024. The above Physics degree program and specialty rankings are from the 2023 report.
Grainger Engineering Five-Year Ph.D. Funding Guarantee
Grainger Engineering Ph.D. students in their first five years of enrollment are guaranteed a funded appointment for fall and spring that includes a full tuition waiver, a partial fee waiver, and a stipend. Students are also eligible for summer support. Students must remain in Good Academic Standing and successfully perform the duties of their assistantships. Learn more.
Unique "Micro-Urban" Community
Urbana-Champaign is on an accelerated development track, emerging as a leading example of a "micro-urban" community—a population center of less than 250,000 with a set of highly desirable attributes commonly found in larger cities. Our vibrant arts/culture/nightlife scene, internationally diverse population, strong technology base, and commitment to societal issues coupled with a world-class university make this an ideal place to live, study, and work.
True Interdisciplinary Spirit
We're home to numerous research centers, multidisciplinary research efforts, and many advanced laboratories. Interdisciplinary discovery is a topic of conversation at every university today. At Illinois, it isn't just talk. It's a way of life. Here it's possible to redefine success, and invent new ways of working with colleagues from across campus in almost any field, for almost any reason.
Institute for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access
Grainger Engineering's IDEA supports scholarship, innovation, collaboration, and leadership in the areas of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access at all levels. Learn more about IDEA.
GEM Fellowships
The GEM National Consortium Fellowships provide financial support and summer internship opportunities for MS and Ph.D. level students. Learn more about GEM.
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