Rainbow Bridge Alumni Scholarship

We are a group of students who received undergraduate education in China and pursuing PhD study abroad, and we care deeply about the experiences of sexual minorities in Chinese universities. We encourage Chinese undergraduate students who identify as sexual minorities to study abroad and apply to fully funded graduate programs abroad, and would like to offer our support and assistance.

Criteria

Chinese students who Self-identified as sexual minorities, planning to apply to international graduate programs at around December 2023 (for Fall 2024 enrollment), and is currently enrolled in (or recently graduated from) the following Universities:

  • Fudan University
  • Peking University
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • Tsinghua University
  • University of Science and Technology of China
  • Zhejiang University

Alphabetically ordered.

We plan to add more schools to the list as more alumni join our cause.

Funding

We will select 5 students and reimburse their application fees for 4 international graduate programs (PhD, JD, MD, etc., up to USD 150 per program), as well as reimbursing the cost for taking the TOEFL exam once (or similar language exams, approximately CNY 2100) and the cost for taking GRE/GMAT exam once (approximately CNY 1665).

We will also select 10 students and reimburse the application fees for 1 international graduate program (PhD, JD, MD, etc., up to USD 150) and the cost for taking the Duolingo English Test (or similar language exampls, up to USD 50).

In addition to funding support, we are also happy to offer volunteer-hosted application material review and feedback sessions for all qualified applicants, to discuss and improve CVs and Personal Statements.

Note: we encourage students to apply to fully funded graduate programs, where the university provides tuition waivers and provides Fellowships, Teaching Assistantship, or Research Assistantship to cover living expenses. Study abroad refers to Universities outside of greater China region (Mainland, Hongkong, Macau, Taiwan).

How to apply

We understand that students are very busy in the application season and want to minimize your time and effort spent. Please answer the following questions briefly.

Given the sensitive nature of matters discussed and to best protect your privacy, please do not reveal too many personal details in your submission. We strongly encourage you to obfuscate details in your experience and personal history, with the exception of basic demographics.

Please send an email to [email protected] before 11:59pm, November 15th, 2023 (Chinese standard time), and discuss the following in your email:

  • Personal background: school currently enrolled, department / major, graduating / expected graduation year.
  • Personal plan: research interest, undergraduate research experience (if any, please remember to obfuscate), list of universities / programs you plan to apply to.
  • Identification: how do you define your identity as a sexual minority?
  • Experience: how did your identity affects your growth and education experience in China?
  • Diversity and Inclusion: if you are able to, how do you envision your future self to contribute to the diversity and inclusion of our society?

We also ask you to submit your answers anonymously:

  • Please submit your application from your personal email; do not provide your name (please use a nickname).
  • If you received the scholarship, one of your alumni will reach out to you to validate your student status.

Each received application will be kept strictly confidential; we will reply periodically with updates.

Reviewing

We will, after removing personally identifiable information, match your application with alumni from the same school or in the similar research fields for reviewing. We tentatively plan to announce the result by November 30th, 2023.

Due to the sensitive nature of the program, we had to also keep the identity of our funders and reviewers confidential. After the reviewing period, we will delete all data from all applicants, therefore please save your own copy. You can also request to withdraw your application and ask us to delete your data at any time.

Distribution

Application fees: the award recipient can choost to provides us with university application system credentials (e.g., ApplyWeb accounts) and we will pay the fee directly. Alternatively, the applicant can provide screenshots of application fee receipts for reimbursement.

Exam fees: the award recipient pay the exam fee at the official NEEA website (or test sites outside of China) and provide exam confirmation / receipts, and we will transfer the reimbursement to the award recipient's bank account.

We will coordinate with award recipients to accommodate their individual circumstances.

Disclaimer: The organizers reserve the right to change or modify any of the terms and conditions. This description is a translation; in case of ambiguity, please refer to the original Chinese version in case of discrepancies.