First-Year Institute | The Graduate School

NEW 2026! Graduate School Diversity Office First-Year Institute (FYI)

Information for programs and departments >

Program Description

The First Year Institute (FYI), formerly the Summer Institute, is a signature transition program of the Graduate School Diversity Office (GSDO) for newly admitted graduate students. Using a holistic approach to graduate education, the FYI provides support to students as they navigate their first year in graduate school by building an ecosystem of support through community-building, one-on-one faculty mentoring, and seminars addressing the hidden curriculum of graduate education.

Program Components

2 summer (July) online seminars and discussions on successfully preparing and acclimating to graduate school, prior to beginning graduate studies.
2-day in-person community building retreat on the Twin Cities campus (August).
FYI Faculty Mentor (fall semester) with 4 one-on-one meetings.
2 fall semester (September - December) hybrid seminars and discussions on successfully navigating the first year of graduate school.
Short FYI assignments
FYI community social gatherings with 2026 FYI Participants and Faculty Mentors (fall and spring semester).
$1,000 stipend for FYI participant; $1,000 in professional development funds for FYI Faculty Mentors.

FYI Student FAQs >

FYI General Overview (PDF) >

Information for Programs & Departments

2026 First Year Institute Info Session for Graduate Programs

March 19th, 1pm - 2pm, z.umn.edu/2026FYI_info_zoom

First Year Institute (FYI)

First Year Institute Dates

Programs and departments who would like to fund an eligible graduate student to participate in FYI 2026, please fill out the First Year Institute (FYI) Nominee Form (for colleges/programs).

FYI Student Eligibility

Eligible FYI Participants are a:

First-year, incoming Graduate School Diversity Office (GSDO) Diversity of Views and Experiences Fellow (DOVE), OR
First-year, incoming, DOVE-eligible, domestic graduate students who meet all of the following criteria:
- will be supported by a fellowship, GAship, RAship, or TAship, in the 2026 - 2027 academic year,
- their program, department, or college will cover costs for their participation in the FYI Program, and
- are approved by the GSDO to participate in FYI
Students in non-research-based graduate programs, and those in certificate programs, are not eligible for FYI.
International students are not eligible for FYI.

FYI Administrative Process

DOVE Fellows: All DOVE Fellowship recipients are guaranteed a spot in FYI if they fill out an FYI Participant Application Form by the May 8th DOVE priority deadline. Upon notification of being awarded a DOVE Fellowship, the GSDO will automatically send DOVE Fellows an FYI Participant Application Form. DOVE Fellows who wish to participate in the 2026 FYI must fill out the form.

DOVE-eligible students: DOVE-eligible nominees/applicants are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis until maximum capacity is reached. Programs, departments or colleges who wish to send an eligible student who has NOT received a DOVE Fellowship must nominate them using the FYI Participant Nominee Form. When the GSDO has approved their eligibility, we will email the student and their GPC and DGS the FYI Participant Application Form for the student to complete and return to the GSDO.

Once a DOVE Fellow or nominated student has been accepted into FYI 2026, the corresponding GPCs and DGSs will be notified by the GSDO.

Participation is capped at 50 FYI participants - 10 spots will be held for students on the Duluth campus.
Students do not have the option of postponing participation after their first year in their programs.
It is the nominating program’s (or other collegiate party’s) responsibility to administer all stipend payments to FYI Participants and professional development funds to FYI Faculty Mentors.

Important Deadlines

All potential FYI Participants must fill out THE FYI PARTICIPANT APPLICATION FORM

Priority deadline for DOVE Fellows: Friday, May 8th
Deadline for all other eligible fellowship nominees: Friday, June 5th

GRADUATE PROGRAM, DEPARTMENT, OR COLLEGE RESPONSIBILITIES

Provide an FYI Faculty Mentor
- Programs are responsible for working with their students to identify an appropriate Faculty Mentor prior to the start of the FYI program.
  - Faculty Mentors are ideally either in the FYI Participant’s department, or from a similar UMN department whose research interests align with the FYI Participant’s own research. While we do not recommend that the FYI Faculty Mentor be the same person as the student’s advisor or PI, this is still acceptable.
- It is very important that the FYI Faculty Mentor be available to meet one-on-one with their FYI Participant at least 4 times from the start of fall semester 2026 through January 2027. Meeting times are to be scheduled at the discretion of the Faculty Mentor and FYI Participant.
Provide $1,000 FYI Participant stipend
- Upon successful completion of the FYI, the FYI Participant receives a $1,000 stipend for their participation in FYI.
  - This stipend is separate from the $1,000 professional development funds provided by the program for DOVE Fellows.
Provide $1,000 FYI Faculty Mentor professional development funds
- The participating program/college agrees to provide $1,000 in professional development funds to the FYI Faculty Mentor.
  - If the FYI Faculty Mentor is in a different program/college than FYI Participant, the FYI Participant’s program is responsible to cover the $1,000 in professional development funds.

FACULTY MENTORS

A major goal of the First Year Institute is to provide newly admitted graduate students with the opportunity to establish a strong network of support by developing a mentor relationship with a faculty member during their first year of graduate study. Committed to excellence in graduate education, FYI Faculty Mentors provide support to students as they navigate their first semester of their graduate studies through one-on-one touch points throughout fall semester, giving feedback on FYI assignments, building a FYI mentoring community through FYI social gatherings, and deepening their own mentoring practice through professional development.

Expectations of FYI Faculty Mentors include to:

Attend Online FYI Faculty Mentor Orientation (date TBD, mid August)
- The online FYI Faculty Mentor Orientation will address the expectations of FYI Faculty Mentors, provide information about FYI Participant seminars and assignments, and share Graduate School mentoring resources.
Twin Cities Faculty Mentors: Attend FYI Twin Cities Welcome Reception: Sept. 23rd, 4:30 pm - 6 pm, Beacon’s Room RecWell Center.

Duluth Faculty Mentors: Attend FYI Duluth Welcome Dinner (TBD, early October).
- The FYI Gatherings provide opportunities for the FYI Participants and Faculty Mentors to be in community, network, and share resources.
Setup 1:1 monthly meetings with their FYI Participant
- FYI Mentors are expected to have monthly one-on-one meetings with their FYI participant in the months of September, 2026 - January, 2027.
Engage in FYI assignments
- There will be several short FYI assignments required of FYI Participants, including completing a Graduate School Individualized Development Plan (IDP). FYI Faculty Mentors are expected to discuss feedback on the IDP.

FYI Participants

Expectations of FYI Participants include to:

FYI Participants must commit to participating in all required portions of the program:
- Participate in two online FYI seminars in the summer (July); participate in two FYI seminars during the fall semester (in-person if on Twin Cities campus, or online if in Duluth).
- Participate in a 2 -day FYI Retreat, August 28th - August 29th, prior to the start of fall semester. Duluth FYI Participants will be provided housing and transportation to and from the Twin Cities campus. Participate in FYI Welcome Reception and FYI Final Gathering; these are community-building social events with the FYI 2026 cohort. Twin Cities and Duluth will each have their own separate Gatherings on their respective campuses. Dates TBD.
- Participate in 2 FYI Gatherings; these are community-building social events with the FYI 2025 cohort and Faculty Mentors. Twin Cities and Duluth will each have their own separate Gatherings on their respective campuses. Dates TBD.
- Complete FYI assignments throughout the program.
- Complete any FYI assessments of the program provided.
- FYI Participants may request excused absences from the FYI staff, as needed.
Upon the successful completion of the program, FYI Participants will receive a stipend of $1,000 administered by their graduate program, department, or college.