Frequently Asked Questions

Polygence is a research academy for motivated students looking for dedicated mentorship from expert academics and practitioners.

The Core Polygence Program is made up of ten one hour-long sessions spread out over a period of three to six months. Some projects may exceptionally run beyond six months. The Core Program also includes two rounds of Writing Feedback on projects provided by a Polygence team member.

Students who add Pathfinders and/or Premium Showcasing Support to their Program will have longer project timelines. To learn more about structure, check out our Program Page.

Tuition for the Core Polygence program starts at $2695 USD.

Students can bundle in our Pathfinders program with the Core program for a total tuition cost of $3195. Students can bundle in our Premium Showcasing program with the Core program for a total tuition cost of $3495.

We also offer partial scholarships for need-based financial aid. Currently Polygence does not offer full tuition scholarships.

You can either pay your tuition upfront in a single payment, or choose a payment plan of six monthly installments. Please note that if you choose the payment plan option, an 8% installment fee will be added.

If a student wishes to withdraw from the program, they must reach out to [email protected] with their request to withdraw. Polygence's refund policy is program specific and outlined below:

Polygence’s 10-session Flagship Program*:

• If you have paid and not had your 1st session → Eligible for refund of up to 100%
• If you have paid and met for session 1, 2, or 3
  • 25% of the total tuition is considered a deposit and is non-refundable after meeting with your mentor. → Eligible for refund of up to 75% (if applicable)
• If you have paid and met for session 4 or 5 → 50% total tuition payment required
  • Eligible for refund of up to 50% (if applicable)
• If you have paid and have met for more than 5 sessions → Ineligible for refund

Polygence’s 3-session Pathfinders Program and Premium Showcasing Support Program**:

• If you have paid and not had your 1st session → Eligible for refund of up to 100%
• If you withdraw from the program before completing all 3 sessions
  • Eligible for refund of any unused session

Polygence’s research course offered in partnership with UCIxGATI:

• If you have paid and the final UCIxGATI enrollment deadline has not passed → Eligible for refund of 100% tuition, or transfer into a later cohort
• If you have paid and withdraw from the program after the final UCIxGATI enrollment deadline → No refund will be provided, and you may no longer transfer into a later cohort

*As projects are student-driven, successful outcomes will depend on the individual student effort and time commitment. Polygence does not guarantee specific project outcomes or provide refunds due to failure to complete projects within the original program duration.

**As an ethical and academically rigorous program, Polygence does not guarantee publication or publishing outcomes, and does not provide refunds for projects not selected for publication to specific journals. For research paper submissions, Premium Showcasing support will provide support for submission to up to 3 journals (or equivalent showcasing opportunities) identified as appropriate for the work created.

Yes, but since our program is virtual you will need to have access to the supplies and facilities to do so. Please be prepared to give details in your application about the experiment, including your access to a lab and necessary materials and equipment.

You do not need to have an exact project in mind, but it is important that you have some ideas about what interests you.

We offer the option to bundle together the Pathfinders and Core programs. This adds 3 sessions to the start of the program and allows students to explore 3 different areas of interest and with different mentors, one-on-one. These sessions give the student more exposure to different topics and an opportunity to decide what specific projects excite them the most.

Once students have their broad project idea, they’ll work with their mentors in the first 3 sessions of the Core Program to produce a Research Question and Abstract.

Feel free to explore the projects page to gain inspiration.

It is unlikely that our team will turn down a project idea, so we encourage you to get creative! Feel free to check out the wide variety of some completed Polygence research projects here.

However, there are a few areas where we generally don’t allow projects for safety concerns and regulations. We don’t allow testing on vertebrates, hands-on research with bodily fluid, hands-on research with controlled substances including but not limited to: THC, CBD,and alcohol. Students are welcome to petition for exceptions but must provide proof of pre-approval from a parent and institution, lab supervision, and equipment access.

It depends on the project and topic you’re interested in. If your project requires programming skills, for example, we ask you to describe your relevant experience and previous projects on your application. We’re looking for students to have a strong programming background for advanced computer science projects so we know they’ll be successful at tackling the guiding assignments provided by mentors between sessions.

With our large pool of mentors, Polygence is able to support student projects in a very wide variety of subject disciplines, ranging from neuroscience to fashion history to astrophysics to machine learning and more! Check out our mentors to get a sense of the breadth of research areas we support!

You can easily apply to become a Polygencer by clicking the “Apply Now” button located on our website.

We have rolling admissions, and we batch students into cohorts based on their application submission date. Students should submit their application by the 15th of the month, to ensure they are able to enroll and start the following month.

Even if you are looking to start your project at a later date, we recommend applying and enrolling as soon as possible in order to lock in your mentor match from the widest possible range of available mentors.

Yes, in general we accept applications up to three months in advance of your desired start date.

If you’d like to enroll for a future date that is further out than three months, we recommend connecting with our admissions team to discuss your project timeline by emailing [email protected]

Once you are accepted into the program and have completed enrollment, the Polygence Team reaches out to mentors on your behalf. For our Core Program, you’ll be connected with a mentor within 1-3 weeks of enrolling.

While our Matching Team works diligently to provide the best available match, rematches are offered on a case by case basis. Just reach out to [email protected] if you have any concerns about your match!

The Polygence program is flexible! However, we strongly discourage students from attempting to complete the Core Program in less than ten weeks so there is enough time for research assignments between meetings. Projects undertaken during the school year typically take between four to six months. In the summer, students typically aim to complete the program in 12 to 16 weeks. Add-ons such as Pathfinders or Premium Showcasing Support will impact the overall length of the program.

Polygence is meant to be flexible, and it will be up to you and your mentor to decide what makes the most sense for your project and your schedule! Mentors work with each student’s unique schedule and needs throughout the project. Generally, students meet with their mentor at least every two weeks during the school year and usually every week during the summer.

Absolutely! On our platform you will have a shared workspace with your mentor where you can chat, share/receive resources, and collaborate between sessions. The chat feature of your workspace even remains open once your project has ended!

You can also download the Polygence mobile app to chat with your mentor at your convenience, and it’s an easy way to keep in touch between sessions.

Yes! The Polygence Team is always here to support active projects and ensure everything stays on track, you can reach out to them at [email protected] Students also have access to the following: Our showcasing database, 2 rounds of writing feedback from a writing fellow, and our full Student Guidebook that houses additional resources to help students throughout the research process.

We recommend looking at our Program Page for more information about the different Polygence program options available.

If you’d like to be connected with a member of our Admissions team for more information, please email [email protected]

If admitted and enrolled in the program, you gain access to our vast database of showcasing opportunities, including science fairs, peer-reviewed journals, and writing competitions. We’ve pre-vetted each opportunity in the database to ensure their appropriateness and reliability. Additionally, Polygence students in the Core Program have the opportunity to apply to present our Symposium of Rising Scholars and submit their written work to the Research Archive of Rising Scholars!

If showcasing your project outcome is a focus of your research, be sure to check out our Premium Showcasing Bundle as an option for your project.

The Polygence Symposium of Rising Scholars is bi-annual academic conference where Polygence students present and share their research with their peers, families, and academics. Click here to find out more!

This is up to your mentor and you should let them know you’re interested in this well in advance of deadlines to make sure they have sufficient time to write a strong letter. Our mentors are generally proud of their students and what they’ve accomplished but it is up to their discretion to write them. Assuming you complete your project in a satisfactory manner, your mentor may be happy to provide you with a recommendation letter either for your university applications or future research opportunities.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you may be required to meet with a member of our Admissions Team for an interview. If you receive a request for an interview, please make sure to schedule your interview as soon as possible to ensure a quick review of your application.

Turnaround time for application reviews varies month-to-month and depends on the volume of applications received for that cohort. Our team strives to follow up with students about their admissions decision within 2 weeks of the application deadline. Once enrolled in the program, it can take up 1-3 weeks to be matched with a mentor.

For students writing research papers, Writing Support entails detailed edits from mentors who are part of our Writing Fellows program. Two writing support rounds are included in the cost of our Core Program! Writing Support occurs asynchronously with feedback shared via email.

Once you create an account on polygence.org, you'll need to connect it with your child's account! Simply login to your parent account and click this link. Once there, it should direct you to a page with input fields where you can invite your child to connect the accounts. Here is a video for reference if needed!

Please email [email protected] to discuss any billing-related questions or to update your information. Thank you.