Faculty & Staff Services

A memorandum of agreement between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), through the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), and The National Council for Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT) is providing the opportunity for 50 Mexican students to study for their doctoral degree at the University of Illinois College of ACES.

CONACYT, the Mexican equivalent of the U.S. National Science Foundation, is providing a $2 million grant over five years to pay tuition and living expenses for three years of graduate study in value-added plant foods.

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) in the College of ACES is pleased to be a host department for this program. It is the goal of this agreement to serve and advance collaborative research and training programs between UIUC faculty and their Mexican colleagues. It is highly recommended, but not required, for the student to have a mentor in Mexico.

For more information, please contact Dr. Mary Ann Lila, with the ACES Global Connect program; or FSHN faculty members, Elvira de Mejia and Elizabeth Jeffery.

How to apply

1. General application information

Students seeking support under this program will apply to the chosen doctoral program in the University of Illinois College of ACES and to CONACYT. Applicants will need to specify that they are applying under the CONACYT-ILLINOIS program.

Applicants are responsible for providing all of the materials required for the evaluation of their applications, including TOEFL and GRE scores, writing samples, letters of recommendation and other required material.

2. Contact a professor

It is recommended that students contact one or more professors in ACES who are doing research in the student’s area(s) of interest. Faculty contact information is available at each department's website:

• Agricultural and Biological Engineering
• Agricultural and Consumer Economics
• Animal Sciences
• Crop Sciences
• Food Science and Human Nutrition
• Human and Community Development
• Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

Identifying a potential major professor will facilitate the admission process.

3. Apply for admission and obtain letter of acceptance

After corresponding with a professor(s) in the related field, students should apply for pre-admission with the Graduate College and meet the academic requirements for acceptance. Then, students are encouraged to obtain a funding-contingent acceptance letter from the professor or from their affiliated department. Admission is dependent on the receipt of a CONACYT scholarship, and the letter of acceptance is required to apply for the scholarship. When the CONACYT scholarship is awarded, students should follow-up with their professor and department to ensure all acceptance materials are finalized.

UIUC will assist the Mexican students in applying for an appropriate visa.

Who will cover the student’s expenses?

Contingent upon satisfactory progress in the degree program, the students supported by this agreement will have all tuition and fees covered for the five-year duration of each participant’s program.

CONACYT will provide funding to UIUC, per the cooperative agreement, for the first three years of the student’s study. UIUC will cover the cost for year four and, if necessary, year five of the student’s study. The last two years of funding will be available through RA and TA positions.

CONACYT will also provide a stipend and health insurance to the student for the first three years, and UIUC will provide a stipend and health insurance during year four and, if needed, year five.