Advanced Opportunity Program (AOP)

The Advance Opportunity Program (AOP) Fellowship is provided by the State of Wisconsin and intended to provide financial support for minority and disadvantaged graduate students allowing them to focus attention on their graduate studies and to complete their degrees in a timely fashion.

There are several ways to qualify:

1. You are a member of one or more of the following minority groups traditionally under-represented in graduate school: Black/African-American; Hispanic or Latino/a; American Indian or Alaskan Native; or Southeast Asian of Vietnam, Cambodian, or Laotian descent who entered in the US after 1975.
2. You are from a family that received any type of public assistance, including eligibility for school lunch program.
3. You are a first-generation college student.
4. You participated in TRIO pre-college or undergraduate programs for students, such as Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Services, McNair, etc.
5. You have not had the expectation and encouragement to pursue post-graduate education as a viable option.

You must also fill out a 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), enroll in at least three credits per semester, and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements for graduate students.

This application is for the fall 2025 – spring 2026 academic year.

Award
Varies
Scopes
Graduate Scholarships
Deadline
05/31/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. Please describe your career goals.
  2. Please describe how the AOP Fellowship Grant will help you achieve these goals.
  3. Will your employer provide you with tuition reimbursement? If yes, what percent will they pay?
  4. I am from a family that received any type of public assistance, including eligibility for school lunch program.
  5. I participated in one or more TRIO pre-college or undergraduate programs for students, such as Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Services or the Ronald McNair Scholarship program.
  6. I am from a family in which neither of my parents attended college.
  7. If you answered "No" to all of the previous 3 questions, please describe ways in which you believe you were discouraged from pursuing a program of graduate education based on your etthnicity, socio-economic status or other inherent characteristics.
  8. I have completed and submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2023-2024 academic year.
  9. How many credit hours do you expect to enroll in for Fall?
  10. How many credit hours do you expect to enroll in for Spring?
  11. Show 5 more