Boise State RISE AI Research Traineeship 2027: $37,000 Stipend and Tuition Support for STEM Graduate Students

Boise State RISE AI Research Traineeship 2027: $37,000 Stipend and Tuition Support for STEM Graduate Students

Boise State University’s RISE NSF Research Traineeship is a funded graduate opportunity for students who want to study artificial intelligence or apply AI within another STEM discipline. The university’s official “How to join” page says that the Fall 2027 cohort accepts applications until January 15, 2027. Participants receive one year of support: a $37,000 living stipend, up to $14,500 toward tuition and health insurance, and $1,500 for educational expenses, travel, and professional development.

RISE is not a general scholarship that can be used at any university. It is an NSF Research Traineeship connected to Boise State graduate programs and to a structured set of academic, cohort, mentoring, and professional activities. A successful applicant must be admitted to an eligible Boise State master’s or doctoral program, be a U.S. citizen or green card holder, and pursue research in AI or an AI application across disciplines. Applicants who have applied to a qualifying graduate program but are not yet admitted may still apply, although they must be accepted by the first day of classes for the relevant cohort to participate.

The program may suit a student whose research is technical but whose long-term work also raises questions about people, institutions, safety, policy, or social impact. The official requirements include a humanities or social-science adviser on the student’s committee, a Societal Impacts of Technology course, a poster presentation at the annual NSF NRT meeting, and regular participation in RISE activities. This makes the opportunity especially relevant for applicants who can connect an AI research plan to responsible use and consequences in the real world.

Key details

The amounts above are the figures published by Boise State. The public page does not state a separate monthly payment schedule, whether the stipend is taxable in every applicant’s circumstances, or how the tuition and health-insurance amount is administered. Those details should be confirmed with RISE before an applicant makes a final financial plan.

What the RISE funding provides

The largest part of the package is the one-year $37,000 stipend for living expenses. This is support for the trainee while they undertake the funded period; it should not be read as a promise of a permanent salary or as funding for the full length of a master’s or PhD. The public page describes one year of support, so applicants should ask whether continuation in a degree program depends on later funding, departmental support, or another award.

RISE also lists up to $14,500 for tuition and health insurance. “Up to” matters: the published figure is a ceiling rather than a guarantee that every student receives the same cash amount or that every charge is paid in every circumstance. Before accepting an offer, compare the RISE package with the tuition structure and insurance requirements of the Boise State program to which you are applying. Ask which charges are paid directly, which are reimbursed, and whether the amount changes by degree, enrollment level, or residency classification.

The additional $1,500 can support educational expenses, travel, and professional development. The official description groups those uses together but does not provide a detailed approved-expense list. A sensible applicant will keep receipts and confirm whether conference registration, technical training, books, computing costs, or other expenses require advance approval. The page separately confirms that domestic travel to the annual NSF NRT meeting is paid by the grant, so that meeting should not be assumed to consume the $1,500 allocation.

Financial support is only one part of the award. Trainees join a cohort, work with faculty mentors, attend RISE events, take a course on the societal impacts of technology, and present a poster at an NSF NRT meeting. The package is therefore valuable for someone who wants both research funding and a guided way to explain the implications of technical work to audiences outside a specialist lab.

Who is eligible

The core eligibility test has four parts. First, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen or a green card holder. International students who do not hold one of those statuses should not assume that admission to Boise State makes them eligible for this particular NSF traineeship.

Second, the applicant must be admitted to a Boise State graduate degree program. The program covers master’s and PhD students, but only the eligible programs listed by RISE qualify. Applicants who have submitted a Boise State application and are waiting for a decision may still apply to the traineeship. They must, however, be accepted by the first day of classes for the semester in which the cohort begins. Applying to RISE does not replace the university admission process.

Third, the student’s research must be in STEM and must pursue artificial intelligence or an AI application across disciplines. The official list includes computing, electrical and computer engineering, biomedical engineering, materials science and engineering, engineering, geosciences, geophysics, biomolecular sciences, and ecology, evolution, and behavior at the PhD level. Listed master’s options include computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, mathematics, biological science, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering.

Finally, the applicant must be able to meet the program’s participation and progress requirements. RISE requires continued enrollment and satisfactory academic progress, regular communication with faculty mentors, progress reports each semester, and active contribution to the cohort. The award is not designed for someone who needs complete scheduling freedom or who intends to take unrelated outside employment during the traineeship.

What participants must do

RISE carries a meaningful time and participation commitment. Trainees must enroll in the Societal Impacts of Technology course during the first semester of cohort participation. They must attend the RISE Fall Bootcamp in August, stakeholder meetings, roundtable seminars, and other traineeship meetings or activities requested by the program. They also attend the annual NSF NRT meeting and present a poster. Boise State says this is generally a two-day spring meeting and that domestic travel is paid by the grant.

The requirements show that RISE is built around a community rather than a stipend alone. Participants must be willing to discuss their research with peers, faculty, and non-specialist stakeholders. They are assigned an additional advising committee member with a humanities or social-science background, and they must engage actively with faculty mentors. The program also asks trainees to help support other members of the cohort and to acknowledge NSF NRT support in publications and presentations.

Outside employment is specifically restricted: trainees agree not to accept or work in another outside job for the duration of the traineeship. That condition affects budgeting and should be considered before applying. A student whose financial plan depends on part-time employment should ask RISE whether any narrow exceptions exist; the public page does not list any.

Application process and required materials

The RISE page lists four required application components: a CV, a statement of purpose, a transcript, and up to three letters of recommendation. It provides an application link for the RISE NRT through Boise State admissions and an ETAP portal route for people who are not yet Boise State students. Follow the pathway that matches your status and read the live form carefully, because the application system may request additional administrative fields or formatting details.

The CV should make the connection between the applicant’s preparation and the proposed AI research easy to find. Include research experience, technical methods, relevant coursework, publications or presentations, code or data work when appropriate, and evidence of collaboration. Do not assume that reviewers will infer an AI connection from a broad STEM degree title. State what problem the applicant has worked on and which AI method, application, or research question is relevant.

The statement of purpose should connect three things: the graduate program, the research direction, and the reason RISE is the right training environment. It should also address the student’s interest in the societal effects of technology because the traineeship explicitly includes that dimension. The statement does not need to promise a finished dissertation topic if the department has not fixed one. It should show a credible direction, preparation to grow, and willingness to participate in the course, cohort, mentoring, and presentation requirements.

Recommendation letters are limited to up to three. Choose referees who can provide specific evidence about research ability, technical preparation, persistence, communication, and readiness for graduate study. A generic letter that only repeats grades is less useful than a letter describing a research contribution, an experiment the applicant designed, or a difficult technical problem they solved. Give referees the deadline, the program description, a current CV, and a short explanation of the research direction well before January.

Timeline and deadline

The published deadline for the Fall 2027 cohort is January 15, 2027. The page does not give a time zone or a separate recommendation-letter deadline. Treat January 15 as the date by which the complete application must be submitted, and confirm how the portal handles letters before relying on a late referee upload.

Applicants who are not yet Boise State students have an additional dependency: they must be accepted to the university by the cohort’s first day of classes. That makes the graduate-program application an immediate priority, not a task to begin after the RISE form is finished. Confirm the department’s admissions deadline, transcript requirements, English-language or other university requirements where applicable, and the expected decision schedule directly with Boise State.

A practical schedule is to identify an eligible degree program and research fit first, contact potential referees next, and then draft the statement while the graduate application is in progress. By early December, have a complete draft of the CV and statement. Use the final weeks to check program eligibility, citizenship or permanent-resident status, transcripts, recommendation requests, and the application portal rather than writing from scratch.

How to prepare a competitive application

The official page does not publish a scoring rubric, so applicants should not claim that a particular GPA threshold, publication count, or AI subfield is required unless RISE confirms it. The safest preparation strategy is evidence-based fit.

Start with the eligible program list. A compelling AI project cannot overcome an application to a degree that RISE does not fund. Then map the applicant’s prior work to the proposed direction in plain language: what question was studied, what data or system was involved, what method was used, what the applicant personally contributed, and what remains to learn.

Next, show readiness for the full traineeship. Mention concrete examples of teamwork, mentoring, public communication, or interdisciplinary work. Explain why an additional humanities or social-science adviser would improve the research rather than treating that requirement as a formality. If the project could affect patients, workers, communities, public services, ecosystems, or other stakeholders, identify the relevant concern without making unsupported claims about impact.

Finally, make the plan feasible. A graduate applicant does not need a complete dissertation proposal, but should be able to describe a research direction that fits the degree, the applicant’s preparation, and the resources they expect to use. Avoid presenting “AI” as the entire idea. Specify the problem, the proposed role of AI, the data or evaluation challenge, and how success could be assessed. That level of clarity helps a reader see both technical promise and responsible judgment.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is confusing RISE with an open national scholarship. It is tied to Boise State admission, listed master’s and PhD programs, citizenship or permanent-resident status, and a specific AI-focused research mission. Check all four before investing time in the statement.

Another mistake is ignoring the participation contract. The stipend comes with no outside employment, required coursework, meetings, mentoring, reports, and a poster presentation. If the applicant cannot attend the activities or maintain the required enrollment, the financial value is irrelevant.

Do not treat “up to $14,500” as unrestricted cash. Ask how tuition and health insurance are covered and what happens if actual costs are lower or higher. Likewise, confirm the handling of the $1,500 professional-development allocation and the separate NSF NRT meeting travel benefit.

Avoid an AI-only statement that never discusses people or institutions. RISE explicitly includes societal-impact training and an additional humanities or social-science adviser. A strong application can remain technically serious while explaining who may use, depend on, or be affected by the work.

Lastly, do not wait for the RISE deadline to begin Boise State admission. Pending applicants are allowed to apply, but acceptance is still required by the first day of classes. The admissions and traineeship timelines need to be managed together.

FAQ

Can a student apply before being admitted to Boise State?

Yes. The official page says an applicant who has applied to a Boise State program but has not yet been accepted may still apply for the traineeship. The applicant must be accepted by the first day of classes for the cohort’s semester to remain eligible.

Is RISE open to international students?

The published eligibility rule says applicants must be U.S. citizens or green card holders. Students who do not meet that status requirement should contact RISE before applying rather than assuming that a Boise State admission offer changes the rule.

Which graduate programs are listed as eligible?

The page lists PhD options including computing, ECE, biomedical engineering, materials science and engineering, engineering, geosciences, geophysics, biomolecular sciences, and ecology, evolution, and behavior. Listed master’s options include computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, mathematics, biological science, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering. Confirm the current list on the official page before submitting.

Is the $37,000 stipend paid every year of a degree?

The official page describes one year of support. It does not promise multi-year RISE funding, so applicants should ask Boise State about continuation or other funding after the traineeship year.

What if my research is not exclusively about AI?

The program is for STEM students pursuing research in artificial intelligence or AI applications across disciplines. A project can therefore be rooted in another field, but the statement should clearly explain the AI component and its role in the research.

Where can applicants ask questions?

Boise State lists [email protected] for questions and concerns. Use that address to confirm current portal instructions, financial-administration details, and any issue the public page does not answer.

Official links and next steps

Begin with Boise State’s RISE How to join page. It is the official source for the current funding amounts, eligible program list, requirements, application links, required materials, deadline, and contact address. Review the page again immediately before submitting because admissions and traineeship instructions can change.

The next practical step is to compare the eligible program list with your intended Boise State degree and research direction. If both fit, start the graduate application, ask up to three strong referees for letters, and outline a statement that connects AI preparation with the societal-impact and cohort commitments of RISE. Submit before January 15, 2027, and keep confirmation records for the RISE form and the related graduate admission process.