Welcome to Partnerships at Polygence

We love to work with counselors! Polygence has a dedicated partnerships team built specifically to support counselors, educators, and institutions as they serve students and families. Please fill out the interest form above or book a meeting with our team to learn more about benefits and membership.

As a partner, you have a dedicated partnerships manager who is well informed about your organization and standing by to support you in your service to students. You can find out who your partnership manager is and get in touch with them by logging on to your counselor dashboard. Their friendly face and contact information awaits you there.

Use this link to log in to your counselor dashboard. If you cannot remember your login credentials, use the Forgot Password button or reach out to your partnerships manager for assistance. You can also email [email protected] anytime.

In the top right corner of your counselor dashboard landing page, you will see a button to “See all of my students”. After clicking that button, you will see the full history of your students’ engagements with Polygence, ordered by enrollment date.

We would love to hear from you! Email [email protected] anytime. Or, Use this link to log in to your counselor dashboard. If you cannot remember your login credentials, use the “resend activation link” button to see whether you have an active account with us.

Please email [email protected] to get set up as a partner with Polygence. From there, we will establish your custom student landing page where your students can enroll in Polygence programs through our partnership, and access the associated partnership benefits.

If you believe your student has already applied, it is not too late to extend partner benefits if you do wish to become a partner. Please reach out to us to discuss further!

Polygence will likely be the most distinct extracurricular in a student’s application. Polygence projects give colleges a sense of what students care about, and who they wish to become.

Admissions results from our students indicate that highlighting their projects strengthens their applications. A survey of thousands of Polygence alumni revealed that students featured their Polygence projects at multiple points throughout their applications:

• 97% of students mentioned their Polygence project in their Activities List or CV
• 58% mentioned their project in their Supplemental Essays
• 32% mentioned their project in their Personal Essay
• 27% included a Letter of Recommendation from their Mentor
• 25% described their Polygence projects in admissions interviews

Acceptance rates from our alumni demonstrate the benefit of their projects on admissions:

• 92% acceptance rate to at least R1 research university - 51% acceptance rate to USNews top 25 colleges and universities
• 33% acceptance rate to top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges
• 24% acceptance rate to Ivies A full resource guide is available here.

No. However, like most student extra-curricular activities, we charge tuition to compensate our mentors for their time and expertise, provide a best-in-class user experience, and support students, counselors, and families with timely and high-quality support.

More broadly, our aim is to someday democratize access to research. Polygence partners with a number of NGOs, non-profits, grass-roots organizations, as well as public schools to offer our services to communities in need. Additionally, we offer financial aid to need-based applicants.

No. Each month we start a new cohort so students can enroll year round. We do have high numbers of students complete projects over the summer.

The Polygence program is uniquely flexible. Upon enrollment, students choose the time range for project completion. Projects typically range from 3-6 months. (The average project length is 4 1⁄2 months.)

Yes! When students apply to Polygence, they’ll need to submit proof of family income when applying for financial aid.

No. Although most Polygence students are in high school, we’ve enrolled middle school and college students as well. We request that students arrive excited to jump in and engage with their mentor, and believe in students’ ability to do real research despite their youth.

Yes! One of the goals of the Admissions Interview is to continue to brainstorm the research project idea. If your student is interested in exploring potential project ideas with a mentor, we have a 3-session program called Launchpad where your student can workshop project ideas with up to three different mentors in up to three different subjects. Additionally, students can explore our completed Projects page and our Project Ideas page for inspiration.

We do not abide by a strict acceptance rate. We look for students who demonstrate authentic intellectual passion and curiosity and who will be engaging thought partners to our mentors. We do not ask for GPA or recommendation letters in our application process because we believe that the most important ingredients in a successful Polygence project are intellectual passion and grit.

Yes! We recommend students enroll in our Premium Showcasing Support program for those aiming to publish their work. Polygence students can also publish their research in our Research Archive of Rising Scholars (RARS).

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 Core 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 5 or fewer sessions → Eligible for refund of any unused session
• If you have paid and have met for more than 5 sessions → Ineligible for refund

Polygence’s 3-session Pathfinders Program, Launchpad, 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

6-session Polygence Pods:

• If you have paid and the 1st session has not been held → Eligible for refund of up to 100%
• If you withdraw from the program before completing all 6 sessions → Eligible for refund of any sessions that have not run

Please note that upon enrolling, you are confirming that you understand the timing for the Pod sessions. Recordings for all pod sessions are available in the workspace after the session is held, and no refunds will be provided for unattended sessions.

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

Polygence Mentor Guarantee: Polygence stands behind the quality and expertise of our talented mentors. If you’re not satisfied with the knowledge or support of your mentor, please notify the Polygence team as soon as possible by emailing [email protected]. After your first session, if you’re not fully satisfied with your mentor’s knowledge or expertise, we will rematch you with a new mentor, or provide you with a full refund.

*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 exact project deadlines, 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 in peer-reviewed journals, 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.