How to Apply & FAQ

All students who have been admitted to either the Computer Science or Industrial & Systems Engineering PhD programs at USC may apply to join the ORAI program. There are no citizenship requirements for trainees, so students from all countries are welcome. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.

For students who are currently in our programs, watch out for an email from us with a link to apply that will be sent in January 2025.

For prospective applicants, first apply to our PhD programs in either Computer Science or Industrial & Systems Engineering and indicate in your personal statement your interest in joining the ORAI program. Upon admission to the PhD program, you will be able to apply to ORAI.

All students admitted to USC PhD programs in either Computer Science or Industrial & Systems Engineering are guaranteed at least four years of funding provided they make good progress towards their PhD. ORAI trainees who are US citizens or permanent residents may additionally apply for the prestigious ORAI program fellowships.

We have designed the ORAI progam in a way that it fits within the requirements of the Computer Science and Industrial & Systems Engineering PhD degrees, so that ORAI course units can count as electives that are anyway required  to graduate from these programs.

In short, the ORAI program does not increase the number of classes that students in either the CS PhD program or ISE PhD program need to take to graduate.