Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Enstitute fellows receive a stipend for the work they perform in their apprenticeship. The stipend is intended to cover basic housing, food, transportation, and living expenses. Stipend amounts will be included in final acceptance letters. Additional information will be disclosed to applicants who make it into final rounds.

Enstitute tuition is $1,500 per year. Tuition covers supplemental curriculum, assessments, online tools, resources, community space fees, and digital portfolio development.

Enstitute does not currently qualify for federal or state financial aid or loans, as it is not yet an accredited institution  However, we guarantee to work hard in hopes that every applicant, regardless of financial background, will be able to attend Enstitute regardless of their situation. Select scholarships and individualized loans will be made available to certain applicants based on need and merit. Additional information will be disclosed to applicants who make it into final rounds on how to apply for available funds. For now, do not let the tuition cost deter you from applying.

We are focusing on three pools of applicants: pre-, mid-, and post-college. Therefore, our guidance on age range is 18-24. 18 & above is mandatory. Older age groups are welcome to apply, but they are not in the target range and will likely only be accepted in rare and extreme cases.

Since we are focused on creating a new path to higher education, it is important to us that we have an established baseline of measurement for all prospective fellows. Additionally, we have committed to all entrepreneurs that all fellows will have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Currently, we can only accept U.S. citizens or Green Card holders.

You may apply one time per application round. If you are not selected this year, you are welcome to apply for future fellowship years. We respect and love tenacity.

In internships, interns typically work on a small, often irrelevant project and have little to no interaction with the key business leaders. Given their short duration, the investment from others is limited. However, Enstitute is a two-year, full-time educational program. Fellows work Monday – Friday directly under the CEO, founder , and/or key executive where they tackle real life problems that have real life consequences. In parallel, fellows are immersed in a comprehensive curriculum built off a foundation focusing on development across business & technical skills, competencies  and broader social & beahavioral awareness.

Enstitute is an alternative and/or a supplement to traditional higher education. We are accepting applicants that are pre-, mid-, and post-university or college.

NO! If your dream is to cure diseases or do open-heart surgery, then this program is not for you! Enstitute is not for everyone and definitely not for every career. In career paths with needs for extremely deep technical skills where “learn by doing” does not provide greater benefit than diligent study, practice, and lab work, Enstitute is not the right solution. Remember, we don’t think college is wrong; we just don’t think it should be the “only” path towards success.

Each experience will be unique to their apprenticeship. However, fellows can expect to begin the program in an administrative role under the entrepreneur with whom they are matched. Daily work will vary depending on the entrepreneur, but fellows will have access to projects and tasks across the spectrum of business and entrepreneurship. Additionally, as part of the Enstitute curriculum, fellows will have projects, readings, and volunteer work to complete outside of their apprenticeship.

No. All fellows must commit to the full two-year program.

No. Fellows will not be able to defer their admittance to Enstitute. If they decide to decline the opportunity, fellows will be able to apply again in the following year.

Fellows begin their fellowship in September 2013, where they will go through an Enstitute “boot camp” before working directly with their entrepreneurs. Refer to the dates listed on the left of the application page.

No. This is a performance based fellowship. At Enstitute administration’s discretion, Enstitute reserves the right remove fellows from the program. Before forcing any fellow to leave, Enstitute will give warnings and provide support and/or development opportunities to anyone under-performing or otherwise at risk.

If a fellow is unhappy with their placement, they are welcome to speak with the Enstitute administration to evaluate their concern. Enstitute will take all necessary steps to ensure an enjoyable and rewarding experience for all.

We realize that this program is not for everyone, which is why we encourage fellows to seek deferment from their respective universities. If a fellow is no longer interested in participating in the program and wants to return to university, we will support the transition out of the program. Tuition payment is non refundable, but Enstitute will review situations on a case by case basis and at their discretion will award refunds when appropriate.

All fellows must forgo all other employment or educational enrollment during the two-year fellowship. Exceptions might apply, at the discretion of the administration. More details will be disclosed to applicants who make it through to the final rounds.

No. Enstitute is not currently accredited with any state or national organization. However, fellows will leave the program with a digital portfolio to showcase their experiences and skills gained while in the program.

We work very hard to select stable companies and entrepreneurs in order to prevent this from happening. However, we acknowledge that nothing in life is guaranteed and have built in multiple safety nets. In the event that the company that a fellow is working for shuts down, Enstitute will find that fellow another placement within our large community of entrepreneurs.

Enstitute cofounders, Shaila and Kane, have an expansive networks in New York City. NYC is also home to some of the best entrepreneurs in the world, giving Enstitute fellows the most enriching experience possible. Enstitute plans to expand around the world when the time is right.

Currently, Yes. All fellows and entrepreneurs must be based in NYC. However, we plan to expand to other cities and countries in the future.

For now, we are focusing on NYC. We plan on effectively scaling across multiple locations and industries in the future. If you are interested in helping, please submit your info on the contact form and we’ll get in touch with you when the time is right.