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What exactly is in the report?
Your report includes six sections: (1) a calibrated program list divided into reach, realistic, and safer tiers; (2) professor matches at each program whose research aligns with your techniques and subfield; (3) a funding eligibility matrix covering NIH F31, NSF GRFP, HHMI Gilliam, and NIH F30 for MD-PhD applicants; (4) a cost of living summary showing median rent, your monthly stipend, and the stipend-to-rent ratio for each city; (5) an application calendar with exact deadlines, timezones, and fee-waiver dates; and (6) a personalized professor outreach email template.
How many programs will my report include?
You control this. During the intake form you list the programs you are already considering (minimum 5), then choose how many additional tailored recommendations you want Skopeia to add (1–20). The total in your report is your listed programs plus your chosen number of additions, distributed across reach, realistic, and safer tiers.
How many professor matches will I get?
Most reports include 8–15 professor matches drawn from faculty at the programs in your list. Each match includes the professor's research focus, which of your techniques overlap with their work, a fit label, a taking-students confidence rating (confirmed / likely / unclear / low), and a recommended next action.
What programs does Skopeia currently cover?
Our database currently covers 172 neuroscience and biomedical sciences programs across the US and Canada, including PhD, MD-PhD, and master's programs at institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, UCSF, Johns Hopkins, Penn, MIT, Yale, Duke, Northwestern, UC Berkeley, UCLA, McGill, UBC, and many others. We verify every program directly against official university pages.
My program isn't in your database. Will it still appear in my report?
If you list a program in the intake form that is not in our current database, we will note that and explain why it wasn't included. We do not fabricate data for programs we haven't verified.
I'm applying to a master's program, not a PhD. Is this for me?
Yes. Skopeia supports PhD, MD-PhD, MA (thesis), and MA (coursework) applicants in neuroscience and biomedical sciences. For thesis-based MA programs, the report works identically to a PhD report — program list, professor matches, and funding matrix all apply. For coursework MA programs, the report focuses on program fit, subfield alignment, and application strategy; professor matching is de-emphasized since coursework programs do not typically require a research supervisor.
I'm an international applicant. Will the report be useful for me?
Yes, with one important note: most major US fellowships (NIH F31, NSF GRFP, HHMI Gilliam) require US citizenship or permanent residency, so international applicants are ineligible for these. Your report will reflect this accurately and focus instead on programs with strong international funding records and departmental fellowships.
I'm applying to MD-PhD (MSTP) programs, not straight PhD programs. Does this work for me?
Yes. Select MD-PhD as your degree type in the intake form. Your report will use MD-PhD-specific funding logic (NIH F30 instead of F31), flag that MD-PhD application deadlines are typically in November rather than December, and adjust program recommendations accordingly.
I have a low GPA. Will the report still be useful?
Yes. The report is most useful for applicants who want an honest, calibrated assessment — which includes knowing which programs are realistic given a lower GPA. We do not filter out applicants based on GPA. Your program list will reflect the realistic landscape, including programs that explicitly weigh research experience more heavily than GPA.
How much does it cost?
Reports are available in three tiers: Scout ($29), Vantage ($59), and Summit ($99). All are one-time payments — no subscription, no hidden fees. See the pricing page for a full breakdown of what each tier includes.
How long does delivery take?
Reports are delivered within 48 hours of payment. Most are delivered sooner. You will receive the PDF by email at the address you provide in the intake form.
What is your refund policy?
We offer a full refund if Skopeia fails to deliver your report within 48 hours, if the delivered report contains no results, or if it contains demonstrably inaccurate information that misrepresents your intake form responses. We do not offer refunds based on dissatisfaction with recommendations or any subjective assessment of the content. Email support@skopeia.com within 14 days of receiving your report.
Can I pay in Canadian dollars or another currency?
Stripe will process your payment in USD. Your card issuer will handle the currency conversion if you are paying from a non-USD account.
How accurate is the program data?
Every program in our database is manually verified against official university pages. Each record carries a verification date. We update records when we discover changes. That said, programs change their deadlines, requirements, and stipends regularly — you must independently confirm all information directly with the program before submitting your application.
How do you know which professors are taking students?
We assign each professor a taking-students confidence rating: confirmed (lab page or recent post explicitly states they are recruiting), likely (recently hired, recent first-author publications, no departure signals), unclear (no public signal either way), or low (lab page says not recruiting, professor recently left the institution, or no publications in two or more years). We do not claim certainty — the rating reflects our best assessment of public signals.
Will you share my information?
No. Your intake form data is used only to generate your report and deliver it to you. We do not sell your information or use it for marketing. See our Privacy Policy for full details.