Frequently asked questions

The Student Induction Program (SIP) is CMU-Africa’s required onboarding and preparatory program for incoming students. Running from April through August, SIP is designed to support your transition into graduate study by helping you build academic readiness, strengthen foundational skills, and become familiar with the expectations, resources, and learning culture of CMU-Africa. SIP includes both online and in-person components delivered before the start of the semester.

SIP runs between April and August each year. Please refer to the important dates section for the full schedule and program timeline.

The expected time commitment varies across different phases of SIP.

SIP is designed to help students transition more successfully into graduate study at CMU-Africa.

Through SIP, students:

• strengthen academic and technical foundations
• develop graduate-level learning and communication skills
• gain familiarity with university resources and expectations
• build confidence through guided practice
• begin forming connections within the CMU-Africa community

All incoming students are expected to participate fully in:

• Tartan Tuesdays
• Online Learning
• New Student Orientation
• Academic Bootcamp
• Academic Showcase Day

Participation in SIP is evaluated based on:

• attendance
• active participation
• engagement with learning activities
• completion of assigned work
• contribution to collaborative activities

SIP is designed as a supportive learning environment where students can build skills, experiment with new approaches, and learn from feedback before the semester begins.

With the exception of academic integrity violations, SIP performance does not directly affect academic grades in your degree program. However, the habits, strategies, and skills developed during SIP can play an important role in long-term success at CMU-Africa.

SIP includes both online and in-person components.

The following components may be completed remotely:

• Tartan Tuesdays
• Online Learning

The following components must be attended in person in Kigali:

• English Enhancement Program (if selected)
• Mastercard Foundation Scholars Orientation (if selected)
• New Student Orientation
• Academic Bootcamp
• Academic Showcase Day

For the online components of SIP, students should have:

• reliable internet access
• access to a personal computer between May and July

Upon arrival on campus, students will receive:

• access to CMU-Africa facilities
• campus Wi-Fi
• a university laptop

You must register for Tartan Tuesdays through the CMU portal in order to receive invitations and reminders.

If you are not registered, or if you previously unsubscribed from event communications, you may not receive the invitations.

The English Enhancement Program (EEP) is designed to support students who may benefit from additional preparation for CMU-Africa’s fast-paced, English-mediated academic environment.

Students are invited to participate primarily based on their Duolingo English Test scores.

Participation is optional but strongly encouraged for selected students.

Yes. EEP is a full-time residential program held before the start of the semester.

Participants are expected to stay in the provided accommodation and fully engage with all aspects of the program from beginning to end.

Students wishing to change programs must wait until the fall semester begins and follow the official program change process.

To initiate the process, contact: studentsupport-africa@andrew.cmu.edu.

CMU-Africa expects students to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical conduct.

Academic integrity violations may include:

• plagiarism
• unauthorized collaboration
• cheating
• submitting work that is not your own
• misrepresenting the use of AI tools or external assistance

Your Andrew ID is your official CMU user account and provides access to:

• CMU email
• student systems
• computing services
• and university platforms

Use your Andrew ID credentials to log into Gmail using: andrewid@andrew.cmu.edu

Students should also monitor their activation emails carefully during onboarding.

Andrew IDs are generated after students:

• accept their admission offer
• complete required enrollment steps
• and submit proof of payment where applicable

For assistance with Andrew IDs or passwords, contact: africa-it-help@andrew.cmu.edu