The First-Year Innovation Fellowship (FYIF) is a semester-long experiential learning program designed to empower students to turn their ideas into reality. Offered each fall and spring, fellows receive personalized coaching, gain practical skills in design thinking, customer discovery, prototyping, and pitching, and access valuable resources including a $500 seed grant to help launch or advance their ideas.
Through regular cohort meetings and immersive, hands-on learning experiences, participants develop crucial entrepreneurial and leadership skills, all while making a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.
First-years of all backgrounds and majors who are not transfer students are encouraged to apply—no experience necessary!
Regular decision applications are due January 9th.
The early application deadline is December 8, 2025, and the regular application deadline is January 9, 2026. Note that the cohort may be filled with only early decision applicants, so apply sooner than later!
Explore eligibility criteria and FAQs to learn more about the application process and what it's like being part of the cohort.
The First-Year Innovation Fellowship (FYIF) is a semester-long program designed specifically for first-year students at Boston University. Whether you have a fully formed venture idea or just a problem you care about, FYIF provides the coaching, community, and resources to help you turn passion into impact. And, for the first time, participating in FYIF gives […]
The fall 2025 First-Year Innovation Fellowship wrapped up with 20 first-year students presenting ideas ranging from AI-powered meal planning to self-healing suture pads. Representing seven countries and a variety of BU schools, this cohort tackled problems in sustainability, healthcare access, digital literacy, and beyond. While FYIF has been around for more than five years, this […]
The newest Fall 2025 cohort of students in the First-Year Innovation Fellowship (FYIF) has arrived! FYIF is a semester-long program at Innovate@BU that empowers Boston University first-years to explore innovation and entrepreneurship through hands-on projects, mentorship, and community-building. Applications for Spring 2026 will open later this semester. To be notified when applications open, sign up […]
Navigating your first year of college is both exciting and daunting. For freshmen at Boston University, the First-Year Innovation Fellowship (FYIF) program at Innovate@BU offers a unique opportunity to ease into university life and the realm of entrepreneurship and innovation. Through the reflections of several FYIF students, you'll get an inside look into how this […]
Welcoming the New FYIF Cohort The First Year Innovation Fellowship (FYIF) program offers early stage innovators at BU a unique opportunity to explore, innovate, and form meaningful connections . This year, we are thrilled to welcome 39 first-year students to the FYIF cohort to embark on this 9-month journey with Innovate@BU. More than 40% of […]
When Megan Kwan (CFA’27) first arrived on BU’s campus, she had never heard of the First-Year Innovation Fellowship. Today, Megan is the founder of her own startup that reduces art material waste. You may be left wondering: what’s the secret to Megan’s startup success? According to Megan, the key was saying yes to every opportunity […]
As a Freshman, Richard Casimir (QST ‘27), knew he wanted to make an impact on the BU community but didn’t know where to begin. Originally from Port Au Prince Haiti, Richard was looking for ways to meet like minded peers on campus who shared his interest in entrepreneurship and social impact, and ultimately joined the […]
Welcome to another year of innovation! We're excited to introduce this year’s 2023 First-Year Innovation Fellowship program cohort. These young innovators are poised to change the world, and we can't wait to see what they achieve! Meet the 2023 First-Year Innovation Fellows: Adiyaan Ahamad (he/him) (CAS'27) from London, England, is studying Economics. Abdulla Alajmi (he/him) […]