Is this an OFFER or just advertisement?

[kevinxin]

I received an email from a professor:

Dear XXX;

I have your application in hands and would like to explore with you the possibility of funding under a joint UCSD-SDSU program ; you would be co-advised by myself and Prof. XXX, from SDSU. The program is partly experimental and partly analytical. It deals with the processing of powder and porous nano-materials for the variety of applications including solar and fuel cells, bio-inspired materials, nanocrystalline and ultrafine grained metals, electronic devices, etc. You would take classes both at San Diego State University and at UCSD. If your application is successful, we can provide support of approximately $20K/academic year plus fully covered tuition and fringe benefits.

We are looking forward to your online official application at XXXX

Professor XXX

Does anybody know the details about this UCSD-SDSU program? According to what he wrote, can I get the offer for sure when my application is done or this is just an advertisement?

Thanks for anyone's explanation!

[someDay]

Whilst I would take this as an indication that they are interested in having you as their student, the "If your application is successful" clause clearly indicates that at this stage you should not take an acceptance for granted.

sD.

[fuzzylogician]

I received an email from a professor:

Dear XXX;

I have your application in hands and would like to explore with you the possibility of funding under a joint UCSD-SDSU program ; you would be co-advised by myself and Prof. XXX, from SDSU. The program is partly experimental and partly analytical. It deals with the processing of powder and porous nano-materials for the variety of applications including solar and fuel cells, bio-inspired materials, nanocrystalline and ultrafine grained metals, electronic devices, etc. You would take classes both at San Diego State University and at UCSD. If your application is successful, we can provide support of approximately $20K/academic year plus fully covered tuition and fringe benefits.

We are looking forward to your online official application at XXXX

Professor XXX

Does anybody know the details about this UCSD-SDSU program? According to what he wrote, can I get the offer for sure when my application is done or this is just an advertisement?

Thanks for anyone's explanation!

It doesn't sound like a final offer, more like a suggestion to apply to the program. Possibly this program has an adcom that decides who to accept, so the professor can't admit anyone by himself. However, I assume the professor wouldn't bother contacting you if you weren't a good candidate for the program, so you probably have a good chance of being accepted.

(Check for yourself: read up on the program and ask yourself if it's a good fit for you. If you think it's not -- maybe it's only advertising. If it is a good fit, then congrats, the professor also thinks so. That's a big step towards getting admitted).