spˈɑːnsɚɹɪŋ ˌɪnstɪtˈuːʃənz mˈʌst biː nˈɑːnpɹˈɑːfɪt, ɐkɹˈɛdɪɾᵻd jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾiz ɡɹˈæntɪŋ dˈɑːktɚɹəl dᵻɡɹˈiːz ɪn ɹˈɛlᵻvənt fˈiːldz"kˌɑːmplɪmˈɛntɚɹi tə ðɪ ˈɪntɹɛsts ʌv ˈoːɹaʊ mˈɛmbɚz ænd slˈæʃ ɔːɹ ðə pɹˈoʊɡɹæmz ʌv ˈoːɹaʊ ɪtsˈɛlf", ænd ˈiːðɚɹ ɐmˌʌŋ ðə tˈɑːp skˈuːlz ɪnðə jˌuːˈɛs baɪ kˈɑːɹnəɡi klˌæsɪfɪkˈeɪʃən ɔːɹ nˈæʃənəl sˈaɪəns faʊndˈeɪʃən ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃ spˈɛndɪŋ, ɔːɹ hæv ˈɔfɚd dˈɑːktɚɹəl dᵻɡɹˈiːz ɪn mˌʌltɪpəl stˈɛm fˈiːldz fɔːɹ æt lˈiːst fˈaɪv jˈɪɹz.
Sponsoring institutions must be non-profit, accredited universities granting doctoral degrees in relevant fields ("complementary to the interests of ORAU members and/or the programs of ORAU itself"), and either among the top schools in the US by Carnegie Classification or National Science Foundation research spending, or have offered doctoral degrees in multiple STEM fields for at least five years.