Need assistance?

Please use our Services and Subject Directory to locate a member of our staff to help.
Services and Subject Directory

Graduate College Fellowship Policies

1. Students cannot hold more than one Graduate College fellowship that funds a stipend simultaneously (Access to Excellence Fellowship, Dean’s Scholar Fellowship, PIF Fellowship, University Fellowship).

2. Students holding a Graduate College fellowship who are simultaneously awarded an external fellowship that funds the student’s stipend:

  • Policy 1: The Graduate College wants to reward fellowship students who successfully apply for and receive external funding. However, many external funding agencies do not allow students to accept funds from other sources. In these cases, students will have to relinquish either their external fellowship or their Graduate College fellowship.
  • Policy 2: In the event a student simultaneously receives a Graduate College fellowship and an external fellowship, with annual stipend funding that is relatively equivalent to the Graduate College funding, from an agency that does not restrict an individual from accepting multiple awards, the Graduate College may top off the student's external award by a maximum of $5000 not to exceed $30,000 total funding (Graduate College plus external funds) per academic year.

This policy pertains to:

  • Students in any of the four years of Graduate College funding for a PIF Fellowship recipient.
  • Master's and doctoral students receiving their first year and doctoral students receiving their renewal year of full funding from the Graduate College (in the fourth year of study), for a recruitment round University or Abraham Lincoln (two-year) Fellowship.
  • Students receiving a Dean’s Scholar Fellowship or a one-year Abraham Lincoln Fellowship

3. Renewals of the University, Access, and PIF Fellowships.

Successful completion of the Preliminary Examination is a prerequisite for receiving a second full year of funding from the Graduate College (typically this funding occurs in the PhD student’s fourth year of study) for University, and Abraham Lincoln Fellowships that were awarded in the recruitment round, and the final fourth year of funding from the Graduate College for PIF Fellowships. Below are four policies related to this last year of fellowship funding.

  • Policy 1: The Examination Report Form indicating that the preliminary examination has been passed by the student must be received by the Graduate College by April 1 of the student’s third year in the program for them to be awarded their fourth year funding. If this paperwork, or a request for an extension, is not received by the Graduate College by April 1, the student will relinquish his/her award, and forego the final year of funding from the Graduate College.
  • Policy 2: In the event of extenuating circumstances resulting in failure to complete the preliminary examination by April 1 of the student’s third year, the student’s academic program may contact the Graduate College to determine if a one-year extension of funding is possible.  A detailed justification from the student, their research advisor, and director of graduate studies is required, and will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Extensions are not encouraged, but will be reviewed based upon the circumstances presented.
  • Policy 3: Students cannot request to extend the time to receive their fourth year funding if they have successfully completed their preliminary examination, unless they are taking an official leave of absence during the fourth year.  Exceptions to this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Policy 4: Students who have completed the first three years of an Access or University Fellowship and request and are approved for an extension for the fourth year of stipend funding, will not receive additional funds (e.g., top-off funds for a 50% assistantship) from the Graduate College during that extension year.

4. For recipients of the University or Access to Excellence (recruitment) fellowships, the Graduate College will provide funding in the student’s 2nd (master's and doctoral) and 3rd (doctoral only) years, to supplement their 50% teaching or research assistantship stipend, up to a combined amount of $26,000.  The Graduate College will provide funding in the student’s 2nd year, recruitment category only, to supplement their 50% teaching or research assistantship stipend, up to a combined amount of $22,000. This supplemental funding will only apply to fellowship winners who have made satisfactory academic progress. The supplemental funding will be processed as a fellowship.

  • Policy 1: Fellowship recipients must receive at least a nine-month 50% assistantship in years 2 and 3 (doctoral only) of the fellowship, and be making satisfactory academic progress to receive supplemental funding.
  • Policy 2: The stipend level of the fellowship recipient’s 50% teaching or research assistantship must be at or above the same level as that provided to other students in their graduate program. In other words, the fellowship recipient’s 50% teaching or research assistantship stipend shall not be decreased in value relative to that received by other students in the program.
  • Policy 3.  If the fellowship recipient’s 50% teaching/research assistantship stipend level is already at or above $26,000, the Graduate College will not provide any supplemental funding for that student.
  • Policy 4. Programs must inform the Graduate College of the teaching or research fellowship recipient’s assistantship stipend by forwarding the student’s offer letter to Mr. Benn Williams in the Graduate College along with a statement indicating the department’s 50% stipend level. This information should be submitted to the Graduate College by July 30 the summer before the student’s 2nd and 3rd year.

5. For recipients of the Access to Excellence, PIF, SROP, and University fellowships, the Graduate College discourages but does not expressly prohibit on-campus employment up to 0.67 FTE. Dean's Scholars should not exceed 0.50 FTE.