Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship

Fellowship details

Application Status
application status icon
Anticipated
Deadline
04/18/2025
Amount
$5,000 stipend
Period of Funding
Summer quarter
Citizenship Requirements
No requirement
Contact

Overview

The UCI Graduate Division is pleased to announce a fellowship for students nearing completion of their dissertations/thesis. The Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship, GDDF, aims to increase dissertation and thesis completion amongst doctoral and MFA students. This award is intended for students in their final year of graduate study who have a realistic expectation of degree completion during the 2025-2026 academic year. The award will allow students to forgo their non-research related employment obligations to concentrate on completing their degree

Award Information

To maximize the number of students that this fellowship can support, awards will be granted for summer only. The Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship (GDDF) offers $5,000 during the summer 2025 for students who are close to completing their dissertation or thesis in the 2025-2026 academic year. The Graduate Division will cover the stipend cost.

Important Dates

Application Open:  March 3, 2025
School Submission Deadline:  April 18, 2025

Please note that Schools and Departments set earlier internal deadlines for limited submission or “school nominated” fellowships such as this. Therefore, interested students should contact their program or department regarding deadlines that pertain to them.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Nominees must be enrolled full-time in a Ph.D. or MFA program and nearing completion of their dissertation or thesis.
  • Nominees must be enrolled in Fall 2025 and file for graduation no later than Summer 2026.
  • Nominees must provide evidence in their application that the timeframe to file their degree is reasonable.
  • Nominees must maintain a 3.0 GPA
  • Although employment during the fellowship period is not recommend, it is permitted.
  • Nominees may not be past their academic program’s maximum time-to-degree.
  • United States Citizens, Permanent Residents, AB540, and, International Students are eligible to be nominated

Nomination Process

Schools are asked to set internal deadlines and collect the student applications accordingly.

Students: complete and submit the GDDF Student Application Form electronically to their academic department, along with the following:

  • Student Statement (500 words max)
    • Brief description of status of research and progress to date
    • Detailed plan & timeline for completion
    • Explanation of how fellowship will help complete degree within timeframe. Review the application for additional details.
  • Description of past employment while a graduate student
  • Listing of all extramural, departmental, and Graduate Division fellowships or other financial support received, including pending applications with year and amount
  •  Supplemental Documents 
    • Current version of the student’s Curriculum Vitae (CV)
    • Unofficial academic transcript
    • Letter of recommendation from student’s dissertation committee chair
  • Combine all above documents into one PDF and pass along to department

Departments: complete the GDDF Department Nomination Form for each student the department is nominating. Combine with the student application and supplemental documents. All documents must be combined into one PDF before forwarding on to school.

Schools/College: submit completed documentations for each nominee to GDDF Submission Form.

Forms

  • Student Application Form
  • Department Nomination Form
  • GDDF Submission Form

Stipulations

  • GDDF fellows are required to file their dissertation during the 2025-2026 academic year and must file their degree no later than summer 2026. Students must be enrolled in Fall 2025 at minimum to be eligible for this fellowship. 
  • Department/Schools/Colleges will be required to re-pay the awarded funds to the Graduate Division if the filing requirement is not met. 
  • GDDF fellows are no longer eligible for Graduate Division fellowship funding after the end of the summer fellowship term.
  • If students have applied for and accepted Financial Aid loans or Work-Study awards and subsequently receive any fellowships, the additional support may affect their eligibility for need-based financial aid. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to determine if their eligibility will be affected.
  • Students should review the terms of any funding that they have accepted to ensure that they are eligible to receive additional fellowship funding

Contact

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