Graduate Fellowship Program

Program Objectives & Selection Criteria
Application Procedure
Award Procedure
Terms of the Graduate Fellowship

Program Objectives & Selection Criteria:

The stipend is $13,500 for the 9-month academic year (Fall/Spring), tuition for up to 9 credits per semester, and Graduate Student Health Insurance. Summer support is not provided.

The following criteria will be considered in funding decisions:

• Preference is given to Ph.D. students or master's students in a field which (a) has no Ph.D. program and (b) is central to UAF's mission and strategic plan.

• Ranking by Department Chair or equivalent.

• Diversity.

• Student is admitted or has applied for Fall 2008 or Spring 2009 with no available Department funding (this fellowship is not intended to support continuing students. It is a recruitment tool for new or potential students).

• Enrollment and productivity of the Ph.D. program (if applicable) in which the student will enroll.

• The Department has filed reports on Student Learning Outcomes Assessment for the Ph.D. program (and Master's program(s) if support is requested for Master's students) for the past two years. These reports should indicate significant progress in implementing assessment. Further, if the program has undergone Program Review in the past two years, the program has demonstrated adequate progress in assesment of graduate programs.

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Application Procedure

1. The major advisor (or proposed major advisor in the case of applicants) should apply to his or her Department Chair, via a 1-2 page memo that describes the student's qualifications, the research area the student will pursue, and the faculty members plan for securing funding for the student after the fellowship ends.

2. The Department Chair may require other information in the application if he or she chooses.

3. The Department Chair ranks the proposals and submits them to the Dean of the School or College by March 21. (Applications for INDS students should go directly to the Graduate School to be reviewed by the Interdiciplinary Program Review Committee.)

4. If he or she chooses, the Dean of the School or College can add comments (e.g., on priority for different departments).

5. The Dean of the School or College submits the application to the Graduate School by March 28.

6. If a Department wishes to add a later applicant to their list, the Department Chair may do so by sending a memo through their Dean to the Graduate School. Later candidates may be ranked above other candidates on the wait list of that Department, if the Department chooses.

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During the tenure of the Graduate Fellowship, the following conditions must be met:

• A graduate fellow must be a full-time UAF graduate student and must devote at least 20 hours per week to research directed by the major advisor.
• A graduate fellow must not have any teaching responsibilities, either as a TA or an instructor.
• The graduate fellowship includes a $13,500 stipend for the 9-month academic year (Spring/Summer), the tuition for up to nine (9) graduate (or other approved course) credits per semester and Graduate Student Health Insurance. Departments or grants may supplement this award to bring the funding level up to the normal RA rate for the Department.
• Once awarded the fellowship, a copy of the student's appointment letter issued by the College/School must be sent to the Graduate School for payment of the Graduate Fellowship.
• Graduate fellows must bring a copy of the award letter to the Graduate School every semester to have the tuition and health insurance payments applied to their account.
• Graduate Fellowships for Ph.D. students are renewable for a second year, for a total of two years of support, provided the Graduate School has funds available.

  Graduate Fellowships for Masters students are 1-year only.

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