Fellowships and Funding for Current Students

Related links:

Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Purpose:

These non-service fellowships support doctoral students engaged in research and writing toward the completion of their dissertations. These fellowships enable students to focus full time on completing their dissertation, improving quality and shortening the time required to complete a doctoral degree.

Types of Fellowships:

  1. General Dissertation Completion Fellowship
  2. Royster Society of Fellows Dissertation Completion Fellowship

    Endowed through the generous gifts of many friends of the University, most notably Dr. Thomas S. and Mrs. Caroline Royster Jr., these fellowships support the most promising doctoral candidates at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the final phase of completing their dissertations. In addition to the financial award, the Society of Fellows supports and nurtures members through the mentoring of senior faculty, interdisciplinary learning, and leadership development opportunities. The fellows engage in interdisciplinary seminars and are sometimes called upon to represent graduate students of the University.

    The Society of Fellows includes the following named fellowships among others: Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster, Jr. Fellowship, Thomas S and Helen Borda Royster and Snowden and Elspeth Merck Henry Fellowship, Lovick P. Corn Fellowship, Jessie Ball duPont Fellowship (Adolescent Studies), Paul C. Hardin Fellowship, Ross and Charlotte Johnson Family Fellowship and the Sequoyah Fellowship for American Indian Students/Research.

    More information about Royster Society of Fellows…

  3. Specialized Society of Fellows Dissertation Completion Fellowships:

Eligibility:

These fellowships are available to all students in doctoral programs within the UNC Chapel Hill Graduate School. These fellowships are designed to support students during their final year of graduate study; research should have progressed such that the student will be able to complete their dissertation in one year.

Course Requirements: Must be completed prior to application.
Preliminary Exams: Must pass written and oral exams prior to application.
Dissertation Prospectus: Must be formally approved prior to application.
Degree Completion: Completion of dissertation must be reasonable within award period.
Student's Engagement in Dissertation: Must be on-campus, engaged full-time on writing the dissertation, including regular communication with one's advisor.
Registration: Must only register for 3 credit hours of Doctoral Dissertation Credit (994)
Outside Employment: No service award, fellowship, scholarship or outside employment may be held during the award period without prior permission from the Graduate School.

Top candidates for the Graduate School's Dissertation Completion Fellowships are considered for the Royster Society of Fellows Fellowships if they have indicated their interest in the Society of Fellows. Students who apply for any of the Royster Society of Fellows Fellowships will be also be considered for the General Dissertation Completion Fellowship.

Students cannot apply for both the Dissertation Completion Fellowship and the Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship at the same time. Graduate students who have received a 5-year fellowship from the Graduate School are not eligible for this fellowship.

Award:

Awardees receive a competitive stipend, tuition, fees, and health insurance for one academic year. Award notifications will be sent out in the middle of April for the following academic year.

Stipends: General Dissertation Completion - $16,000
Society of Fellows - $20,000
Tuition, Fees, and Health Insurance: Paid directly to the University Cashier (3 credit hours of 994 only). Health Insurance is provided during the tenure of this award.
Travel: $1,000 for Royster Society of Fellows Fellowship awardees to present research.

Application Procedure:

Graduate School Fellowship Online Application

Applications will be competitively reviewed once a year in the spring for the following academic year.

Each Graduate Program can nominate a maximum of one student per year. Applications for the Specialized Royster Society of Fellows Fellowships do not count toward this maximum.

Graduate Programs select, rank, and nominate their students by submitting the applications to the Graduate School by the posted due date. Graduate students should check with their departments regarding earlier internal deadlines. Graduate School deadlines are posted on the Fellowships & Funding Calendar.

Apply for a Dissertation Completion Fellowship by completing the online application.

A complete application includes:

  1. Research Description (as outlined below – not to exceed 5 pages, including abstract)

    Please briefly describe your dissertation research project and progress toward completion. Address your narrative to an audience of intelligent, academic reviewers, who may not be very familiar with your specific field or discipline. You must clearly explain the importance/significance of your research to a general (lay) audience without using jargon or technical, field specific language. All parts, including abstract, Royster Society of Fellows interest statement, and any citations, may not exceed the 5 page limitation.

    • Abstract: summary of your research (no more than 300 words, double spaced)
    • Background: Depending upon your discipline or field of study, your dissertation description may include a summary of key literature, general concepts, frame of reference for your study, your research questions, and the significance of your research. Citations for important references may be included, within page limitations.
    • Methodology/Research Design: Depending upon your discipline or field of study, you may include a description of the data or other materials which will be/have been collected and analyzed, methods of collection and analysis, design considerations, etc. A full description of any necessary approvals, such as Human Subjects Review, should be included.
    • Research Progress, Work Plan, and Timetable: Include a description of research progress made to date, and planned sequence of tasks to be completed, with estimated timetable. Please note that after the excellence criterion, priority will be given to students who are most likely to complete their dissertation within the award period.
    • Significance of your Research: Include an explanation of the significance of your research to your field (limited to one paragraph).
    • Royster Society of Fellows (SOF) Interest Statement:

      If you are interested in being considered for the SOF, please include a statement, not to exceed 300 words, addressing the following:

      The Society of Fellows (SOF) is a select group of students who have the opportunity to participate in activities of the Society during their dissertation fellowship year. Students in the SOF engage in interdisciplinary dialogue by sharing their research with one another and meeting and networking with fellows from other graduate programs across the University. They have special opportunities for professional development, such as presentation training aimed at lay audiences/people outside one's discipline/field, exploration of various career paths, discussion of work/life balance, etc. And, SOF fellows sometimes act as ambassadors in representing all graduate students of the University to external constituents, such as legislators, Board of Trustee members, donors, alumni, and other community members.

      Please include in your statement your interest and ability to contribute as an active member of the SOF.

      Within the Royster Society of Fellows, there are fellowships funded by donors to encourage and support specific purposes. The Sequoyah Fellowship supports American Indian graduate students and scholarship, and the Smithwick Fellowship supports students who have been traditionally underrepresented in science fields/disciplines.

      • If applying for the Sequoyah Fellowship, please include a statement providing:
        1. Your American Indian identity and/or tribal affiliation, if applicable
        2. How your research relates to American Indian issues/problems, if applicable, and,
        3. The contributions you have made to the Carolina campus American Indian community.
      • If applying for a fellowship to support underrepresented students in the sciences, please include a statement of how you qualify and bring diversity (in a broad sense) to your science-related discipline/field.
      • If applying for a fellowship to support underrepresented students in Humanities, Social Sciences or professional programs, please include a statement of how you qualify and bring diversity (in a broad sense) to your discipline/field.

    Students applying for these special purpose fellowships in the SOF will also be considered for general SOF fellowships and should include a statement of interest in the SOF as above.

  2. Curriculum Vita and other sources of funding (not to exceed 2 pages)

    Include recent professional activities, awards, honors and courses you have taught. Please list external funds for which you have applied, including funding source, and if funding was received or is pending. Because University funding is limited, application for external funding is encouraged and such efforts will be viewed positively by the reviewers.

  3. Two Letters of Recommendation
    • One from your dissertation advisor
    • One from another faculty member who is familiar with your research

    Only electronic letters of recommendation will be accepted. The online application will prompt you to submit the email addresses for your recommenders. Once you submit your application via the online system, an email will be sent to your chosen recommenders asking them to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf.

    Each letter of recommendation is limited to 4,000 characters (spaces included) which is approximately 600 words or one single-spaced page.

    Letters of recommendation should be written “To the Fellowship Committee” and include the following:

    1. the quality of the student's research and,
    2. a rating of the applicant's overall ability and potential for a successful career based on the recommender's knowledge of other students in the same field, and
    3. the recommender's assessment of:
      1. the likelihood that the student will complete the dissertation during the award period,
      2. additionally, for Royster Society of Fellows Dissertation Completion Fellowship applicants, the student's interest in or appropriateness for the interdisciplinary aspect of the Society of Fellows, and applicant's qualifications for the Underrepresented Students in the Sciences Fellowship, the Underrepresented Students in Humanities, Social Sciences or professional programs Fellowship or the Sequoyah Fellowship for American Indian Students and/or research (only if applying for one of these specialized fellowships.)

Format:

The Research Description (including abstract) must be double-spaced, with 12 point font, 1-inch margins, pages numbered, and the applicant's name on each page. The Curriculum Vita must have 12 point font, 1-inch margins, pages numbered, and the applicant's name on each page.

Applications will not be considered if they exceed the page limit and/or the proper formatting is not followed. We cannot accept applications that exceed the total limit of seven pages (5 pages for the research description and 2 pages for the vita)

Application Tips:

Frequently Asked Questions:

When will award notifications be sent out?
Award notifications will be sent out in the middle of April.
Can I apply for both the Dissertation Completion Fellowship and the Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship at the same time?
No, students cannot apply for both the Dissertation Completion Fellowship and the Off-Campus Dissertation Research Fellowship at the same time.
Can I apply for the Dissertation Completion Fellowship if I am currently receiving a 5-year fellowship from the Graduate School?
No, graduate students that have received a 5-year fellowship from the Graduate School are not eligible for this fellowship.
If I am not selected for the Royster Society of Fellows Dissertation Completion Fellowship, am I still eligible for the General Dissertation Completion Fellowship?
Yes, your application will also be considered for a General Dissertation Completion Fellowship.
If I received a Dissertation Completion Fellowship in the past, am I eligible to apply again?
No, each student can only receive one Dissertation Completion Fellowship while a graduate student.
Can the abstract be single-spaced?
No, the abstract is part of the research description, therefore, it must be double-spaced. Double spacing is required for ease of reading by the reviewers.
If I include citations, should they be footnotes or end notes? Do they have to be double-spaced?
Citations can be either footnotes or end notes and can be single-spaced. Citations are included in the 5 page research description page limit.
Does my second letter of recommendation have to be from a UNC faculty member?
No, the second letter of recommendation can be from a faculty member from any university who is familiar with your research.
Can my recommenders submit their letters of recommendation directly to the Graduate School or my academic department?
No, only electronic letters of recommendations will be accepted. The online application will prompt you to submit the email addresses for your recommenders. Once you submit your application via the online system, an email will be sent to your chosen recommenders asking them to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
How do you define “Underrepresented Students in the Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences or professional programs”?
This is broadly defined and is up to the applicant and academic program to explain and justify.
What is the process from the student applying to the department submitting applications to the graduate school?
  1. student submits application online.
  2. email goes out to those chosen as recommenders asking them to submit letter via online system; at the same time, those marked with the role of “fellowship and award approver” for your department in the graduate school contact directory will receive an email notifying them the student submitted their application.
  3. once the letters of recommendation are submitted, they are linked to the student's electronic application.
  4. once the required number of recommendation letters are submitted, the department can mark the student’s application for selection, and submit it to the Graduate School via the online system by the Graduate School deadline.
Can the letter of recommendation request emails go out prior to me submitting my application?
No, the online application system can only send the email requests out after you submit your application since the submission triggers the emails.
Do all letters of recommendation need to be received in order for my application to be submitted to the Graduate School?
Yes, the online application system will not allow any incomplete applications to be submitted from the department to the Graduate School. A complete application includes the letters of recommendation. Therefore, letters of recommendation cannot be sent to the Graduate School after the deadline either.
What do the statuses associated with an application mean?
The statues are as follows:
  • Submitted — your application has been submitted, your department will be notified via email and emails for your requested recommenders will be sent out.
  • Waiting Letters of Recommendation — your application is waiting for letters of recommendation to be submitted. Your application cannot be submitted to the Graduate School until all letters have been submitted.
  • Waiting Department Selection — all letters of recommendation have been submitted (if applicable); your application is ready for your department to mark it for selection to the Graduate School
  • Department Selected — your application was selected for submission to the Graduate School
  • Department Nominated — your application has been submitted to the Graduate School
  • Reopened — your department reopened your application so you can make changes and resubmit it.

Questions:

For additional information, e-mail the Graduate School Fellowships Office.