Dear PhD Students and Advisors,

In response to the difficulties that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on the progress of many of our PhD students, the Office of the Provost is pleased to announce a limited number of Summer 2021 Degree Completion Fellowships of $9,000 each for PhD students whose progress has been delayed by COVID-19 factors. The fellowships will help to support PhD students who will finish their doctoral degrees in Summer 2021 but who have exhausted their funding.

This is a different funding opportunity than the recently announced Request for Extension of PhD Funding, which supports extended academic appointments in Fall 2021. If you have applied for the Fall 2021 extended funding, your school will provide you with a status update shortly after the May 20, 2021, application deadline. The Summer 2021 Degree Completion Fellowships are specifically targeted for PhD students who will graduate in Summer 2021.

Eligibility
To be eligible for the summer fellowship, PhD students must:

1. Be graduating in Summer 2021
2. Have been delayed by COVID-19 pandemic-related issues (including, but not limited to, lack of access to labs, libraries, or fieldwork; restrictions on human subjects research; restrictions on travel; interruption due to family or self-care responsibilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
3. Have passed comprehensive exams
4. Be making satisfactory academic progress
5. Have been funded continually by appointments or fellowships for the past two years (not including summers)
6. Have exhausted their funding in Spring 2021

Application Process

Each eligible PhD student must complete an eligibility form, which can be requested via the Summer 2021 Degree Completion Fellowships for PhD Students webpage. Students, advisors, program director/department chair representatives and the dean’s office must also confirm that the student meets the criteria above. 

Completed DocuSign forms with all signatures are due by June 1, 2021, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Note that PhD students cannot receive both the Summer 2021 Degree Completion Fellowship and the Fall 2021 extended funding opportunity since the fellowship is earmarked for PhD students who will graduate in Summer 2021 (exceptions may be made for extreme unforeseen circumstances). Students receiving the fellowship must apply for Summer 2021 graduation.

Questions
Please email Vice Provost for Graduate Studies Amanda Godley with any questions.