Fellowships are prestigious competitive opportunities in which organizations may provide a stipend and/or tuition to outstanding students expected to advance specific outcomes. These awards include great benefits, such as access to facilities and professional networks, publishing, and travel opportunities. Additionally, the process of applying to fellowship programs is beneficial to the student as a means of professional development. Throughout the student's career, they will likely need to seek funding or justify the funding they already receive. Development of strong program specific application materials will benefit the student regardless of awarded status. Most students benefit from and appreciate the application process itself.
Some programs are offered to the Institute on behalf of a particular student. These are usually grant programs in which the advisor is the Primary Investigator. NASA, the NIH, NSF DDRIG awards, and others, have fellowships for individual students that a faculty must apply for via the Institute. Applications must be submitted through the Research Administration and Finance office. Additionally, if an award will be dispersed to the Institute on behalf of a particular student, regardless of application process, the student's advisor must submit a request with RAF. If you have any questions about this, please contact madige@rpi.edu.
All PhD students must be supported at the level required in the Graduate Students' Tuition and Support Policy.
TUITION: A fellowship may include full, partial, or no tuition coverage. If no tuition coverage is provided and the fellowship requires release from teaching assistant or research assistant duties:
A student that has enough credits to graduate may request a zero-credit fellowship registration. Request form ADMN-6150 from Betty Madigan (madige@rpi.edu). Note: as per Institute policy, students will be required to pay for one credit during the semester they graduate.
- A student that does not have enough credits to graduate must request a tuition waiver. Email madige@rpi.edu for the Graduate Fellowship Tuition Waiver/Cost Share Request form.
- If a partial cost-of-education allowance is provided, a cost share request must be completed.
STIPEND: A living stipend that does not meet the Institute minimum requires supplementation from the school/department. Departments or advisors that sign th Graduate Fellowship Tuition Waiver/Cost Share Request form are committing to providing the required supplemental support for the student.
The forms MUST be submitted to and approved by the Office of Graduate Education PRIOR to a student submitting an application to a fellowship program. Awards that are offered may not be accepted if these forms are not completed by the time of application submission.
Fellowship programs depend on your expertise to inform them about candidates they seek to meet specific outcomes. The information you provide is critical in their decision making process. Your goal is to directly connect the attributes and characteristics of your student to the mission of the funder/program. To effectively do this, we suggest the following:
- Learn about the goals and mission of the funder/program the student is applying to
- Speak with the student about what value this program has for their professional development and career
- In the letter, indicate how you know the student
- Include concrete examples of how the student has demonstrated specific characteristics and skills, including leadership, innovation, communication and other attributes sought by a particular program
- Avoid a retelling of the C.V.
- Avoid broad general statements, such as "He is in the top 5% of my students" and "She is well suited to change the world." These are postive statements, but provide little information for the funder.
- Avoid asking the student to write their own letter. Beyond the ethical issues, experienced selection committees are adept at spotting recommendations written by the candidate themselves and this harms the student's chances
For additional support:
RPI is committed to assisting students that seek external funding opportunities for their graduate education. The External Graduate Funding site includes:
- robust search engines of potential programs
- lists of programs of interest to specific groups of students, including dedicated lists for international students, post-doctoral candidates, and undergraduate students
- Recorded Information sessions
- Links to specific program supports, such as webinars for the National Science Foundation, Fulbright, and other programs
The advisor is available to join your class or group to discuss potential opportunities and strategies for constructing strong application packages. Individual consultations (via Webex) to assist with fellowship searches and to review application materials are highly recommended.
Finally, remember it is critical to notify the advisor of any fellowship applications before an applicant hits submit! Please send any questions to Betty at Madige@rpi.edu.
