Eligibility and Terms

Graduate Fellows must be current full-time students who are enrolled in a PhD program. Full-time enrollment is defined as enrollment in 9-15 credits per semester, three credits per semester for students with approved ABD status. Graduate Fellowships provide a nine-month (academic year) and full-time summer stipend totaling $42,000.00, health insurance, dental insurance, the remission of tuition, a waiver of the graduate standard student fees (registration fee, health services fee, technology fee, student services fee), and a parking permit reimbursement for the Fall and Spring semester.

The Dean’s Fellowship will be held by students for one academic year, including the summer. Awardees will be supported in subsequent semesters by grant funding or departmental/college resources for such time as may be necessary for them to complete their degrees.

Preference will be given to students who have not previously held a URI graduate fellowship in the prior academic years.

Criteria for nomination:

• Currently enrolled in a Doctoral program
• Demonstrated ability and promise of academic achievement
• Two recommendations
• Cumulative grade point average
• Personal statements of professional objectives and contributions to the University mission
• Other evidence of promise (e.g., publications, professional participation, etc.)

All of the above will be reviewed and evaluated by the committee in making its decision.

Nomination Submission Instructions

Submission may be made by department/program. There is no limit on the number of nominations. Nominations will be submitted via InfoReady and will include the following elements:

• Two Department/Program Recommendation Support Forms. The Dean’s Fellowship Support Forms may be written by any combination of the following sources: department chair, director of graduate studies, student’s major advisor, or other faculty. 
• Nominee’s Statement of Professional Objectives (maximum of 1000 words).  This statement should describe the nominee’s aspirations, challenges in achieving those goals, and how their record of excellence at URI will equip them for success. The statement should also include how the student contributes to one or more aspects of the university mission:
  • Creativity and scholarship
  • Diversity, fairness, and respect
  • Engaged learning and civic involvement
  • Intellectual and ethical leadership
• Nominee’s Curriculum vitae (maximum of two pages)
• Nominee’s Unofficial transcript (downloaded from e-Campus)
• Statement from the department chair detailing the type and extent of support the department will provide to the nominee should they receive the award but not complete all degree requirements within the award year.

The Dean’s Fellowship Competition deadline is January 17, 2025.

submit 2025 nomination

Selection Criteria

Nominees are evaluated based on their academic progress and their merits. The criteria used by the committee to make their selections are as follows:

• Recommendations
• Statement of professional objectives
• Other evidence of achievement

Announcement of Fellowship Awardees

Awards will be announced in February via email to the recipients, with copies sent to their respective department chairs. The initial notice of intention to award a fellowship for the Fall 2025 semester will specify that it is contingent upon the availability of budgetary resources and the recipient’s satisfactory completion of the current academic term.

The Graduate School will manage the disbursement of the fellowship award working directly with Enrollment Services.

For questions, please contact Kathy Kantor, Fiscal Clerk, at kathykantor@uri.edu with the subject line “Dean’s Fellowship Inquiry”.