THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Success (GPS) Dissertation Fellowship supports sixth-year PhD students with dedicated time to focus on the completion of their dissertation to accelerate their time to degree completion and graduation. The GPS Dissertation Fellowship offers one quarter of funding (tuition and stipend) for the 2026–27 academic year to support eligible PhD students.  

The fellowship requires the student and dissertation chair to devise a three-quarter individual development plan (IDP) that will ensure the completion of the dissertation and degree by the sixth-year spring quarter with the support of the fellowship.  

The fellowship aims to empower students to focus on their own research and academic progression to support degree completion. 

Below are the eligibility and application requirements. 

Eligibility

1. Full-time, sixth-year PhD student in good academic standing 
2. Approval from their program DGS to apply/accept the fellowship 

Application Requirements

1. A one-page letter that describes: 
   1. Brief IDP to complete their dissertation and degree during the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters 
   2. Rationale of why the fellowship support is essential for the success of the IDP 
   3. Institutional and/or external factors that contributed to not completing the degree prior to the sixth year 
   4. Scope of project and/or breadth of research that contributed to not completing the degree prior to the sixth year 
   5. Which quarter is requested 
2. Letter of support from the dissertation chair confirming: 
   1. The two eligibility requirements for the fellowship
   2. The rationale of why the student has not completed their degree by end of the fifth year
   3. The student will be able to complete their dissertation and degree by the end of the sixth year Spring quarter due to the support of the fellowship
   4. Student CV