Dean’s Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The Graduate College Dean's Dissertation Completion Fellowship will award up to ten fellowships to doctoral students in their penultimate or final year of degree work to support superior scholarship that enhances the reputation of their program, college, and the University of Cincinnati.

The recipients of this award are recommended by a faculty committee and sanctioned by the dean of the Graduate College. The awards are presented spring semester, and each award includes a $20,000 fellowship and a full one-year tuition scholarship.

• During fellowship year, register full-time (12 credits or more) for fall semester and (if being funded during the term) spring semester.
  
• No teaching or research employment at UC or elsewhere.
• Fellows must engage in approved monthly professional development activities (a minimum of 4 per semester). The following activities may be used to fulfill this requirement: 
  • Support Graduate College programming as a panelist or speaker 
    
  • Participate in Preparing Future Faculty events 
    
  • Create a professional development workshop in collaboration with Graduate College staff
    
  • Participation in the annual UC Graduate College Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition as a competitor, preliminary round judge, or trainer/coach for students
    
  • Serve on a Graduate College committee  
    
  • Other professional development activity, as approved by the Graduate College program director
    
• Acknowledgement of the Graduate College Dean's Completion Fellowship in publications resulting from work done during the fellowship year.
  

As the Dean's Fellowship now awards up to ten fellowship, each doctoral program may nominate two (2) students. Programs must rank their nominees.

Programs may nominate students in their final or penultimate year of degree work. Students who are awarded funding in their penultimate year may not receive a second year of funding. Students who are nominated for funding in their penultimate year, but are not selected, may be nominated for funding in their final year. As such, the acknowledgement form to preclude the student from receiving any further university funding following the end of this fellowship's funding is no longer required. 

Eligible students are those with dissertation committees established, who will have all coursework completed by the beginning of the fall 2026 semester, and who are sufficiently advanced in their dissertation research and writing to be able to commit credibly to graduating by the end of the fellowship year or the following year (for those funded in their penultimate year). The competition is for funding during academic year 2026–27.

Nominations should not include those who are ineligible for funding in fall 2026 or spring 2027 due to the 174 graduate credit rule. Nominations are limited to two (2) from each doctoral program and are made by the graduate program director in consultation with program faculty. 

The fellowship application will open in early Fall 2025. Applications from programs will be due early December. 

Please direct questions to Megan Carroll (carrolm2@ucmail.uc.edu).