Provost Graduate Fellowship

The UC Graduate College is proud to offer the Provost Graduate Fellowship (PGF): grants for promising new PhD students whose presence diversifies our institution and the academy. Generously funded by Provost Valerio Ferme and the Office of the Provost, these awards signify the commitment of UC's leadership to making graduate education mirror the demographics of American society. Increasing the share of underrepresented ethnic or racial minorities as recipients of doctoral degrees diversifies the Graduate College and our pipeline of future academic talent.

The Graduate College will offer up to three PGF awards per year to incoming PhD students, with each winner receiving three years of a full-tuition scholarship in addition to a yearly living stipend of $25,000. Annual renewal will depend on the student's continued good academic standing and satisfactory progress toward degree completion. The fellowships will require no work commitments.

Please contact the Provost Graduate Fellowship email (pgf@uc.edu) with questions

The Provost Graduate Fellowship (PGF) provides three years of funding, which includes a tuition scholarship for 3 years and an annual stipend of $25,000 for 3 years. Provost Fellows are also provided access to additional funds to defray some of the cost of Student Health Insurance. Student who purchase this university-supplied insurance receive up to $1,000/year for 3 years. When this benefit is combined with the GSHI award for graduate assistants and fellows, the yearly cost of the single-student health insurance coverage is negligible.

As part of nominating a student for the PGF, the graduate program devises a mentoring and academic support plan for the applicant. All Provost Fellows enter their graduate program with a designated "Provost Fellowship mentor" and a clear plan to support the fellow from matriculation to graduation.

First year fellows are required to attend monthly professional development meetings with their fellow Provost and Yates Fellows (class schedule permitting). The first required meeting will be a half-day fellowship orientation, prior to the start of fall classes. The PGF & Yates program also hosts social events to allow fellows to get to know and network with each other in a more casual setting. (These social events are optional to attend.)

Fellows are also required to complete and submit an Individual Development Plan annually, for every year they receive PGF funding. New and revised/updated IDPs will typically be due to the Graduate College in spring semester, in early April. Once the fellow has received all three years of PFG funding, they are encouraged, but no longer required, to submit an annual IDP to the Graduate College.

Graduate programs nominate eligible students via the application form in Slate. Any PhD student nominated by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, February 6, 2023 will automatically be considered for a Provost Graduate Fellowship. If the student is not selected for a PGF, they will automatically be considered for a Yates Fellowship. Any PhD student nominated after Feb. 6 will only be considered for a Yates Fellowship. Students who are awarded a Provost Fellowship will be automatically withdrawn from consideration for the Yates Fellowship. Decisions will announced to the nominating programs on February 23.

Provost Graduate Fellowship Program Description (PDF) 
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PhD admits from ethnic minorities underrepresented in the nominating program are eligible for a Provost Fellowship at the time they matriculate.

• Students entering other types of doctoral degree programs are not eligible for this award. It is limited to new students entering a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program.
• Nominating programs/departments must document that the student's demographic origin is underrepresented within the field or discipline.
• Students of ethnicities underrepresented in the nominating program are eligible for a Provost Fellowship. Underrepresented minorities include, but are not limited to, the following groups:

African American
Asian/Pacific Islander
Latino/a or Hispanic American
Native American/Alaskan Native

• Students must be entering a PhD program in Fall Semester 2023 as a full-time student (taking at least 12 graduate credits).
• Students who are currently in a UC graduate program or have already received a UC graduate degree are not eligible for the PGF. Students who have earned an undergraduate degree from UC are still eligible.

The Graduate College will provide full tuition-remission funding for each Provost Graduate Fellow for three consecutive academic years. In addition, each awardee will receive a living stipend of $25,000 per year in each of these three years; the stipend will be disbursed throughout twelve months, which means it will provide summer support. This fellowship provides no funding to cover fees of any kind.

To maintain eligibility for funding as a Provost Fellow, the student must be registered for at least 12 credits/term in the fall and spring semesters, remain in good academic standing (GPA 3.0 or greater), and make satisfactory progress toward degree completion. First year fellows will also be required to attend monthly meetings (organized by the Graduate College) with their fellow Provost Graduate Fellows and Yates Fellows, class schedule permitting.

Neither the tuition scholarship nor stipend may not be associated with any work assignments. However, students may accept work assignments from other funding sources if they wish.

Each Provost Fellow will also have access to additional funds to defray some of the cost of Graduate Student Health Insurance. If students need this university-supplied insurance, they will receive up to $1,000 per year for the three years in which they hold this fellowship. When this benefit is combined with the GSHI award for graduate assistants and fellows, the yearly cost of health insurance will be negligible.

Please direct questions to the Provost Graduate Fellowship email (pgf@uc.edu).