Albert C. Yates Fellowship Program

The mission of the Albert C. Yates Fellowship Program at the University of Cincinnati is to enrich the educational environment for all graduate students by supporting the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents with high potential for academic success to graduate programs at the University of Cincinnati. The Graduate College provides 25 fellowships per year to incoming master's and doctoral students. 

This award requires program nomination; students cannot directly apply. It is strongly recommended, though, that students identify their eligibilty to their future program. (Please visit the program finder website for program contact information.) Application portfolios should be completed as early as possible in order for the applicant's program to evaluate their eligibility.

Please contact the Yates Fellowship email (yates@uc.edu) with questions.

The Yates Fellowship Program provides stipend funding for fellows, which is spread over multiple years and is in addition to any funding provided by the graduate program. Doctoral students receive a total of $25,000 in stipend funds from the Yates Fellowship Program, and master's students receive $20,000. The nominating graduate program determines the disbursement schedule for these funds. 

As part of nominating a student for the Yates Fellowship Program, the graduate program devises a mentoring and academic support plan for the applicant. All Yates fellows enter their graduate program with a designated "Yates 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 Yates and Provost Graduate Fellows (class schedule permitting). The first required meeting will be a half-day fellowship orientation, prior to the start of fall classes. The Yates Fellowship 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.)

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

Yates Fellows are 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 multiple years (3 years for doctoral students, 2 years for master's students). 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.

Graduate departments may nominate prospective/incoming students who will start a master's or doctoral program in Fall 2023.

The Yates Fellowship Program offers three selection rounds:

• Round 1: Applications due (via Slate form) by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7. Round 1 recipients will be announced to the nominating programs on February 24.
• Round 2: Applications due (via Slate form) by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 20. Round 2 recipients will be announced to the nominating programs on April 7.
• Round 3: Applications due (via Slate form) by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 17. Round 3 recipients will be announced to the nominating programs on May 5.

Incoming, full-time (12 or more credit hours) students are nominated by their departments. 

Yates Fellowship Program Description (PDF)

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• Nominee's potential for academic achievement*
• Strength of the program's recommendation
• Strength of the program's plan for academic, financial and mentoring support of the nominee, including a timeline and proposal for the use of Yates funding
• Nominee's application materials (including the Yates student statement)
• Nominee's status as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Nominee's status as a new graduate student at UC (students who attended UC as undergraduate students are still eligible)
• Underrepresentation of nominee's ethnicity or race within the field or discipline

*Potential may be measured by past academic performance, demonstrated skills, outstanding accomplishment, tenacious attitude and/or other qualities deemed appropriate by the selection committee.

Please direct questions to the Yates Fellowship email (yates@uc.edu) with questions.