The Graduate School is pleased to announce the competition for University Fellowships for the 2008-2009 academic year.  University Fellowships will be awarded, pending availability of funds, to the most qualified new doctoral graduate students.  These Fellowships include stipend, full tuition, and health insurance and are intended to help recruit high-quality doctoral students.

It is generally expected that successful candidates for University Fellowships will present, at a minimum:

• Graduate Record Examination scores of 60th percentile in the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing sections of the General Test (or 60th percentile or higher on another acceptable standardized test).  
• Undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or higher.
• Strong letters of recommendation and other evidence of scholarly ability.

Nominations of candidates whose qualifications deviate from the expectation should be accompanied by a clear explanation of why that expectation should not be applied to a particular discipline (e.g., GRE Quantitative scores may not be a valid predictor of success in Art History) or met by a given candidate (e.g., an international student with a low-average GRE Verbal score).

Self-nomination by student candidates will not be accepted.  The department or program chair must make all nominations after an appropriate faculty committee has reviewed candidates.  Departments should submit the dossiers for nominated students (plus 4 copies) to the Graduate School (attn.: Scholarship Committee, 105 Houchens Bldg.).  Graduate Programs in the School of Medicine should submit their nominations to IPIBS, c/o Dr. Nigel Cooper, Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology and Graduate Programs in the Speed School of Engineering should submit their nominations to the Grosscurth Fellowship Committee, c/o Dr. Mike Day, Speed School of Engineering.  Awards will be made for highly qualified nominees, pending availability of funding, beginning February 4, 2008 for the Fall 2008 semester.  Programs are reminded that, because UofL is a signatory to the Council of Graduate Schools “Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants”, students may not be compelled to accept offers of Fellowship prior to April 15, 2008.  Awards will continue to be made until all available funds are expended, so programs are encouraged to submit nominations at any time.

The dossier should contain the following information:

1. Letter of nomination that provides a concise summary of the candidate's qualifications and a clear exposition of any additional evidence that should be considered.  This letter of nomination must also indicate commitment of support after completion of University Fellowship.
2. Undergraduate and, if appropriate, graduate transcripts.
3. Test scores:
• Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing scores (percentile and raw score) on the GRE General Test  (or other acceptable standardized test scores, e.g., GMAT, MCAT, Miller Analogies Test);
• GRE Subject Test Scores, if required by the department or program;
• TOEFL scores, where appropriate.
4. Letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the candidate's academic ability.
   

Departments or programs that nominate more than one candidate for University Fellowships should provide a rank order of preference.  If the rank order appears inconsistent with the information in the dossiers, a statement of explanation should be attached, e.g., knowledge of the quality of a candidate's undergraduate program or personal/professional familiarity with one or more of the persons who provided letters of recommendation may weigh in the department's preference ranking.

A University Fellowship is a one-year award from August 1 (or matriculation date) through June 30, renewable for one additional year beginning July 1.  To be eligible, departments or units must certify that they will support the student at the same or higher stipend rate for a minimum of two additional years beyond those supported by the University Fellowship.  The stipend rate of University Fellowships is currently $18,000 to $22,000 per annum.  Renewals will be based upon the recommendation of the program and the student's progress toward her/his degree.

Students awarded University Fellowships are precluded from other work for compensation while supported by the Fellowship except in unusual cases and only with the written consent of the Dean of the Graduate School.   Normally it is expected that a student would be supported on a University Fellowship for the first two years of study and then supported by faculty research grants, training grants or other sources of extramural fellowship support.  University-funded teaching assistantships may also be used to support additional years of study.  Flexibility will be exercised to accommodate the specific needs of students and programs (e.g., University Fellowships may be used to support the first and last years of study for some students).