General Fellowship Questions
General Fellowship Questions
Sorry if this is a stupid question/already explained, but can someone explain fellowships to me? If most PhD offers include funding in the form of stipends and paying for your classes/tuition (and often also through TA or RA positions), then what exactly is the point of a fellowship? Is it additional money or does it negate some of the money coming in from elsewhere such as a stipend? Do most PhD students get fellowships or are they something only a minority of students receive? Where can I find fellowship offers outside of schools themselves? Roughly when is the usual deadline to apply for them?
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geekusprimus
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- Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2019 1:10 pm
Re: General Fellowship Questions
The answers for all of your questions depend on the kind of fellowship. Some fellowships are just supplemental money, like an award or scholarship, that you receive in addition to your regular stipend. Others act as an alternative source of funding; typically your stipend is paid out of money your department has available or money your advisor has through research grants. However, a fellowship like the GRFP will often completely replace your stipend (unless your school normally pays more, that is).
In my experience, small fellowships are typically awarded by your department or other intra-university bodies and come from a combination of donor money and research grants. Deadlines will vary on the institution and the purpose of the fellowship. For example, a general fellowship awarded for research excellence might have a deadline at any time of year. Others, like academic fellowships, might not have a strict deadline (they might not even have an application, as the department already has your transcripts) but will generally be awarded following the end of the regular school year (for current students) or around the same time you get an admission letter (for prospective students).
Larger fellowships also have widely varying deadlines, but most that I've seen will be between the middle of November and the end of February. The best way to find these kind of fellowships is by talking with professors in your department. For example, my advisor will occasionally send me information about fellowships he thinks I might be a good fit for, and various members of my department or college will forward announcements about fellowships to all the graduate students.
In my experience, small fellowships are typically awarded by your department or other intra-university bodies and come from a combination of donor money and research grants. Deadlines will vary on the institution and the purpose of the fellowship. For example, a general fellowship awarded for research excellence might have a deadline at any time of year. Others, like academic fellowships, might not have a strict deadline (they might not even have an application, as the department already has your transcripts) but will generally be awarded following the end of the regular school year (for current students) or around the same time you get an admission letter (for prospective students).
Larger fellowships also have widely varying deadlines, but most that I've seen will be between the middle of November and the end of February. The best way to find these kind of fellowships is by talking with professors in your department. For example, my advisor will occasionally send me information about fellowships he thinks I might be a good fit for, and various members of my department or college will forward announcements about fellowships to all the graduate students.
Re: General Fellowship Questions
Thanks for the reply