The Graduate College Iowa Recruitment Fellowship Program enhances departmental recruitment packages by offering our most accomplished new Ph.D. students an academic-year stipend supplement for up to five years and fellowship support for up to four summer terms.
The Graduate College Iowa Recruitment Fellowship Program offers our most accomplished new Ph.D. students an academic-year stipend supplement of $5,000 per year for up to five years and fellowship support for up to four summer terms of $5,000 per summer. The Graduate College will contribute $10,000 to fiscal-year appointments. These stipend amounts are effective July 1, 2020.
Departments must state in their offer letters that Fellows will be provided with assigned desk space and a 50% graduate academic year assistantship through the first 5 years of graduate study.
Tuition scholarships are paid during the academic years (fall, spring) by the appointing unit, while the Graduate College provides one credit hour of tuition and 50 percent of the mandatory fees for the summer terms.
Typically recruitment fellowships cannot be used in combination with any other source of support (e.g., fellowship/scholarship, grant, or employment outside the University of Iowa) since the fellowships are meant to provide protected time for the student to advance their studies. Failure to report additional employment can be considered in future applications/nominations/continued Graduate College funding for both the student and the department. For more information or to ask for a possible one-time exception, contact the Graduate College.
Requirements for Departments/Programs
- Departments must conduct a real-time interview (in-person, Skype, phone) with a prospective fellow before making the fellowship nomination. The nomination letter must provide a brief critique of the interview.
- Departments must state in their offer letters that Fellows will be provided with assigned desk space and a 50% graduate academic year assistantship through the first 5 years of graduate study.
- A Fellow's "permanent" research mentor/advisor must be identified to the Graduate College by the end of the second year of study. This is a requirement for the student to receive continuing support.
- Departments must meet with Fellows at the end of each academic year and submit a brief memo to the Graduate College confirming that a Fellow is making good academic progress. If a Fellow has withdrawn from courses, received an incomplete in a course, or received a course grade of B- or lower, the department must address proposed remedies.
- DGS must notify the Graduate College (Associate Dean Shelly Campo) in writing immediately of the recruited or enrolled student's intention to replace the original degree objective, addition of another degree, and/or change in program continuation.
Requirements for Fellows
- Fellows must complete annual progress reports each spring semester that also addresses their summer plan of study. This report is required to receive summer support and continued support the next academic year. To receive the support the student must be registered for at least 1 credit in the summer term.
- In addition to the annual review, fellows must complete an individual development plan (IDP) which is updated each year that outlines completed and expected academic and professional goals. An IDP signed by the student and the mentors must be provided.
- Continued support as a Graduate College Iowa Recruitment Fellow requires remaining in good academic standing with strong evidence of academic progress, successful completion of the comprehensive examination, and submission of all annual progress reports.
- Fellows must notify the Graduate College (Associate Dean Shelly Campo) in writing immediately of intention to replace the original degree objective, addition of another degree, and/or change in program continuation.
- If all of the above requirements are not met, the Graduate College may withhold awarding of funds.
Nomination for a Graduate College Iowa Recruitment Fellowship must be submitted by the Director of Graduate Studies of the department/program to which the prospective student has been admitted.
Eligible departments/programs may nominate up to four candidates for consideration for two possible awards.
Online nominations must include the following items as PDF files.
- A nomination letter from the DGS describing the nominee's exceptional qualifications and preparation for doctoral study. Departments are strongly encouraged to submit all nominations together, with a priority ranking of the nominees. The letter must include:
- A comment on the standing of the nominee within the pool of applicants for doctoral study nationally.
- If the student is underrepresented, the nomination letter must indicate that in the cover letter. International students should not be nominated as underrepresented.
- Identification of one or more faculty members who are able to serve as mentors for the nominee.
- A statement that the Fellow will be provided with assigned desk space through the first 5 years of graduate study.
- A statement that the Fellow will be supported through research/teaching assistantships for up to 5 academic years.
- Screengrab of the Department Review panel in MAUI, showing the student has been admitted to the program. Please see your Graduate Coordinator for assistance with accessing this panel.
- A completed University of Iowa graduate application.
- A Statement of Purpose written by the nominee.
- Transcripts from all institutions of higher education the student has attended.
- Copies of all letters of recommendation that accompanied the admission application.
- GRE scores, if required by the department (or GMAT, if appropriate). For international students, TOEFL scores must be submitted also.
- Letters of support from at least two faculty members (at least one from within the program and at least one who is at the associate professor level or higher) agreeing to serve as mentors for the student. Faculty members must have at least one of the following credentials: 1) a substantial record of successfully mentoring doctoral students to completion, 2) successfully completed or committing to completing National Research Mentoring Network training offered at the University of Iowa and elsewhere, 3) successfully completing or committing to completing a UI BUILD Certificate, and/or 4) the completion of another type of formal program demonstrating commitment to diversity and/or mentoring. The letters must address how the mentor addresses this qualification.
Nominations must be submitted online by the department or program, with all materials prepared as PDF documents. Applications submitted by the student (and not someone in the department such as the DGS, DEO or grad coordinator) will be voided and not considered.
If you are submitting a nomination for an underrepresented student, please use this online form: https://workflow.uiowa.edu/form/iowa-recruitment-fellowship-underrepresented.
For all other nominations, please use this online form: https://workflow.uiowa.edu/form/iowa-recruitment-fellowship.
A Graduate College committee will review nominations on a rolling basis from February 13 - March 9, 2023 at 5 p.m.. The committee will consider all submitted materials in its assessment of each nominee's potential for outstanding academic success and of the departmental commitment to the Fellow’s success. The Graduate College does not use arbitrary test score cutoffs in its assessment.
The department will be notified once the Graduate College reviews a nomination for a Recruitment Fellowship. The DGS or other departmental representative should then personally contact the student as soon as possible by phone or email, followed by an official letter copied to the Graduate College. Please note that prior to sending this letter, it must be approved by the Graduate College because it is committing resources to that prospective student.
After the student has accepted the fellowship offer, the Graduate College will send a confirmation letter to the student from the Dean.
Although students cannot be required to accept or decline the award until April 15, they should be encouraged to inform the department of their decision as soon as possible so that additional awards can be extended to other nominees in a timely manner.
All Graduate College Recruitment Fellowship renewals are contingent on demonstration of strong academic performance and appropriate progress toward degree objectives, according to the standards of the student's departmental graduate student handbook and the Graduate College Manual of Rules and Regulations.
Please direct any questions to Graduate Administrative Affairs Coordinator Katie Bottorff (467-4307) or Associate Dean Shelly Campo (335-2136) or via email at grad-fellowships@uiowa.edu