Fellowships

The Graduate School offers two levels of competitive merit-based fellowships to provide financial support to outstanding incoming doctoral students. Qualified graduate students must be nominated for these doctoral fellowships by the academic unit or department that has also agreed to sponsor the accompanying graduate assistantship. For more information, please contact the Office of Graduate Fellowships at 479-575-4327 or gradfunding@uark.edu.

Nominations are accepted in both fall (for students beginning a doctoral program the following spring) and spring (for students beginning a doctoral program the following fall). There are two levels of fellowship funding available for qualified incoming doctoral students:

Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships (DDF)

Approximately 25 Distinguished Doctoral Fellowships are available each year.

  • The DDF fellow receives an award of $22,000/year paid in lump sums for a maximum of 4 years.
    • Fellows receive $11,000 in August and $11,000 in January.
  • The DDF fellow also receives a 50% graduate assistantship provided concurrently by the department for 4 years.
    • The DDF fellow receives a monthly stipend commensurate with that of other doctoral graduate assistants within the department, a tuition waiver, and a discount on student health insurance as stipulated by the graduate assistantship.
  • The DDF fellow is encouraged to apply for an NSF grant during their first year, with the assistance of their research advisor, if one is available in their area of study.

Doctoral Academy Fellowships (DAF)

Approximately 40-45 Doctoral Academy Fellowships are available each year.

  • The DAF fellow receives an award of $12,000/year paid in lump sums for a maximum of 4 years.
    • Fellows receive $6,000 in August and $6,000 in January.
  • The DAF fellow also receives a 50% graduate assistantship provided concurrently by the department for 4 years.
    • The DAF fellow receives a monthly stipend commensurate with that of other doctoral graduate assistants within the department, a tuition waiver, and a discount on student health insurance as stipulated by the graduate assistantship.

Terms and Conditions

  • The nominee's doctoral program must be delivered in-person primarily, not online. Students beginning U of A online doctoral programs are ineligible.
  • Nominees cannot already be enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Arkansas.
  • Preference will be given to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
  • Preference will be given to students who earned at least one degree (bachelors or masters) elsewhere.
  • Recipients cannot be university employees.
  • Payment is for degree-related course work.  Fellowship recipients must maintain academic good standing and make satisfactory progress towards graduate degree completion.
  • Fellowship recipients must adhere to the terms and conditions of the graduate assistant position in order to retain the doctoral fellowship.
  • If a doctoral fellow requires more than four years for graduate degree completion, the host department may provide funding for further support.
  • Should a doctoral fellow graduate, change degree programs, or leave the university, the fellowship will terminate.

Application and Deadlines

Graduate students who are interested in being nominated for a doctoral fellowship should contact the department that houses their degree program to determine what criteria they use to select nominees. There are minimum GRE/GMAT score requirements and minimum GPA requirements that vary by college and degree program.

Nomination Packets Should Be Submitted By the Following Dates

  • October 4, 2024

  • DDF and DAF nomination deadlines for graduate students beginning doctoral study in January 2025.

  • January 22, 2025

  • DDF nomination deadline for graduate students beginning doctoral study in August 2025.

  • January 29, 2025

  • DAF nomination deadline for first-round consideration for graduate students beginning doctoral study in August 2025. Nominations will be accepted after this date until all available DAFs have been obligated.

Nomination Packet Contents

A complete nomination packet from the department will include the following documents in this order, submitted electronically to the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Program Support, gradfunding@uark.edu:

  1. A cover sheet from the nominating department
  2. A letter of support from the nominating department
    Fellowships are very competitive. To maximize the chances that your student is successful:
    • Document that the student has met the conditions of the fellowship and has a stellar academic record.
    • Describe those characteristics that distinguish this student from others with excellent academic records (e.g., potential for leadership; demonstrated passion for research; self-motivation; potential for innovation; importance of area of research).
  3. A copy of the student’s statement of purpose
  4. A copy of the student’s resume/cv
  5. Copies of letters of recommendation
  6. Copies of all of the student’s transcripts
  7. A copy of the student’s standardized test scores

Applications are reviewed by the fellowship committee after the application deadline. Department chairs/graduate coordinators will be notified of the award decision by email, usually within 3-4 weeks after the deadline.