West Virginia University has established a new fellowship program to aid in the recruitment of high-caliber students to its graduate programs.
The fellowshipsoffered through the WVU Provost’s Office total $500,000 and will cover the education-related expenses of 40 graduate students a year, said Jonathan Cumming , assistant vice president for graduate education .
The University is placing more emphasis on graduate education following our successful expansion of undergraduate education,Cumming said.This is an opportunity to grow graduate education and to compete with other universities for the best students.
Weve been doing a review of peer institutions and other large land-grant colleges across the country, and many of them are offering a wide range of fellowships to recruit and keep graduate students in their programs,he added.
The program provides first-year fellowships to students pursuing a doctorate or the highest degree in their field of study such as a Master of Fine Arts.
The fellowships allow students to focus immediately on their research, scholarly activity or creative endeavors without having to worry about teaching right away or applying for student loans, Cumming said.
Tuition for nonresident graduate students is about $16,000 a year, and the average time to complete an advanced degree is 2.5 years for a masters degree and 6.5 years for a doctorate, he said.
There are three fellowships in the program: the Provost Graduate Fellowship, the Graduate Enrichment Fellowship and the Dissertation Fellowship. The University Graduate Council will review applications in all three categories.
The Provost Graduate Fellowship will provide $16,000 to 20 recipients based on academic merit. Eligible applicants must be U.S. citizens with a minimum GPA of 3.6 and a minimum Graduate Record Examination or other standardized test score above the 65th percentile.
Applications for the fellowship are reviewed twice a yearJan. 1 and April 1. The deadlines to apply are Dec. 1 and March 1.
Broadening the diversity of the WVU community and curriculum is the purpose behind the Graduate Enrichment Fellowship. The $16,000 award will go to five students based on academic merit and work that contributes to the cultural, ethnic, academic or artistic diversity at WVU .
Either U.S. citizens or international students are eligible to apply, and they must meet the same academic requirements as applicants for the Provost Graduate Fellowship. The award is announced April 1 of each year, with the deadline to apply March 1.
The Dissertation Fellowship provides students with support during their last semester so they complete the writing of their dissertation. The $6,000 award will go to 15 students. The award is announced twice a yearDec. 1 and May 1and the deadlines for nominations are Nov. 1 and April 1. Because the program just began, the fall deadline has been extended to Dec. 1.
For more information, contact Cumming at ” Jonathan.Cumming@mail.wvu.edu rel=nofollow> Jonathan.Cumming@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-8285.