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Graduate Summer Research Fellowship

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Graduate Summer Research Fellowship, a student must have fulfilled the following requirements:

  • Held a full-time (18-20 hours per week) graduate assistantship, residence hall personnel assistantship, or a dissertation scholarship/fellowship for at least one full semester during the fall or spring semester preceding the summer research fellowship period.
  • Completed at least nine (9) graduate credit hours in each of the two semesters prior to the summer research fellowship period.
  • Made satisfactory progress toward the graduate degree, including:
    • Earned a 3.0 GPA or above (cumulative and in each of the fall and spring semesters prior to the summer research fellowship period).
    • Met departmental milestones on time, including for example: a plan of study, research proposal defense, and comprehensive exams, etc. The completion of milestones needs to be documented by the student’s department or program.
  • Not be receiving additional Miami University-funded support during the six-week summer fellowship period, from the following sources:
    • Externally-funded research assistantship that already pays the student in the summer.
    • Full-time, paid external internship that already pays the student in the summer.
    • Teaching course(s) in the summer and the student was paid for teaching the course(s).
  • Be pursuing a thesis master’s program, specialist program, or doctoral program, or be enrolled in a program that has a required research project or experience.
  • Be engaged in meaningful research activity as described below in Fellowship expectations.

Time Limits

  • Master thesis-track (and specialist-track) students are eligible for a total of two years of summer support.
  • Ph.D. candidates are eligible for a total of four years of summer support including their years as master’s degree candidates.

Maximum Number of Awards

Up to 300 graduate summer research fellowships will be awarded per academic year pending available funds.

Fellowship Expectations

The student must commit to a minimum of 6 weeks of full-time summer study for the activities described below:

  • Student must be engaged in one or more of the following meaningful activities over the summer they receive support:
    • Research activities related to degree requirements that will result in a publication, completion of thesis/dissertation and requirements, or provide preliminary data for grant applications.
    • Mentoring of undergraduate students in research.
    • Other important activities related to degree completion (e.g., unpaid research-related internships or research independent studies).
  • Students must either:
    • For students whose degree programs encourage summer session credits, register for 0–9 credit thesis or dissertation hours during the first summer session.
    • Students who do not need summer session credits to graduate in a timely manner are encouraged to enroll in a 0 credit-hour internship or independent study (i.e., thesis or dissertation credits).
Note: Courses taken for P, S, and CR1 grades count toward eligibility for the summer research fellowship; they are not, however, computed in students’ grade point averages. Students who receive F, U, or NCR in such courses will not receive credit toward the summer research fellowship.

Through the Graduate Summer Research Fellowship Accomplishment form, recipients are required to submit a 1-paragraph description of what was accomplished to the Graduate School before the start of fall semester classes. Students who do not submit this description will not be eligible to apply for a future Graduate Summer Research Fellowship.

Full-Time Summer Study Defined

Full-time study for graduate students is defined as 20 hours per week to fulfill the fellowship expectations.

Graduate Summer Research Fellowship Payments

Eligible students who are selected for a fellowship will receive $1,500 (if G.A. for 2 semesters) or $750 (if G.A. for 1 semester) for engaging in the full-time study as defined by the Graduate School and their academic department. If a student chooses to register for more than 0 credit hours in the summer, they are responsible for paying all tuition and fees unless their division or department decides to cover these.

Summer Research Fellowships will be paid on or before June 30th.

Processing of Graduate Summer Research Fellowships

Graduate students who wish to be considered for a Graduate Summer Research Fellowship must apply through the Graduate Summer Research Fellowship Application form no later than Feb. 1 for the upcoming summer.

The Graduate School will share the application data with graduate programs and work with them to verify eligibility and select the students who will receive the Graduate Summer Fellowship (incorporating feedback or ranked lists from the graduate program if they provide them).

Students will be notified as soon as possible in the spring semester if they are receiving a Graduate Summer Research Fellowship.

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Recipient Testimonial

"I used the funding to care for the animals during the length of the study . . . This funding is impactful for helping pay for animal care, but is also a statement of support from the Graduate School. It helps me feel confident in research and publication knowing I have the University's support."

Amanda Reichart, Psychology

The Graduate School

The Graduate School is committed to advocating and supporting graduate programs dedicated to the pursuit of new knowledge and best teaching practices that promote diverse, globally aware graduate students and faculty.

Graduate Admission

Nellie Craig Walker Hall
301 S. Campus Avenue
Oxford, OH 45056
ApplyGrad@MiamiOH.edu
513-529-4723