Overview
The Dissertation Fellowship is available only to doctoral students who have been officially admitted to candidacy by May 21, 2026. This includes completion of all necessary approvals and processing by that date.
- Any student who has not reached this status by the deadline will not be considered.
- While we understand that some applicants may meet doctoral degree candidacy requirements, only those whose doctoral degree evaluation reflects candidacy by May 21, 2026, will be eligible.
- There will be no exceptions.
Purpose
The Graduate and Professional School (Grad School) offers Dissertation Fellowships to current doctoral students in the dissertation phase of their degree program. Dissertation Fellowships are intended to support advanced doctoral students in the final analysis of their research topic and the final writing of the dissertation. For the 2026-2027 academic year, the Grad School will offer 10 fellowships in the fall and 10 in the spring to students who will graduate by August 2027 and December 2027, respectively. This fellowship is NOT intended to finance data collection or the completion of doctoral coursework. Priority will be given to doctoral students whose primary financial support for 2026-2027 is NOT related to their research (e.g., GANT, GAL, GAT, Self-funded).
Students who have funding related to their dissertation research or who anticipate graduating by December 2026 will be least likely to receive this fellowship.
Elgibility
U.S. residents, U.S. Permanent residents, eligible noncitizens, and international doctoral students are eligible to apply for this fellowship.
The Dissertation Fellowship is only available to doctoral students who have been officially admitted to candidacy by May 21, 2026, including the completion of all necessary approvals and processing. Any student who has not reached this status by the deadline will not be considered. While we understand that some applicants may meet doctoral degree candidacy requirements, only those whose doctoral degree evaluation reflects degree candidacy will be eligible. There will be no exceptions.
Submit, in writing, intent to apply for the Dissertation Fellowship to departmental/program faculty and staff graduate advisors. The intent to apply notification is not included in the application, but it is a formality that must be completed before you apply.
Applicants must also meet the following criteria.
Admitted to candidacy by May 21, 2026. To be admitted to candidacy for a doctoral degree, a student must have:
- Completed all formal coursework on the degree plan with the exception of any remaining 681, 684, 690, and 691 credit hours.
- Demonstrated a 3.0 Graduate GPA and a Degree Plan GPA of at least 3.0, with no grade lower than C in any course on the degree plan.
- Passed the preliminary examination (written and oral portions).
- Submitted an approved dissertation proposal.
- Met the degree residency requirements (see Graduate Catalog).
In addition to meeting the stated criteria of eligibility, applicants for the Dissertation Fellowship award must be doctoral students currently enrolled in an eligible college/school or interdisciplinary program:
Colleges/Schools
- Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Architecture
- Arts and Sciences
- The Bush School of Government and Public Service
- Dentistry (PhD in Oral and Craniofacial Biomedical Sciences)
- Education and Human Development
- Engineering
- Mays Business School
- Medicine (PhD in Medical Sciences)
- Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts
- Pharmacy (PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences)
- Public Health (PhD in Health Education and Health Services Research)
- Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Interdisciplinary Degree Programs
- Agribusiness and Managerial Economics
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics and Genomics
- Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences
- Neuroscience
- Toxicology
- Water Management and Hydrological Science
Additional Info
Funding Details and Benefits
The Dissertation Fellowship award period is from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027. The fellowship provides a $2,000 monthly stipend for up to 12 months (or graduation, depending on which occurs first) for eligible doctoral students. Disbursement dates are determined by Scholarships and Financial Aid, with the first stipend payment set to disburse in August 2026. The fellowship also includes payment for tuition and required university and college fees for 1 credit hour per semester or the minimum number of required credit hours for the fellowship recipient. The minimum required hours may vary based on immigration status or federal loan deferral requirements. If a fellowship recipient must register for more than 1 credit hour for loan deferral or immigration, a request must be submitted to the Grad School for approval. Fellows who register for more than the minimum number of credits without approval will be responsible for any tuition and required university fees associated with the excess registered credit(s). Federal student loans require at least half-time enrollment to extend the grace period or defer student loan repayment. One hour of registration is not considered half time by the loan holder in most cases (even though the university may consider this half time). Thus, either the grace period may end, or the repayment period may begin earlier than anticipated. In addition, fellows must not be registered In Absentia for fall 2026, spring 2027, and summer 2027 semesters. Per the Graduate Catalog, “a student holding a fellowship or assistantship may not register In Absentia.”
During the 12-month fellowship period, Dissertation Fellows are eligible to participate in Texas A&M University System insurance programs. The Grad School will reimburse awardees participating in a Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) insurance program for medical insurance at an amount equivalent to the cost of the employer contribution for the same premium category on the A&M Grad Plan. Fellows participating in a non-TAMUS insurance program may request reimbursement for their portion of premium costs from the Grad School. The reimbursement amount will match the employer's contribution for the corresponding coverage category under the A&M Grad Plan and will not exceed that amount. Note: Dental and vision premiums are not reimbursable.
To ensure a smooth transition to the fellowship and prevent any disruptions to departmental access and benefits, students awarded and accepting the fellowship are responsible for initiating conversations and following up with their respective departments and benefits office. If a student is transitioning from a graduate assistant to a dissertation fellow, they will no longer be considered an employee and will not have access to Workday.
Restrictions
Dissertation Fellows may not accept any additional funding (e.g., assistantships, fellowships, internships (including Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT), employment, etc.) during the fellowship tenure of September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027. Those employed may continue to work until August 31, 2026. Departments may choose to supplement stipend funds to match those
received by other graduate students in the department. For example, if the current departmental graduate assistantship monthly stipend rate is $2,250, a department may supplement the additional monthly cost of $250 to match the rate of other graduate students in the department. If awarded, the Dissertation Fellowship cannot be deferred. Students who are unable to accept the award may, if eligible, reapply in the next competition cycle. Previous recipients who have received funding from this fellowship are not eligible to apply again.
Expectations and Requirements
Dissertation Fellowship recipients are required to attend a Dissertation/Thesis Writing Retreat in early-August 2026 (dates TBD). This intensive writing workshop, led by the University Writing Center, will support you in navigating the challenging stages of dissertation writing and advancing towards its completion. If you previously attended the Dissertation/Thesis Writing Retreat (August 2025-present), you may be excused from this requirement. Additionally, Dissertation Fellows must submit a report at the end of each semester (fall 2026, spring 2027, and summer 2027) detailing their progress and successful completion of the outlined milestones.
In addition, faculty advisors of award recipients will be required to participate in the review Dissertation Fellowship applications in future rounds. The Grad School will contact reviewers following each application deadline with details and guidance for the review process.
Application Materials
- Information entered directly into the InfoReady application:
- Number of scholarly works produced while a doctoral student at Texas A&M, including published articles or reviews, book chapters, conference papers, and conference poster or oral presentations. Scholarly works produced during previous degrees will not be considered.
- Sources of financial support during the past two years and the current semester.
- Documents required in the Upload section in InfoReady:
- Abstract: A complete, succinct snapshot of the research. It should address purpose, method, results, and conclusions, ideally within 350 words. Abstracts that exceed two pages will not be accepted.
- Research Impact Statement (1 page): Describes the impact of the applicant’s scholarly work on discipline and/or on the community, state, nation or global society. This should be written in clear, non-technical language. Any citations must be included within the one-page limit.
- Work Plan (1 page): A detailed and realistic plan for completing all remaining degree requirements within a 12-month timeframe, including the defense, final dissertation revisions, committee and Grad School approval, and graduation.
- Curriculum Vitae (up to 5 pages): Must include full citations for all publications, conference papers and conference presentations.
- Degree Evaluation: A copy of degree evaluation confirming doctoral candidacy. This document must be submitted in the format generated by clicking the print icon in Howdy. No other format will be accepted. For instructions on how to generate your Degree Evaluation, review the Degree Evaluation tutorial. For reference, review the Degree Evaluation example, which shows how the first few pages should appear.
- Faculty Advisor Response Form: A completed and signed form from the student’s committee chair. This faculty advisor response form document must be uploaded with the student’s application.
Applications that fail to adhere to all components of the application procedures (e.g., page limits) will not be considered. All uploaded documents must be in .pdf format.
Evaluation Criteria
Reviewers will consider the following:
- Quality and content of the abstract (refer to the Thesis & Dissertation Manual as needed).
- Feasibility and clarity of the work plan for completing remaining degree requirements within a 12-month timeframe.
- Academic performance and productivity at Texas A&M University.
- Potential impact of student’s research and scholarly work within the discipline and/or society.
- Financial need, particularly for students whose primary support is not related to their dissertation research.
Timeline
- April 24, 2026: The application link will be available on this page.
- May 21, 2026, 5pm CDT: Submission deadline for the Dissertation Fellowship.
- All application materials must be submitted online through the InfoReady submission portal. There will be NO exceptions to this date or time.
- Early/Mid-July 2026: Award notifications will be communicated via e-mail to both selected and non-selected students.
2025-2026 Dissertation Fellowship Awardees
The Graduate and Professional School offered 10 fellowships for the fall and spring semester.
Read More