The Dissertation Fellowship award period is from September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026. The fellowship provides a $2000 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 August 2025. 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. 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 2025, spring 2026, and summer 2026 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. For fellows participating in a non-TAMUS insurance program, the Grad School will reimburse the cost of medical insurance at an amount up to the cost of the employer contribution for the employee only premium category on the A&M Grad Plan. Note: Dental and vision premiums are not reimbursable.

Dissertation Fellows may not accept any additional funding (e.g., assistantships, fellowships, internships, employment, etc.) during the fellowship tenure of September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026. Those employed may continue to work until August 31, 2025. 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 $2250, 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 re-apply in the next competition cycle. Previous recipients who have received funding from this fellowship are not eligible to apply again.

Dissertation Fellowship recipients are required to attend a Dissertation/Thesis Writing Retreat in early August 2025 (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. Additionally, Dissertation Fellows must submit a report at the end of each semester (fall 2025, spring 2026, and summer 2026) detailing their progress and successful completion of the outlined milestones. Furthermore, faculty advisors associated with awardees will be required to review Dissertation Fellowship applications in future rounds. The Grad School will contact reviewers after each application deadline to support with the review process.   

Reviewers will consider the following:

• Content and quality of the abstract (refer to the Thesis & Dissertation Manual as needed).
• Work plan for completing the remaining degree requirements within a 12-month time frame.
• Academic performance and productivity while at Texas A&M University.
• Potential impact of student’s research and scholarly work in discipline and/or society.
• Financial need, especially for those students whose primary support is not related to their dissertation research.

• April 18, 2025: The application link will be available on the Dissertation Fellowship website.
• May 16, 2025, 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.

• Late-June/Early-July 2025: Award notifications will be communicated via e-mail to both selected and non-selected students.

Questions about this fellowship should be directed to: grad-award-admin@tamu.edu