Mar 19, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Graduate Fellowships and Assistantships


 Graduate Students working in a lab


Of full-time graduate students, nearly 80% receive merit-based financial awards. Fellowships, tuition scholarships, assistantships, and traineeships are awarded on the basis of merit from nominations by the department. Awards are granted to full-time students in good academic standing with regular status. Students are expected to give their full-time attention to graduate study and may not engage in any remunerative employment while holding a merit-based award that includes a stipend. A dean’s permission is required for any exception to this “no other employment policy” and notice must be given and approved by the Office of Graduate and Professional Education.

The university-wide application deadline for these merit-based awards is February 1. Applicants are encouraged to apply early and contact the major instructional department for additional application information and for deadlines earlier than February 1. The award is valid only for the term designated.

Application for fellowship, tuition scholarship, or assistantship financial aid is a part of the admission application form and is made at the time of application. Electronic application is required using the web address: http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/apply/ U.S. applicants are strongly encouraged to complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form.

University Fellowships

University Fellowships are awarded on the basis of nominations by the graduate departments and programs to students with regular, full-time status and high academic standing. Fellowships usually provide full tuition and a stipend. In addition, students on fellowship are eligible for coverage by the University’s Student Health Insurance Plan at a reduced cost. Master’s students who receive fellowships and those doctoral students who have not been admitted to candidacy and who receive fellowships must be enrolled for a minimum of nine credit hours of graduate level courses per semester. Occasionally a fellowship holder may need fewer than nine credits to complete their program. In such cases, the department must petition the Office of Graduate and Professional Education for permission to assign a fellowship to that student.

Fellows are expected to give their full-time attention to graduate study and may not engage in any remunerative employment while holding the fellowship. A dean’s permission is required for any exception to this “no other employment policy” and approval must be given by the Office of Graduate and Professional Education.

Fellowships are awarded for up to one year at a time and fellows must be in good standing which means maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 (B average) each semester to continue to be eligible to hold the fellowship award. There are two categories of University fellowships: block/departmental fellowships and competitive fellowships and scholars awards.

Graduate Block Stipend Awards

The Office of Graduate and Professional Education distributes stipend awards to graduate departments and programs for their distribution to graduate students who are academically eligible for the award. The department or program selects the students in their program who are awarded the block stipends. Units may use the stipend awards as fellowships or teaching, research, or graduate assistantships.

University Graduate Doctoral Fellowship Award

Departments and programs are invited to submit names and dossiers of their nominees to the Office of Graduate and Professional Education where a faculty review committee determines the selection of Graduate Fellows. Nominees for these awards must be currently enrolled in at least their third year of doctoral study at the University at the time of the nomination. Awards are competitive and are based on academic achievement since being admitted to the doctoral program as well as evidence of professional commitment and potential contribution in their field of study. Awards are granted for one year. Students may not be nominated for the award in subsequent years.

University Graduate Scholars Award

Departments and programs are invited to submit names and dossiers of their nominees to the Office of Graduate and Professional Education where a faculty review committee determines the selection of scholars. Nominations are open to both newly admitted students and graduate students currently enrolled who are U.S. citizens or permanent resident immigrants. Awards are competitive and are based on many criteria including evidence of academic merit and academic achievement; cultural status (African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islanders, or two or more races); physical disabilities; and/or need as determined by federal income guidelines (FAFSA). The University Graduate Scholars award may be administered either as graduate fellowships or graduate assistantships. Awards are granted for one year. Students may be nominated for the award in subsequent years but may receive a maximum of two years of funding in this program.

University Dissertation Fellowship Award

The University Dissertation Fellows award is established by the Office of the Provost to enable and support Ph.D. students to devote full attention to the completion of their doctoral dissertation.  Students who are nominated must be in candidacy at the time of nomination and be on track to complete the dissertation in the next academic year.  Students receiving this fellowship will be expected to report on their research at the Spring Graduate Research Forum.  The Office of Graduate and Professional Education is responsible for the administration of this competitive award and is assisted by a faculty review committee in the selection of University Dissertation Fellows.

Professional Development Award

The Professional Development Award was established to help University of Delaware graduate students attend and participate in professional conferences pertaining to their field of study. Conference travel plays an essential role in the academic growth and development of graduate students by providing opportunities for presentation of student work in a professional setting, as well as opportunities for networking and exposure to the latest academic research.

University Tuition Scholarships

Tuition scholarships provide tuition but do not pay a stipend. Tuition scholarships are awarded on the basis of nominations to students with regular, full-time status and high academic standing. Tuition scholars are required to register in a minimum of six graduate credit hours each semester. Tuition scholars may accept remuneration for employment inside or outside of the University. Tuition scholars are eligible for coverage by the University’s Student Health Insurance Plan at a reduced cost.

Graduate Student Assistantships

The University of Delaware offers assistantships to students with regular, full-time status and high academic standing. Assistantships usually provide a stipend and tuition. Assistants are eligible for coverage by the University’s Student Health Insurance Plan at a reduced cost.

Assistants must be in good standing (maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 each semester) to retain the assistantship. To qualify for full-time status, assistants must enroll for at least six graduate credit hours each semester or as specified on the Contractual Agreement form. Occasionally a graduate student assistant may have fewer than six credits outstanding to complete their program. In such a case, the department must petition the Office of Graduate and Professional Education for permission to maintain the student on an assistantship. A full-time assistant is normally appointed for twenty hours a week. Assistantships may be offered by departments for 10 hours a week with the appropriate prorated compensation (stipend and tuition). Students holding assistantships are expected to give their full-time attention to graduate study and their assigned assistantship. Any request for an exception to this policy must be sent in writing as a petition to the College Dean and Office of Graduate and Professional Education, and then be given final approval by the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. There are three categories of assistantships: teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and graduate assistantships. The definition of these categories is provided below. In cases where a student’s time and funding are divided between or among these categories, the student’s classification will be determined on the basis of how the student is spending the preponderance of their time.

Teaching Assistantships

Teaching assistantships are awarded through the individual departments. Teaching assistants are required to perform teaching and other instructional activities for twenty hours each week during the academic year.

Research Assistantships

Research assistantships are generally funded by research grants and contracts provided by external funding agencies. Research assistantships require twenty hours of service or research a week. Research assistants are expected to work on their assigned research projects during winter session and may be required to conduct research during summer as well. The amount of each student’s stipend will be calculated in accordance with the number of months that the student is appointed as a research assistant.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are awarded by academic departments and other University offices to students in exchange for specialized tasks. Graduate assistants may be appointed for twenty hours each week during the academic year including winter session in a variety of capacities as administrative assistants to University faculty and administrators.

Residence Hall Assistantships

Students may apply for positions as hall directors in student residence halls. These assistantships are available to men and women who are full-time graduate students with regular status. Both single-hall and double-hall positions are available. Experience working in residence halls or significant leadership or supervisory experience is required.

Personal interviews with Residence Life staff are required for applicants for these positions. These interviews usually begin in early April. Students interested in residence hall assistantships should contact the Office of Residence Life, 5 Courtney Street, Newark, Delaware 19716 or call (302) 831-1201.

University of Delaware Press Awards

The University of Delaware Press publishes books in many scholarly fields and disciplines. Presently its major strengths are in literary studies, art, art history, and history, including Delaware and the Eastern Shore. The Press offers internships to qualified graduate students who work with the Chair of the Board of Editors and the in-house editor, learning the day-to-day operations of a scholarly press. Interns typically work 5-10 hours a week, as the budget allows, and may also represent the Press at annual conventions and meetings of scholars and academics. Interested graduate students should contact the Chair of the Board of Editors at 200A Morris Library, telephone (302) 831-1149 for further information.

Industrial, Endowed, and Special Fellowships

Funds for industrial, endowed, and special fellowships are derived from sources outside the University. Industry, foundations, and private individuals have generously donated funds to support these special fellowships for graduate students at the University of Delaware. The stipends and supplemental allowances of these fellowships are not uniform but are based on the provisions specified by the donor. The holder of these fellowships may be required to pay tuition and fees depending on the terms of the fellowship.

Folger Institute Seminars And Fellowships

As an associate member of the Folger Institute of Renaissance and Eighteenth-Century Studies, the University of Delaware offers qualified graduate students in the humanities an opportunity to enroll in seminars and workshops at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. at no cost. These seminars, each limited to about twelve students from various institutions, continue for an entire semester and include such topics as “Milton and the Politics of the English Revolution,” “Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama,” “Medieval and Renaissance Origins of the Scientific Revolution,” “Dante: A Reading of the Commedia,” as well as studies in Shakespeare and the Elizabethans. They are offered by experts in the field from member institutions and by internationally known scholars from the United States and abroad especially invited by the Folger. Financial assistance each year is available to graduate students from Delaware to support travel to the seminars and to do research at the Library. A member of the University faculty serves on the Central Executive Committee that selects seminar members and awards the fellowships.

UD - Hagley Fellowships

UD - Hagley Fellowships are offered to students enrolled in the UD - Hagley Program in the history of industrialization, broadly defined to include economic, labor, and social history as well as the history of technology. Students prepare for careers either in college teaching or public history. In addition to tuition and fees, each full fellowship provides an annual stipend. All students receiving such fellowships will teach two, three, or four semesters of their stay in the program, based upon the level at which a Fellow enters the program.

Winterthur Fellowships

Graduate fellowships have been established under the auspices of the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum and the University for study in the Winterthur Program in American Culture. All admitted students receive a fellowship which provides a full-tuition scholarship, an annual stipend, and five weeks of field-based learning in the US and Britain. Application for the program and these fellowships can only be made by applying to the program through the Director’s office, 207 Mechanical Hall, Newark, Delaware 19716. In order to be considered, all application materials, including the GRE scores, must be received no later than January 15 of the year for which admission is desired. Admission is by fellowship only.

Nature Education Internships

The Delaware Nature Society offers graduate student internships. Training is offered in leadership, teaching, program design and coordination, and administration. With the approval of the major department, academic credits may be earned. The internship may also be continued for up to one year. To apply, a resume and college transcript should be sent to the Assistant Director for Education, Delaware Nature Society, P.O. Box 700, Hockessin, Delaware 19707.

Campus and Other Employment

Information on summer and part-time jobs both on campus and in the surrounding community is available in the Career Services Center through the Student Employment Service or on-line (http://www.udel.edu/CSC). Jobs that are federally funded through the Federal Work-Study Program are through the Student Financial Services office and additional information can be found at www.udel.edu/finaid/workstudy.