University Graduate Research Fellowship

The Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) is designed for full-time graduate students who are conducting research or creative projects while pursuing the terminal graduate degree. The GRF provides the fellow with the opportunity to focus more on their research or creative projects with a reduced burden of employment. Fellows are expected to devote a full-time focus on their projects during the fellowship year (Fall 2025-Spring 2026).

Academic departments may endorse up to two (2) candidates for the UTA; students should check with their department contact (Director of Graduate Studies, Graduate Advisor) to ensure you are an endorsed candidate prior to applying.

BENEFITS

• Recipients of the Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) receive a stipend of $28,500, paid in to installments (start of Fall 2025 and start of Spring 2026 semesters); for students utilizing federal financial aid, this stipend is counted toward your total cost of attendance (email financialaid@utah.edu with concerns over federal aid eligibility)
• Subsidized health insurance
• Tuition benefits (if eligibility requirements are met)

ELIGIBILITY

• Must be pursuing the terminal degree in your department.
• All qualifying examinations must be successfully passed prior to the beginning of the fellowship academic year of the award (Fall 2025).
• Must be in good academic standing

REQUIRED LETTERS

• A letter from the department chair, or their designee, stating the student’s nomination and laying out their support for the award. Particular emphasis should be placed on evidence of the student’s high potential for achievement in research or creative work. The statement should direct the reader to the location of this evidence in the student’s proposal and/or record of graduate study. The chair must provide 1) a statement of the department’s standards of rigor that the selection committee can refer to in its deliberations, and 2) a statement of the student’s potential for future success appropriate to the discipline. If the department has more than one applicant, the chair must also rank the proposals and explicitly comment on their relative quality. Departments may submit only two proposals annually. The Department chair, or designee, must submit the statement (on letterhead) by Friday, January 10, 2025.
• Two (2) letters of recommendation must be uploaded by recommenders by Friday, January 10, 2025.

SELECTION PROCESS
Proposals will be reviewed and awardees selected by a committee of University of Utah faculty members active in research and/or creative work representing a wide range of disciplines across campus, and consider the following:

• Quality/impact of the research or creative project
• Candidate’s achievements (published papers, conference presentations, etc.)
• Candidate’s potential for success; i.e., academic excellence (assessed by academic record and references)

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Please upload a curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.
• Please upload a description of the research or creative project the student intends to undertake. The student should include in their research proposal: 1) Purpose of the project, 2) Essential features of the methodology, including analytical and/or creative methods, 3) Hypotheses or projected results (if appropriate to the methodology, 4) Potential impact, value, importance of the research or creative project, 5) The proposal should be 3, but not more than four 4, single-spaced pages in length (no appendices) using a 12-pt. font with one-inch margins. Proposals must be written so their meaning is clear to faculty outside the student’s particular discipline.
• Please upload your current University of Utah transcript.
• Letters of Endorsement & Recommendation: 1) Letter of endorsement by the chair or their designee; this is not a traditional letter of recommendation, and * 2) Two (2) traditional letters of recommendation.

DEADLINES: Students must submit their applications by Friday, January 3, 2025, and letters of recommendation and department endorsement must be uploaded by Friday, January 10, 2025.