Nomination Information
In order to be selected for this fellowship, prospective students work alongside their graduate departments to submit the required nomination materials. KU academic departments nominate outstanding students who demonstrate the potential and motivation to become notable leaders and can be expected to make a significant contribution to their chosen profession and society. Students who strongly fit the program are highly encouraged and welcome to ask their departments for a nomination.
Nomination deadline: January 29, 2025, at noon CST
In order to be eligible for nomination, you must meet a number of criteria. These include:
- U.S. citizenship
- Admission into one of the eligible disciplines
- Completion of first baccalaureate degree within the past eight years
- Admitted Ph.D. student or first-year Ph.D. student status at the time of nomination
If you meet eligibility requirements, you and your academic department will work together to collect the necessary documents for the nomination file. Your nomination file will include a letter of nomination from your department, your graduate school application with all required materials for your graduate admission, a current resume, Self Graduate Fellowship Personal Statement, waiver form, and fellowship-specific letters of recommendation.
If nominated for the fellowship, the Self Graduate Fellowship will have a team of faculty evaluators review your material along with all other nominations.It is important that your letters of recommendation and personal statement are thoughtful and accurate. Your personal statement should thoroughly cover the information requested and tell us, in your own words, how you match the profile of a Self Graduate Fellow.
If invited to an on-campus interview for a Self Graduate Fellowship, your travel to Lawrence and two nights of lodging expenses will be paid. You will be hosted by your academic department and will have the opportunity to meet other graduate students, including current Self Graduate Fellows. Your Self Graduate Fellowship interview will be one hour and conducted by a team of faculty interviewers. Below is the comprehensive timeline for the 2024-2025 academic year.
TIMELINE
It is important that students meet various deadlines in order to be nominated for a Self Graduate Fellowship. The following serves as a suggested timeline for prospective Self Graduate Fellows.
November
- Check with your chosen department to confirm deadlines and necessary information. Submit your KU graduate school application as early as you can as departments will prepare nominations in late January. Make sure you have identified good sources for letters of recommendation. Update your resume.
December
- Confirm with your chosen department your application is complete and all supporting materials have been received.
January
- Review our website for nominee information. If you are nominated, you will be asked to write a personal statement that is specific to the Self Graduate Fellowship. This personal statement is one of the most important documents in the nomination process. You will submit the statement directly to the department before the deadline. Talk with your department about their internal timeline to ensure all your materials are included in the nomination.
- Nomination deadline for all nominations: January 29, 2025, at noon CST
February
- Mid-February 2025: Nominees are selected for interviews. Those selected will be notified by email.
- February 21 and 24-28, 2025: On-campus interviews are conducted.
March
- Mid-March, 2025: Self Graduate Fellowship offers are extended. Students who receive offers will first be notified by email.
April
- April 15, 2025: Deadline for acceptance of offers.