Northeastern University Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Submit your application here by 5pm on June 1, 2020!

Dissertation Completion Fellowships provide a one-semester stipend to outstanding PhD candidates who would benefit from the financial security and the freedom to focus on their final semester writing. The award is one semester of support and the awardees are expected to graduate at the end of the semester in which they hold the DCF.  Application materials should attest to the dissertation being near completion rather than a gap in funding.

The PhD Network will form a subcommittee to review applications according to the overall strength of the candidate’s application and with regard to the likelihood of timely completion of a quality dissertation. Application packages that are not complete or are late will not be considered and it is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure all required materials are received by the deadline.

Submission Requirements: A complete application contains the following materials:

1. Letter of application for the fellowship from the student that includes a) the expected date of dissertation defense, b) detailed information about past and current funding for every year of the PhD, c) a timeline for completion that takes into account all research and writing that remains to be done.
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Letter of recommendation from the dissertation advisor that describes the importance of the work and indicates the reasonable expectation of completion, defense, and submission (this confidential letter must be emailed from the advisor to Margaret Wald at [email protected].

The applicant must submit the letter of application and the curriculum vitae in a single PDF attached to the Dissertation Completion Fellowship form at the bottom of this page.   The advisor should submit the letter of recommendation before the June 1st deadline as well.  Results will be announced at the beginning of July.

The stipend for one semester will be the standard semester stipend rate for the program where the student’s primary affiliation resides. In addition,  the student’s one-credit registration fee will be remitted and health insurance will be covered by the award for the semester in which the student holds the fellowship. The award must be used during the semester for which it is awarded and may not be deferred. Students are expected to complete their dissertation during the period of the award and may not hold any employment, internal or external, or awards during that term including outside fellowships, research assistant appointments, or teaching assistant appointments. For students on federal loan, a concurrent DCF award may result in an adjusted loan amount. Please consult the Student Financial Services Offices ([email protected]) for additional information.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.