Northeastern University Dissertation Completion Fellowships
Submit your application by 5:00 pm on October 24, 2024!
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 (Spring 2025). The award is one semester of support. 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.
A committee of Provost Office and college representatives reviews materials according to the overall strength of the candidate’s application and with regard to the likelihood of timely completion of a quality dissertation. Students’ funding history and dissertation committee’s expectations are taken into consideration as well. 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:
- 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.
- Curriculum vitae
- Letter of recommendation from the dissertation advisor that describes the importance of the work and indicates the reasonable expectation of completion, defense, and submission.
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 indicated in the form will be contacted to submit a letter of recommendation.
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 other 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.
Submit your Spring 2025 DCF Application here
One semester, must complete dissertation during the term of the fellowship.
One semester of stipend, tuition, and health insurance.
Currently enrolled Ph.D. students at Northeastern who have been in their research doctoral programs for at least 4 years and completed all course requirements including comprehensive exams and dissertation proposal defense (if required) may apply. The fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis.