Application Due Date: Friday, October 22, 2021, by 11:59 p.m.
AWARD INFORMATION
The WVU Foundation Distinguished Doctoral Scholarships provides $5,000 to doctoral students who have been admitted to doctoral candidacy and who are working toward the completion of their dissertations during the Spring 2022 term. These scholarships can be used to defray educational and research costs (including travel), and are reserved for Ph.D. students who have been admitted to candidacy and whose dissertation proposals or plans are approved prior to October 15, 2021.
Students selected for this scholarship opportunity will receive a one-time lump sum scholarship refund to their WVU student account. Note that scholarships are considered to be part of students’ overall WVU financial aid package and cannot be transferred to another institution. Any balance owed to WVU will be automatically deducted from the award refund. WVU does not withhold taxes from scholarship refunds, but this scholarship may be considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service based on individual tax circumstances.
Graduate assistants and graduate students who hold fellowships are eligible to apply for this scholarship opportunities. Although the general policy is that fellows may not receive additional funding that runs concurrent to a fellowship award, in the case of this scholarship alone current university fellows and graduate assistants may apply.
ELIGIBILITY
The WVU Distinguished Doctoral Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship for Ph.D. level students. To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be:
- Enrolled in an on-campus Ph.D. program
- Fully admitted to candidacy
- Post-completion of a dissertation prospectus/proposal, approved no later than October 15, 2021. (Please note: if your program has unique procedures for candidacy/approving proposals/clearing students for dissertation research, this can be certified in the Dissertation Chair’s portion of the application.)
- Enrolled in at least 1 credit hour for both the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 terms (per the catalog, Ph.D. students must be registered to maintain candidacy)
- In good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.7
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Eligible doctoral level students must complete the online application form by Friday, October 22, 2021, no later than 11:59 p.m. The online application requires students to:
- Complete the application in one sitting (it cannot be saved and returned to)
- Submit a current resume or C.V.
- Write and submit a brief synopsis (500 words, maximum) of their dissertation research that clearly articulates their dissertation research for non-specialist reviewers (e.g., someone outside of their discipline)
- Upload a current unofficial transcript
- Write and submit a brief essay (250 words, maximum) that outlines their long-term professional goals, as well as how their research will contribute to their professional field
- Request their dissertation chair to write a letter of support and request they confirm that the student’s dissertation proposal has been approved no later than October 15, 2021. An email request for this letter will automatically be sent to the student’s dissertation chair once the student submits their application. The deadline for the dissertation chair’s letter of support is Monday, October 25, 2021, no later than 11:59 p.m. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that their chair submits the letter of support by the deadline.
SELECTION PROCESS
Each application will be reviewed by the WVU Graduate Student University Fellowship and Scholarship Committee. Award selections will be based on the quality of the student’s:
- Application essay
- Dissertation chair’s letter of support
- Synopsis of dissertation research
- Academic record
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Please contact the Office of Graduate Education and Life at GradEd@mail.wvu.edu or (304) 293-7173 for additional information about this scholarship opportunity.