The University of Georgia’s Presidential Graduate Fellow award is the University’s most prestigious fellowship award for incoming doctoral students.
This year’s exceptionally qualified recipients are recognized for their outstanding scholarship and excellent potential for success in their chosen fields. Nominations for this award are presented to the Graduate School by individual departments or interdisciplinary programs in late January.
The fellowship offers students four years of annual stipend and travel support in addition to departmental assistantships and tuition waivers. With the 2024 group of 22 incoming fellows representing 18 academic programs, UGA now has 74 Presidential Graduate Fellows on tenure. Presidential Fellows receive professional development and networking opportunities from the Graduate School throughout their program of study.
“I like that being a Presidential Fellow allows me to be more connected to UGA as a whole rather than only connected to my specific department.”
Fellows are expected to engage in research under the guidance of their faculty mentor and take advanced-level courses. Each new Presidential Fellow is required to prepare and submit an Individual Development Plan and a Mentor-Mentee Compact before the Fall semester of their second year.
In addition to being engaged in duties associated with their assistantship and graduate studies on a full-time basis, recipients meet regularly to discuss current topics such as Communicating Research and Scholarship and Getting the Most out of Mentoring.
“So many bright minds together, going through similar experiences, kinda feels very assuring.”