Graduate School Founder’s Fellowships

The Graduate School Founder’s Excellence and Dissertation Fellowships contribute to our commitment to advancing Cornell’s founding principle of “… any person … any study.”


The concept of “… any person” meant that people from all walks of life, all income levels, races, religions and genders could attend Cornell University. Similarly, “… any study” underscored the freedom to pursue academic interests wherever they lead. For more than 150 years, talented scholars representing the full, diverse spectrum of humanity have come to Cornell for a world-class educational experience unlike any other.


Founder’s Excellence Fellowships

The Founder’s Excellence Fellowships include a portfolio of recruitment fellowships funded by the Graduate School or SUNY System, and others co-funded by colleges within Cornell and the Graduate School. The Founder’s Excellence Fellowships are available on a competitive basis to nominated domestic doctoral students from all backgrounds applying for Fall admission who are U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or Indigenous peoples of Canada eligible to register as domestic students under the Jay Treaty who have demonstrated commitment and potential to significantly contribute to Cornell’s founding principle and core value to provide a community of belonging where scholars representing different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn, innovate, and work in an environment of respect.

  • Graduate School Founder’s Excellence Fellowship — for recruitment of new research degree students across all graduate fields
  • Graduate School Founder’s McNair Fellowships — for recruitment of new research degree students who were McNair Scholars at their undergraduate institutions
  • Graduate School Founder’s Mellon Mays Fellowships — for recruitment of new research degree students who were Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows at their undergraduate institutions
  • SUNY Graduate Diversity Fellowship—for recruitment of new research degree students in graduate fields within contract colleges (open only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents)
  • Cornell Colman, Lance R. Collins, and Robert F. Smith Fellowships (College of Engineering) — for recruitment of new research degree students in engineering related fields    
  • Cornell Bowers College of Computing & Information Science (CIS) Deans Excellence and Hopper-Dean Fellowships — for recruitment of new research degree students based in Ithaca in computing related fields 
  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Stadtman Fellowship — for recruitment of new research degree students in fields affiliated with academic departments in CALS
  • College of Human Ecology Deans Excellence Fellowship — for recruitment of new research degree students fields affiliated with academic departments in CHE 
  • Cornell Tech Deans Excellence Fellowship — for recruitment of new research degree students based at Cornell Tech in computing related fields 
  • College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Deans Excellence Fellowship — for recruitment of new research degree students in fields affiliated with academic departments in CVM

Applicants who wish to be considered for these fellowships must indicate their interest within the Graduate School application. Admitted students awarded any of the fellowships within the Founder’s Excellence Fellowship portfolio are recognized as Graduate School Dean’s Scholars and invited to participate in community and professional activities sponsored by the Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement and its partners. 

Through the Personal Statement, applicants should provide information on how their background and experiences influenced their decision and ability to pursue a graduate degree. They should also provide insights into how they will contribute to advancing Cornell’s founding principle and institutional core value to provide a community of belonging. Applicants may draw from their service, leadership, scholarly activities or other personal experiences that address:

  • Expanding access to education and opportunity
  • Cultivating collaborative learning and research environments 
  • Fostering community engagement

Within their statement, applicants may also include any relevant context around barriers they’ve encountered to make graduate education accessible to them as well as ways in which they have demonstrated resilience and persistence in navigating these challenges.

The personal statement should reflect an applicant’s unique perspective and experiences while illustrating how they have shaped their potential to contribute meaningfully to Cornell’s academic and community life.

How to apply:

  • Prospective doctoral students apply for Founder’s Excellence Fellowships through the Graduate School admissions application.
  • To be considered for nomination for a Founder’s Excellence Fellowship, eligible applicants must respond “yes” to the question on the admissions application asking whether they would be interested in being considered for a Founder’s Excellence Fellowship. 
  • The director of graduate studies for the graduate field to which the applicant is applying must submit a letter of nomination and a mentoring plan to support the nominee’s transition into and progression through their graduate studies. The mentoring plan may be informed by content provided via the FAIM (Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring) Resource Center.

Founder’s Dissertation Fellowships 

The Graduate School Founder’s Dissertation Fellowships are competitive one‐semester (fall or spring) or summer dissertation completion fellowships funded by the Graduate School or SUNY System. They are available on a competitive basis to domestic advanced Ph.D. students who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or Indigenous peoples of Canada eligible to register as domestic students under the Jay Treaty who have made significant contributions to Cornell’s core value to provide a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together and/or have successfully navigated significant barriers to accessing graduate education. 

Eligibility

To be eligible for an award, nominees must have received at least one year of support (e.g. teaching assistantship, training grant, etc.) from their graduate field or special committee chair and meet the following conditions:

  1. Enrolled in a Cornell doctoral program for a minimum of three years by the time of nomination;
  2. Will have passed the A exam prior to the award period for the fellowship. 

Priority consideration is provided to nominees expected to complete all requirements for the doctorate within three terms (spring, summer, or fall) from the semester of nomination.

Submission Guidelines

A complete nomination consists of three separate Qualtrics survey submissions:

Student Application Form

Includes submission of

    • Personal Statement (500 words maximum) Cornell University was founded on the principle of being “an institution where any person can find instruction in any study” and remains committed to our core value of providing a community of belonging. In your personal statement, please provide insight into how you have contributed to advancing this founding principle and institutional core value. You may draw from your service, leadership, scholarly activities that address:
       

      • Expanding access to education and opportunity
      • Cultivating collaborative learning and research environments 
      • Fostering community engagement

      Within your statement, you may also include any relevant context around barriers you’ve encountered on your path toward doctoral degree completion as well as ways in which you have demonstrated resilience and persistence in navigating these challenges. 

      Your statement should reflect your unique perspective and experiences while illustrating how they have shaped your potential to contribute meaningfully to Cornell’s academic and community life.

    • Dissertation Completion Plan
      • Including a timeline for work to be completed
      • Developed in collaboration with the nominee’s committee chair. 

Committee Chair Nomination Form

Includes confirmation of the committee chair’s approval of the dissertation completion plan submitted by the nominee and the submission of a letter of nomination that includes a mentoring and funding plan detailing how the committee chair will support the nominee through the successful completion of their doctorate and help them access postgraduate opportunities. The letter should also include a funding plan detailing how the nominee has been funded to date and how they will be funded through completion if the fellowship is not awarded. The mentoring plan may be informed by content provided via the FAIM (Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring) Resource Center.

Director of Graduate Study (DGS) Nomination Form

Includes confirmation of review and approval of the dissertation completion plan submitted by the student nominee and the mentoring and funding plan submitted by the committee chair.

Nomination Deadlines

Fall Application Cycle: The student application and the nomination forms from the committee chair and DGS must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on October 7. (If the application deadline falls on a holiday or weekend, applications will be due the next business day.) Fellowship award decisions will be announced by early November.

Spring Application Cycle: The student application and the nomination forms from the committee chair and DGS must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 30. (If the application deadline falls on a holiday or weekend, applications will be due the next business day.) Fellowship award decisions will be announced by late June.