Recruitment Fellowships

There are several graduate recruitment fellowships in support of diversity for incoming doctoral students, including:

• Deans Excellence Fellowship — for recruitment of new research degree students across all graduate fields
• SUNY Graduate Diversity Fellowship—for recruitment of new research degree students in graduate fields within contract colleges
• Deans McNair and McNair SUNY Graduate Diversity Fellowships — for recruitment of new research degree students who were McNair Scholars at their undergraduate institutions
• Deans Mellon Mays and Mellon Mays SUNY Graduate Diversity Fellowships — for recruitment of new research degree students who were Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows at their undergraduate institutions
• Cornell Colman Fellowship (College of Engineering) — for recruitment of new research degree students in engineering related fields    
• Lance R. Collins Fellowship (College of Engineering) — for recruitment of new research degree students in engineering related fields 
• Cornell Bowers 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
• 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

Recruitment fellowships are designed to advance the Graduate School’s commitment to access, equity, justice, and inclusion, and to enhance the diversity of Cornell’s graduate student population. They are available on a competitive basis to nominated students from all backgrounds applying for Fall admission who are U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or students holding DACA, TPS, refugee, or asylee status who have demonstrated commitment and potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together.

Students who wish to be considered for these fellowships must indicate their interest within the Graduate School application. Students awarded a fellowship in support of diversity 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. Students awarded a diversity fellowship may receive a standard offer of admission and subsequently be offered this competitive fellowship in lieu of a standard funding offer.

Through their Personal Statement, applicants interested in being considered for a diversity fellowship should address how their personal background and experiences influenced their decision and ability to pursue a graduate degree. Additionally, applicants should provide insight into their commitment and potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together. Within the personal statement, applicants may also provide details on any of their lived experiences historically underrepresented in graduate education including but not limited to 

• being a first-generation college student or graduate (no parent/guardian completed a baccalaureate degree)
• being racialized as someone who identifies with racial/ethnic backgrounds (such as Black or African American, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latine, and/or Southeast Asian) historically excluded from and underrepresented in graduate education 
• managing a disability or chronic health condition
• experiencing housing, food, economic, and/or other forms of significant insecurity
• being a single parent
• identifying with a gender and/or sexual orientation historically underrepresented in a field of study
• having served in the military
• holding DACA, refugee, or asylee status

How to apply:

• Prospective students apply for diversity fellowships through the Graduate School admissions application.
• To be considered for nomination for a diversity fellowship, eligible applicants must respond “yes” to the question on the admissions application asking whether they would be interested in being considered for a diversity 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 the Graduate School for consideration by the associate dean for inclusion and faculty and student engagement and the assistant dean for access and recruitment in the Graduate School.

Provost Diversity Fellowship for Advanced Doctoral Students

The Provost Diversity Fellowship is a competitive one‐term (fall, spring, or summer) dissertation completion fellowship designed to advance the Graduate School’s commitment to diversity, access, equity, justice, and inclusion. It is available to advanced Ph.D. students who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or hold DACA, TPS, refugee, or asylee status who have made significant contributions to supporting a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where individuals representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences have the opportunity to learn and work productively and positively together and/or have 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. assistantship, training grant, etc.) from their graduate field. Priority consideration for the Provost Diversity Fellowships will be given to students who meet all of the following conditions:

1. Enrolled in a Cornell doctoral program for a minimum of two years by the time of nomination;
2. Will have passed the A exam prior to the award period for the fellowship; and
3. Expect 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 (note nomination forms go live in late August):

1. Student Nomination Form: Includes submission of
   • A personal statement of no more than 500 words providing insight into your contributions to supporting a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where individuals representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences have the opportunity to learn and work productively and positively together. Within the personal statement, applicants may also provide details on any of their lived experiences historically underrepresented in graduate education including but not limited to 
     • being a first-generation college graduate (no parent/guardian completed a baccalaureate degree)
     • being racialized as someone who identifies with racial/ethnic backgrounds (such as Black or African American, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latine, and/or Southeast Asian) historically excluded from and underrepresented in graduate education 
     • managing a disability or chronic health condition
     • experiencing housing, food, economic, and/or other forms of significant insecurity
     • being a single parent
     • identifying with a gender and/or sexual orientation historically underrepresented in a field of study
     • having served in the military
     • holding DACA, refugee, or asylee status
   • A dissertation completion plan, including a timeline for work to be completed, developed in collaboration with the nominee’s committee chair. 
2. 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. Your recommendation should be included in the mentoring and funding plan.
3. 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 Deadline

All nomination forms from the student, committee chair, and DGS must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on September 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 the end of October/early November.