This fellowship is intended to provide outstanding MFA students with financial support to assist in the process of completing their thesis or final project. The fellowship consists of full support for one academic semester (either fall or spring of the following academic year), and includes a monthly stipend equal to that of the current 50% GPTI salary, tuition coverage, mandatory fees, and coverage under the Student Gold health insurance plan. Please note: students may not engage in other forms of paid employment during the time they receive a fellowship and fellows may not accept another fellowship or grant during the same time period. The purpose of the fellowship is to allow recipients to devote their full attention to their academic progress.  

We are no longer accepting applications for AY 2022/2023 and the deadline for AY 2023/2024 is TBD. Please check back at the start of the Fall 2023 semester for updates. 

Eligibility

MFA students who are in their second year of study. Note that this award pays out in the academic year after the application is submitted, so will not be available for the spring semester that immediately follows the application submission.

Selection Criteria 

The Selection Committee will base their selection on the following:

  • The quality of the creative work/project;
  • The quality of the candidate's CV (exhibits, performances, productions, publications, awards, conference presentations, etc.);
  • The probability of completion within the period of the fellowship (the greater the probability, the better chance of receiving a fellowship);
  • Other teaching-free fellowships that the candidate has already enjoyed (the fewer the better).

Application Procedures

Applicants are required to submit the following information through the online application system as one PDF document:

  • Applicant's Curriculum Vitae.
  • Synopsis of thesis/project (links to portfolios or videos may be included in the synopsis).
  • A timeline for completion of the MFA thesis (max one page).
  • Information concerning any other grants or awards, internal or external, for which the applicant has applied or is expecting to receive.
  • Transcript (official or unofficial).

All documents must be in the above order and be clearly designated. If your PDF does not follow the above format, you will be removed from consideration.

  • Letter of recommendation: statement of evaluation (maximum 750 words) of the thesis/project and the likelihood of completion within the fellowship period. This statement is to be written by: either (a) the primary advisor or (b) another member of the thesis committee and uploaded prior to the deadline. Letters must be uploaded by the submission deadline.

Applicants will be evaluated by a committee appointed by the dean of the Graduate School and the director of the Center for Humanities and the Arts. Awardees will be asked to submit a letter at the end of their fellowship tenure detailing their progress towards program completion.