黑料社区

Apply Now

黑料社区 School Founder’s Fellowships

The 黑料社区 School Founder鈥檚 Excellence and Dissertation Fellowships contribute to our commitment to advancing Cornell鈥檚 founding principle of 鈥溾�� any person 鈥� any study.鈥�

The concept of 鈥溾�� any person鈥� meant that people from all walks of life, all income levels, races, religions and genders could attend Cornell University. Similarly, 鈥溾�� any study鈥� 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 Fellowship Portfolio

The Founder’s Excellence Fellowship Portfolio includes recruitment fellowships funded by the 黑料社区 School and SUNY System, and others co-funded by colleges within Cornell and the 黑料社区 School. The fellowships within the Founder’s Excellence Fellowship Portfolio are awarded on a competitive basis to nominated domestic doctoral applicants from all backgrounds applying for Fall admission. Eligible candidates include U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, Indigenous peoples of Canada who qualify as domestic students under the Jay Treaty, or students with DACA status. Nominees must demonstrate excellence in their academics, leadership, and service. They must also demonstrate the potential to contribute meaningfully to Cornell鈥檚 founding principle and  of providing a community of belonging where scholars representing different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can engage in purposeful discovery together in an environment of respect.

  • 黑料社区 School Founder’s Excellence Fellowship 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students across all graduate fields
  • 黑料社区 School Founder’s Excellence McNair Fellowships 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students who were McNair Scholars at their undergraduate institutions
  • 黑料社区 School Founder’s Excellence Mellon Mays Fellowship 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students who were Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows at their undergraduate institutions
  • SUNY 黑料社区 Diversity Fellowship鈥攆or 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) 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students in engineering related fields    
  • Cornell Bowers College of Computing & Information Science (CIS) Deans Excellence 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students based in Ithaca in computing related fields 
  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Stadtman Fellowship in Life Sciences and Romualdez 黑料社区 Fellowship 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students in fields affiliated with academic departments in CALS
  • College of Human Ecology Deans Excellence Fellowship 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students fields affiliated with academic departments in CHE 
  • Cornell Tech Deans Excellence Fellowship 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students based at Cornell Tech in computing related fields 
  • College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Deans Excellence Fellowship 鈥� for recruitment of new research degree students in fields affiliated with academic departments in CVM

Applicants who wish to be considered for nomination for these fellowships must indicate their interest within the 黑料社区 School application. Matriculating students awarded any of the fellowships within the Founder’s Excellence Fellowship Portfolio are recognized as 黑料社区 School Dean鈥檚 Scholars and invited to participate in community and professional activities sponsored by the 黑料社区 School and other campus partners. 

How to apply:

  • Prospective doctoral students apply for a fellowship within the Founder’s Excellence Fellowship Portfolio through the 黑料社区 School admissions application.
  • To be considered for nomination for a fellowship within this portfolio, eligible applicants must respond 鈥測es鈥� 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 .

Founder’s Dissertation Fellowships 

The 黑料社区 School Founder’s Dissertation Fellowships are competitive one鈥恠emester (fall or spring) or summer dissertation completion fellowships funded by the 黑料社区 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, or students with DACA status. Applicants demonstrate excellence in their academics, leadership, and service, and have made significant contributions to Cornell鈥檚 founding principle and  of providing a community of belonging where scholars representing different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can engage in purposeful discovery together in an environment of respect.

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:

Includes the submission of a Personal Statement and Dissertation Completion Plan. 

Personal Statement (500 words maximum) Cornell University was founded on the principle of being 鈥渁n institution where any person can find instruction in any study鈥� and remains committed to our  of providing a community of belonging where scholars representing different backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can engage in purposeful discovery together in an environment of respect. In your personal statement, please provide insight into how you have contributed to advancing Cornell’s founding principle and institutional core values. You may draw from your service, leadership, and scholarly activities that address:

    • Your ability to engage with and contribute to effective, collaborative teams.
    • How you have come to understand and value perspectives different from your own.
    • How you have demonstrated persistence in overcoming a setback or challenge.

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

Dissertation Completion Plan

    • Including a timeline for work to be completed.
    • Developed in collaboration with the committee chair. 

Includes confirmation of the committee chair鈥檚 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 .

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

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 20. (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 mid-November.