About the President's Fellowship
President's Fellowships (PFs) were established in 1973 to enhance the scope and quality of Georgia Tech's Ph.D. programs. Through the continued support of the Georgia Tech Foundation, PFs are offered annually to a select number of highly qualified U.S. citizens or permanent residents who intend to pursue doctoral degrees. Fellowship recipients bring exemplary levels of scholarship and innovation to the academic departments who host their study and research. In turn, the fellowship program assists these students in preparing themselves with minimum delay for outstanding careers in the discipline of their choice.
Selection Criteria
Competition is keen for these awards. Selections are based on each student's application, transcripts, biographical sketch, letters of recommendation, standardized test scores, and educational goals. Awards are usually made for fall entry, but may be made throughout the year.
Award Amount
PFs are topper funds, that is, supplements to other assistantship or fellowship awards already held by the student. PFs provide an additional stipend of $5,500 per academic year of full-time enrollment, paid in two installments for the fall and spring terms only (not summer). Please see the Financial Aid and Bursar's website for term-specific disbursement and refund schedules. The PF award is not paid via HR/payroll/Gradworks, but the Student Account (viewable in Oscar). Recipients of national fellowships may be offered PFs if allowed by the national fellowship. For example, NSF GRFP does allow for students to also accept the PF award, whereas other awards such as NDSEG require written approval from the funder. The first year award is renewable for three additional academic years (for a total of eight terms maximum), based upon the major school's evaluation of the student's academic performance, research potential, and progress toward the doctoral degree, and by satisfying the other requirements listed below in "Maintaining the Award."
Administration
PF recipients are selected by the college(s)/schools/academic departments, and disbursements are administered by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. The program, and renewals, are coordinated by Graduate Education, under the direction of the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education.
Eligibility Criteria for Nominees
Students offered PFs must meet the following criteria:
- Must be an applicant for a Tech doctoral program (not an applicant for a master's program who declares doctoral intentions, unless that is the only way the student without a master's degree may be admitted to the program);
- Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
- Must have a major fellowship or the offer of an assistantship competitive with other students in the program;
- Must be at the top 10 percent of the applicant pool.
- Must enroll as a full-time student to be eligible for disbursement each semester.
- Applicants who will study at Georgia Tech-Lorraine and are otherwise eligible may be awarded a PF.
Maintaining the Award
The following requirements apply to students receiving PFs:
- Must maintain full-time enrollment.
- Full-time enrollment is 12 hours, with at least nine of those hours taken on a letter-grade or pass/fail basis.
- Must maintain satisfactory academic progress.
- Must remain at the Ph.D. level or in pursuit of the Ph.D. (fellows are allowed to pursue/attain a master’s degree en route to the Ph.D.).
- Fellows who change majors outright from Ph.D. to master’s-level will no longer be eligible for the award.
- Must defer the award for any fall/spring semester(s) during which the student is engaged in an internship appointment.
The PF may be awarded for a total of eight terms maximum.