Professional Education Diversity Fellowship

The Provost’s Professional Education Diversity Fellowship is intended to assist professional degree programs in promoting a diversity of views, experiences, and ideas through the recruitment and support of academically excellent students with diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

Eligibility

U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, students lawfully in the United States on a non-temporary basis, and MN Dream Act students entering a graduate program at the University of Minnesota for the first time in the 2024-2025 academic year may be nominated by their program director. Recipients must be admitted to a professional education master or doctoral level degree program as a degree-seeking student for fall semester 2024. Each program may nominate one student. For the purpose of this fellowship, a program is defined as a program plan (not a track or sub-plan).

Fellowship Amount and Terms

The Provost’s Professional Education Diversity Fellowship is a one-year (two semesters) fellowship. The award includes a stipend of $25,000 and academic-year tuition at the general post baccalaureate rate (up to but not exceeding). Subsidized health insurance, and dental care for the academic year and for summer 2025 are available. The stipend is distributed in bi-weekly payments throughout the academic year in alignment with the University payroll schedule. The general post baccalaureate rate is equal to that of the standard rate for Graduate School programs and is the same rate used by many but not all professional degree programs. Fellows are responsible for all other fees (approximately $1,200 per year) or charges and tuition beyond the general rate.

Recipients may not hold concurrently a second fellowship, scholarship, grant, assistantship, or similar award that duplicates the benefits of the fellowship. Recipients will be expected to be enrolled full time each semester while maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA. The fellowship is a non-service award. Programs are expected to supplement the student’s subsequent years of study with support at the appropriate level for their program.

Nomination Process and Notification

To nominate a student, professional programs should send the documents listed below to [email protected] by February 2, 2024. Program directors will be notified soon after and asked to notify their nominee.

  1. Provost’s Professional Education Diversity Fellowship nomination form
  2. Nomination letter from the program director.  Letter should address the (1) nominee’s preparation, suitability, and high academic potential for success in the program, (2) how the nominee’s background, experiences and achievements will enhance the program and department environment as well as contribute to the University’s goal of promoting excellence through diversity, and (3) other financial support that the program will provide to the nominee (beyond the one-year Provost’s Professional Education Diversity Fellowship).  
  3. Nominee's narrative statement on career objectives (Nominators may use nominee’s statement from the admission application or request one from the nominee.)
  4. Nominee's narrative statement on how their background, experiences, and achievements will contribute to the University's goal of promoting excellence through diversity. (Nominators may use nominee’s statement from the admission application or request one from the nominee.)

Document Download