About the Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship
The Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship recognizes the scholarly achievement of the most academically excellent Doctoral students with dissertator status during the academic award year. Applicants must have achieved dissertator status at UWM or will do so before the start of the Fall 2027 contractual period, which is August 23, 2027. Students are nominated for this award by their graduate program. Fellowship award decisions are made by a university faculty committee. A Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) awardee who has not attained dissertator status by the start of the Fall 2027 contractual period forfeits the award.
DDF applicants must have completed these steps prior to the Fall 2027 contractual period:
- Completed all major and minor coursework.
- Completed PhD residency requirements.
- Confirmed their dissertator status through Doctoral Milestones by August 23, 2027.
Distinguished Dissertation Fellowships are highly competitive. Fellowships are awarded based on the applicant’s previous academic record, scholarly and other achievements, status toward degree, and faculty recommendations. Evaluation is based on the totality of information available. No single factor is decisive. It is understood that excellence takes many forms across disciplines.
2027-2028 Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship Awards
UWM Graduate School Fellowship awards are for full-time study only. The 2027-2028 Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) includes an academic year stipend, coverage of in-state and out-of-state tuition, health insurance, and eligibility for a travel award. Fellowship awardees retain full responsibility for payment of segregated fees and additional instructional/course fees (including distance education) above basic graduate tuition levels. These fees are to be paid by the DDF recipient and are due before the start of each semester.
The UWM Student Financial Services office provides more information on tuition and fees through this link: uwm.edu/finances/finances/estimating-your-costs/tuition/. Health insurance options provided by the Universities of Wisconsin can be explored through this Benefits Quick Guide: www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/quickguidegrad.pdf. Fellowship travel award funds should be spent in accordance with UWM travel regulations by the end of the fellowship period during the time you are a student in your graduate degree program, but no later than the end of the fiscal year. The money is to be spent on travel to present at a major national or international conference in your discipline. You must be presenting to access your fellowship travel award.
Note: Graduate School fellowship stipends and tuition waivers count as financial aid. To better understand the financial impact of either an assistantship or fellowship, see Financial Impact of Assistantships and Fellowships.
Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship Application Process
The applicant’s complete DDF application and letter of recommendation from the Major Professor must be submitted by the graduate program’s internal deadline. Please contact your Graduate Program Representative for your graduate program’s internal application deadline. Each graduate program evaluates all applications received, selects applicants for nomination, completes all nomination procedures, and forwards nominations to the formal competition. The Graduate Student Fellowships Committee reviews nominations and selects DDF recipients based on application requirements and departmental assessment.
DDF Application Requirements
- Identification and Contact Information
- Residency and Citizenship Status
- Academic History & Details
- Graduate Degree Program and Major Professor Details
- Achievement and other relevant information:
- Honors, previous fellowship awards, publications (peer-review journals, newsletters, etc.), major exhibitions, performances, presentations (local, regional, national conferences, student-only conferences and annual meetings), departmental assistantships and/or other employment experiences or internships.
- Applicants are asked to clearly distinguished work that is published, completed, or still in progress.
- Dissertation Title and Abstract
- Letter of Recommendation from Major Professor
Each application is considered holistically, and factors such as academic background, experiences, perspectives, aspirations, values and accomplishments are taken into account. For the sake of these fellowships, a “graduate degree program” is defined more broadly than the Universities of Wisconsin definition to include any graduate program that meets both of the following criteria. Student must make specific application to the degree program on their applications to the Graduate School or department. Students cannot transfer out of the program without making explicit application to another program, even within the same department or unit.
2027-2028 Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship Application Timeline
| October 2026 Exact Date TBA | The 2027-2028 application launches. It is highly recommended for applicants to consult with their Graduate Program Representative in prior to starting the fellowship application to learn of any additional requirements set by their graduate program. This includes the internal application deadline. |
| December 2026 – January 2027 Exact Dates TBA | Deadline to submit the 2027-2028 application. Exact deadline date varies by graduate program. Please consult your Graduate Program Representative to learn your deadline date. |
| March 2027 Exact Date TBA | Announcement of all UWM Graduate School Fellowship awards. |
| April 15, 2027 | Deadline for all UWM Graduate School Fellowship recipients to accept any UWM Graduate School fellowship offer, per the Council of Graduate Schools April 15 Resolution. |
UWM Graduate School Fellowship Compliance
Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship recipients must be enrolled full-time (3 dissertator credits) in a graduate degree program at UWM during the award period. Fellows must meet the Graduate School continuation requirements each semester and comply with the following UWM Graduate Faculty Committee regulations:
- Fellowship nominees/awardees must maintain a 3.0 GPA and make reasonable progress toward their UWM graduate degree.
- Fellowship nominees/awardees cannot be on academic probation and cannot have engaged in academic or non-academic misconduct during their current graduate program, based on transcript notations at the time of nomination/award. If the fellowship nominee/awardee becomes ineligible, the graduate fellowship award/offer is forfeited, effective the date that the sanctions are implemented.
- DDF recipients must have attained Dissertator status by the start of the academic year. DDF recipient who has not attained Dissertator status by the start of the Fall 2027 contractual period (August 23, 2027) forfeits the award.
- Confirmed dissertators must enroll in 3 credits to be set as full-time.
- Fellowship recipients may not hold any other external or internal fellowship or scholarship concurrently with a Graduate School award, except for small monetary awards under $10,000; the UWM Chancellor’s Graduate Student Award; or a philanthropic award.
- Fellowship recipients may not accept full-time employment. University appointments (maximum of 37.5% TA, PA or RA), or other student outside employment of up to 15 hours per week, are allowable.
For questions regarding the Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) please email gs-fellowships-distinguished@uwm.edu.