Terms of Appointment and Termination

Award. Nominated graduate students who receive a Graduate School fellowship are notified by the Dean of the Graduate School. Graduate programs are responsible for notifying unsuccessful nominees.

Stipend. EEach year the Graduate School establishes the stipend for graduate recruitment and Presidential fellows. Please see the Fellowship Guidelines document for additional information regarding fellowship stipends.

Credit hours. Fellows who are not yet doctoral candidates must be registered in the Graduate School for at least 12 hours of graduate credit (excluding audited courses) during any semester in which a fellowship appointment is held. Pre-candidacy fellows who maintain their appointments during summer term must enroll in six credit hours. Doctoral candidates must register for at least three credit hours.

Termination Criteria. A Graduate School fellowship may be terminated at the discretion of the Graduate School prior to the end of the award period for any of the following reasons:

• The fellow is no longer enrolled in the Graduate School. 
• The fellow is registered for fewer than 12 hours of graduate credit in a semester (or fewer than six hours in summer term) or fewer than three graduate credits if the fellow is a doctoral candidate. 
• The fellow receives a terminal degree. 
• The fellow fails to maintain reasonable progress toward meeting graduate degree requirements or fails to maintain good standing. 
• The fellow changes enrollment status outside the limits of the original agreement, including entry into a graduate and/or professional combined program or transfers to another graduate and/or professional program, without obtaining prior written approval from the appropriate graduate programs and the Graduate School to transfer the fellowship. Such a change could result in the loss of the fellowship and/or full fee authorization support. (The transfer of graduate program and the transfer of fellowship are two separate procedures.) 
• The fellow accepts employment or any other type of financial support without the approval of the Graduate School. 
• The fellow has been found in violation of the professional codes of ethics and responsibilities of the university. These codes include, but are not limited to, the Graduate Student Code of Research and Scholarly Conduct and the Code of Student Conduct. Violations are determined through the formal disciplinary and/or grievance procedures established by recognized bodies of the university.