Overview

The Graduate Initiatives Program offers three predoctoral grant opportunities: the Graduate Studies Enhancement Grant (GSE), the Predoctoral Research Development Grant (PRD), and the Dissertation Completion Grant (DCG). These grants are only open to PhD students who were selected as Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows.

Applications for the Predoctoral Research Grants are open from May 1 to November 1.

The following guidelines refer to all three predoctoral grant opportunities:

  • Fellows may apply for one grant per year
  • Applicants must be Mellon fellows enrolled in a doctoral program in an eligible field of study
  • Each fellow may receive a maximum of $6,500 in GSE and PRD funds; DCG funds do not apply toward this total
  • The grants cannot be used for tuition and fees or living expenses
  • Grants are disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis
  • Accepted applications may take five to six weeks to process
  • August 1 is considered the start of the academic year


Graduate Studies Enhancement (GSE) Grant

  • Fellows must be in their second to fifth years of graduate school; students at South African universities are eligible to apply in the first year of their Master’s programs
  • Fellows that have begun the sixth year of graduate study are not eligible
  • Available for up to $2,000 per academic year
  • May be received up to four times
  • Funds travel, equipment, books, journal subscriptions, and software


Predoctoral Research Development (PRD) Grant

  • Fellows must be in their second to fifth years of graduate school; students at South African universities are eligible to apply in the first year of their Master’s programs
  • Fellows that have begun the sixth year of graduate study are not eligible
  • Available for up to $3,000 once during a fellow’s graduate school career
  • Funds small-scale, preliminary research and other activities
  • Requires a letter of support from an adviser or committee member


Dissertation Completion Grant (DCG)

  • Fellows must be in their seventh year or beyond and must provide a feasible timeline for completion of the dissertation within 12 months
  • Available for up to $2,500 once during a fellow’s graduate school career
  • Funds travel, equipment, books, journal subscriptions, and software that support the completion of the dissertation
  • Requires a summary report six months after receipt of the grant
  • A competitive award based on the feasibility of timely completion
  • Fellows may not have participated in the Preparing for the Professoriate Seminar
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