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SIGF Application Information
The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (VPGE) and the Graduate Fellowships Faculty Advisory Committee (GFFAC) are pleased to announce the sixth competition to award SIGF fellowships for Autumn Quarter 2013-14.
Application Opens: January 11, 2013
Application Deadline: March 14, 2013 at 5 p.m.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all materials are submitted before the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Award Notifications: May 24, 2013
SIGF Acceptance Deadline: May 31, 2013
Eligibility
Stanford graduate students eligible to apply must be:
*enrolled in a doctoral degree in any of Stanford's seven schools;
*currently in their first three years of graduate studies
*Students with a NSF, NDSEG or other equivalent fellowship that provides tenure on an annual basis, are eligible to apply provided all that fellowship’s support will be exhausted prior to Autumn Quarter 2013-2014.
Ideally applicants will be in the second or third year, have demonstrated academic excellence and evidence of the potential for innovative research in an interdisciplinary area. Ability to link intellectual innovation with solving societal problems, an interest in communicating research to a broader audience, and a capacity for future leadership will also be considered positive factors.
Application Review Process
Students may submit one application, choosing one of three categories for faculty review. VPGE will reposition applications, if needed, to the area with the deepest faculty expertise for review.
• Bio-X, Biomedical Research and Biosciences
• Environment, Energy and Sustainability
• General (multidisciplinary inquiry within and between the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences; international studies; creativity and the arts; K-12 education; other emerging areas of interdisciplinary study)
Directions to submit an application for the SIGF in Bio-X, Biomedical Research and Biosciences are at http://biox.stanford.edu/grant/grad2013.html. The Bio-X application is for two fellowship programs – the Bio-X SIGF and Bio-X Graduate Student Fellowships. SIGF eligibility rules, fellowship rules, and terms of the SIGF award described here apply to all SIGF Fellows selected by Bio-X. Applicants will find full information about the selection criteria and application materials required for the Bio-X SIGF at this link. At least two faculty mentors must be involved in the proposed project for a Bio-X SIGF.
Each of the categories will forward the most competitive applications to VPGE for a university-wide review by the Graduate Fellowships Faculty Advisory Committee. All applicants will be notified via email in late May 2013.
Applicant Instructions
Applications are submitted online. For the best experience, complete your application using Firefox. Other browsers are less functional. Applicants are required to enter requested information and upload several documents. Applicants are urged to carefully read instructions and eligibility requirements before beginning the application, paying special attention to field descriptions and naming conventions for uploaded documents.
Required Documents
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• Curriculum vitae
• Research statement
• Two letters of recommendation from Stanford faculty members (submitted by faculty online or by email to sigf@stanford.edu). No late recommendation letters will be accepted and only two letters will be read by the committee.
2013 Links
Faculty Reference Letter Information
Please see the 2013 SIGF Call for a description of the program. All letters must be submitted by the deadline. There are two ways for faculty to submit reference letters.
- Online Submission: Students can generate an email to faculty referees from the application. The faculty email includes a link and directions to upload a letter to the student's application record. A PDF document using the naming convention of applicantlastname.facultylastname.pdf is preferred.
- Email Submission: Faculty can send their letter to sigf@stanford.edu anytime before the deadline, and before the application is submitted. A PDF document using the naming convention of applicantlastname.facultylastname.pdf is preferred.
Questions: contact the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education by email sigf@stanford.edu or call 736-0775.
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Q. Where can I learn more about writing a research statement?
A. The Hume Writing Center is offering a workshop on writing research statements for fellowship proposals on Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 3pm-5pm.
Eligibility
Q. What date is the cut-off matriculation date as a graduate student to be eligible for a 2013 SIGF award?
A. The practice that's established is for students to be no further along than at the start of their fourth year when the 2013 SIGF award begins in Autumn 2013-14. Students that matriculated as a graduate student prior to September 2010 are ineligible to apply. If you are concerned whether or not you are eligible, please write to sigf@stanford.edu.
Q. If I am an M.D. student doing interdisciplinary research for a master's degree am I eligible for a SIGF?
A. No. All applicants must be pursuing a dissertation-based doctoral degree.
Q. I am pursuing a joint degree, a JD-PHD. Do JD years count as years of graduate study for eligibility purposes?
A. Yes, and no.
Those seeking a JD-PHD are subject to the SIGF eligibility rule of currently being in the first three years of graduate study.
However, for an applicant pursuing a cohort-based professional degree along with the PHD, one year need not be counted as one of the first three years of graduate study when determining eligibility for the SIGF, IF during that year, the applicant took only professional degree units for the professional degree. This often is the case for those in the first year of Law School. This caveat will also be considered for those seeking two other joint degrees: MD-PHD and MBA-PHD.
Regardless, students should enter the matriculation date for the graduate degree they started first. JD first, PHD first and both at the same time are all possibilities for those seeking a joint degree.
Q. If I applied last year, may I apply again?
A. There is no restriction against applying a second time, if you are eligible.
Q. If I have a Stanford Graduate Fellowship, can I apply for a Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship?
A. For 2013, students with two or fewer quarters of SGF for 2013-14 can apply, if otherwise eligible.
Submission Category
Q.Do I need to submit an official undergraduate transcript?
A. No. A pdf of an official or complete unofficial transcript is sufficient. Please be sure, however, that the resolution is adequate for viewing.
Q. How do I decide the best category for my application?
A. Please consult with your advisor and others in your department to decide what area is most appropriate for your research.