Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The Dissertation Completion Fellowship provides three quarters of stipend and TGR tuition to outstanding doctoral candidates who commit to graduate by the end of fellowship period. Fellows will participate in a structured, cohort-based program, which will support progress towards their graduation and career goals. In the inaugural year of the program 16 fellowships will be awarded. Nominations will be accepted from all seven schools.

The Dissertation Completion Fellowships include: 

• Annual stipend and TGR tuition for three quarters (autumn, winter, and spring). The 2026-27 stipend for VPGE-administered fellowships is set at $43,875 ($14,625 per quarter)
• A dedicated in-person offering of the dissertation bootcamp with the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking in fall quarter (required)
• Quarterly all-cohort meetings to support goal-setting and accountability (required)
• Monthly meetings with a peer accountability partner from the fellowship program (required)
• Fellows are also encouraged to take advantage of additional professional and career development resources and activities, including but not limited to:
  • Alumni panels, VPGE’s QuickBytes programs
  • NCFDD’s 14-day writing challenge
  • CareerEd’s spring PhD Pathways conference
  • Personalized coaching with CareerEd, the Center for Teaching and Learning, and other cross-campus opportunities
• Students selected for the Dissertation Completion Fellowships will have articulated, in collaboration with their advisor, a detailed three-quarter timeline and plan for dissertation completion and graduation by the end of spring quarter. Note: a fourth quarter is allowable but would need to be funded by the school, department, advisor, or another source. 

Nomination process

Eligible students must be nominated by their school. Students must be in the final year of their degree program during fellowship tenure. Please contact the representative from your school dean's office for more information. When the advisor and student are in different schools, use procedures determined by the dean's office of the student's degree program.

Nominations must include: 

• Student’s CV.
• A detailed timeline and plan for dissertation completion (max. 2 pages).
  • The plan should be created as a collaboration between the student and the advisor, and include elements such as goals and deadlines for each quarter.
  • Both student and advisor must agree on the timeline.
  • The plan should include clear and specific roles for the advisor in support of timely graduation.
• Letter of support from the Director of Graduate Studies.
  • The letter should attest to the specific benefits the student will derive from this unique fellowship program, in support of graduation by the spring/summer, and include any specific support the DGS will provide in supporting timely graduation.

Nominees should contact: 

• School of Engineering - Samantha Schwartz, Engr_grad_OSA@lists.stanford.edu
• School of Medicine - Chelsey Perry, chelseyp@stanford.edu
• Doerr School of Sustainability - Lauren Mendoza-Tabinas, laurenlm@stanford.edu
• School of Humanities and Sciences - Vanessa Sutter, vsutter@stanford.edu
• Stanford Law School - Faye Deal, fdeal@stanford.edu
• Graduate School of Education - Jeremy Edwards, drjae003@stanford.edu
• Graduate School of Business - Dianne Le, dmle@stanford.edu

Questions

For any questions, contact vpgefellowshipteam@stanford.edu.