Graduate students at the University of Michigan College of Engineering will become some of the most promising researchers and academic pacesetters of the future. Endowed fellowships help these already proven leaders achieve their goals by easing the financial pressures of graduate education. Supported by endowed fellowships, these students can take full advantage of their important training with Michigan Engineering faculty members and focus more fully on the demands of their coursework and research.

The College invites individuals, corporations and foundations to advance engineering excellence by establishing named, endowed fellowships. Endowed fellowships provide full-to-partial tuition and stipends for graduate students who would otherwise be required to teach to pay necessary expenses. Graduate students with fellowship support avoid prolonged years of study and complete their graduate degrees without accumulating large debt burdens.

Endowing a Legacy

An endowed fellowship fund can be established with a minimum gift of $750,000. This gift generates distributions of approximately five percent annually, which provide expendable funds for fellowship awards.

The fellowship may be named as the donor desires, and the recipients will carry the honor of this designation for the duration of their support.

To establish an endowed fellowship fund, the donor and the College of Engineering sign an agreement specifying the donor's intent, the gift payment schedule and the acceptable criteria for selecting recipients.

While open, unrestricted funds are preferred and offer the greatest flexibility to the College, a donor may specify certain preferences for selected award criteria. Commitments may be paid over one to five years.

The Need

On average, it takes five years to complete a PhD, a period in which accrued expenses can complicate graduate students' academic careers and cast a long shadow over their financial status for many years to come. However, a typical fellowship of $45,000 covering tuition, health insurance and a portion of living expenses will free these students from financial burdens and, at the same time, enable them to identify fields of endeavor that fit their particular skills and interests - a vital aspect in preparing doctoral candidates to become productive members of a society that relies increasingly on technology.

And for the College, these fellowships are one more way to attract elite individuals who, in realizing their potential, elevate the reputation of Michigan Engineering.