Promising Scholar Fellowship

Award nominations open September 24, 2025, deadline: February 16, 2026

The Office of Graduate Education is pleased to invite nominations for the Promising Scholar Fellowship. This award is open to all newly admitted students and is intended to support OSU’s land grant mission by expanding access and removing financial barriers to graduate education for those whose background and/or scholarship advances OSU’s commitment to inclusive excellence. Nominees who have previously participated in one or more scholar programs that support students from low income, first generation, and/or other historically underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply, as are individuals whose intended scholarship seeks to advance the university’s commitment to inclusive excellence as described in Oregon State University’s Strategic Plan 2024-2030 and the Diversity Action Plan 2024-2030.

The award also aligns with and supports development in the OSU Grad Advantage core competencies for graduate students. Nominees should complete the OSU Grad Advantage Self-Assessment Tool at the time of their nomination, or in the case of prospective students, after they have been formally admitted to gauge their ongoing professional development needs and progress.

Award Details

The Office of Graduate Education intends to offer up to five of these fellowships for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. The fellowship details include:

  • A $2500 scholarship to support the student’s transition to graduate school and, in some cases, Oregon. The Office of Graduate Education will disburse this portion of the award directly to the student’s OSU account in early-July (for summer admits) and mid-September (for fall admits). This funding will be provided as a direct refund to the student, either by direct deposit or check.
  • A one-time payment to cover OSU’s matriculation fee, if applicable.
  • A one-time 12-month stipend (totaling $37,000 for doctoral students, $33,000 for master’s students).
  • A 2026-2027 academic year (fall, winter, spring) tuition waiver.
  • Supplemental funds to cover the cost of enrollment in three graduate credits during summer term 2027.
  • A $2,650 fee subsidy to cover costs associated with mandatory OSU fees.
  • Formal appointment as an OSU graduate fellow to allow access to subsidized health insurance under the prevailing graduate assistant/fellow health insurance plan.

To provide ongoing support to the recipient and assist with retention efforts, units are expected to provide a plan for financially sustaining the newly recruited student through degree completion. Please note that a plan for continued financial support does not need to guarantee funding for subsequent years as this may not be possible for all programs, but it must detail ways in which the unit will actively work with the student to identify other funding opportunities to sustain their studies if unit funding is unavailable.

Eligibility

All nominees must meet the following minimum eligibility criteria:

  1. Nominee must be newly admitted for the 2026-2027 academic year through the domestic student application. Students who successfully completed a previous degree at OSU are eligible if their continuation to another/new degree meets with the spirit and intent of recruiting new graduate students. In these cases, the student must have submitted a new application for admission or a Change of Degree to add the new degree. These documents must indicate an official start date of summer 2026 or fall 2026. Please note that a student who has been readmitted to the same degree within the same degree program is not considered a newly admitted student for purposes of this award. A DAF does not need to be submitted at the time of nomination, but it must be done prior to any award offer.
  2. Nominee must have a GPA of 3.0 or above.
  3. Nominee must meet at least one of the two following criteria:
    • Nominee previously participated in a scholar program that supports students from low-income, first-generation, or other historically underrepresented background. Nominee must provide verification of participation by a program coordinator/director from the prior institution. Examples of scholarly programs include (list not comprehensive) McNair Scholars, Gates Millennium Scholars Program, Ford Family Foundation Scholars Program, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation, RISE Fellows, SACNAS, MANRRS, MARC Scholars Program, and Warrior-Scholar Graduate Pathways Initiative Scholars Program.
    • Nominee’s intended scholarship seeks to advance the university’s commitment to inclusive excellence as described in Oregon State University’s Strategic Plan 2024-2030 and the Diversity Action Plan 2024-2030. For example, nominee’s scholarship must collaborate and engage in research with underserved communities; integrate diverse lived experiences, perspectives, and viewpoints of the communities served by the research; or advance opportunities to integrate equitable outcomes within OSU’s priority research areas.
  4. To remain eligible for the award, the nominee must be a full-time graduate degree-seeking student in an OSU doctoral or master’s program during the 2026-2027 academic year.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation of nominations will be based upon:

  • The nominee’s documented alignment with the eligibility criteria listed above
  • The nominee’s previous academic success and commitment to graduate studies
  • The nominee’s scholarly potential
  • The quality and feasibility of the unit’s plan for continued financial support for the nominee for their subsequent years at OSU

Nomination Period

The nomination period begins on September 24, 2025. All nominations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., February 16, 2026. Awards will be determined in mid-March 2026.

Please note that this posted deadline refers to the date/time by which the Office of Graduate Education must receive the final and complete nomination packet and any accompanying materials. Academic units may have earlier deadlines to accommodate their internal selection and nomination processes, so students are encouraged to verify the timeline with faculty and/or their graduate program leadership.

Nomination Procedure

Nominations may be submitted by the nominee's graduate program director, department chair/head, college leadership, or appropriate leadership in an institutional partner unit.

Students may not apply directly for this award. Each unit (as defined by university major code) and institutional partner may nominate no more than TWO nominees (total) per award cycle.

In the online nomination form, nominators will be required to prepare/upload the following materials as one PDF document using the following file name convention: "Nominee's Last Name_Department_PromisingScholar.pdf", and upload it through the nomination form.

  1. A nominating letter (2 pages maximum) from college leadership or the nominee’s major professor or unit head that describes (a) the nominee’s eligibility for this specific award (i.e., items #1-4 in the “Eligibility” section above) and (b) the nominee’s previous academic success, commitment to graduate studies, and scholarly potential.
    • These criteria can be demonstrated in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, prior coursework, degrees, and institutions of higher education; previous participation in educational or scholarly programs; previous work experiences; honors, awards, scholarships, or other academic distinctions; scholarly activity at previous institution(s) or employment; scholarly engagement in professional organizations, and research endeavors; skills and aptitudes that support academic success such as motivation, persistence in the face of challenges and hardship; intellectual curiosity and self-direction.(c) a detailed explanation as to how they envision the unit will financially support the student for the remainder of their graduate degree.
  2. A statement from the nominee (2 pages maximum) that describes (a) their eligibility for the award (i.e., items #1-4 in the “Eligibility” section above), including any/all relevant supporting documentation (i.e., verification of participation in a previous scholar program and/or inclusion and verification of proposed inclusive excellence research prospectus); (b) their previous academic success, commitment to graduate studies, and scholarly potential; and (c) how this award will support them in their graduate studies at OSU.
    • These criteria can be demonstrated in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, prior coursework, degrees, and institutions of higher education; previous participation in educational or scholarly programs; previous work experiences; honors, awards, scholarships, or other academic distinctions; scholarly activity at previous institution(s) or employment; scholarly engagement in professional organizations, and research endeavors; skills and aptitudes that support academic success such as motivation, persistence in the face of challenges and hardship; intellectual curiosity and self-direction.
  3. A copy of the nominee’s résumé or curriculum vitae.

NOTE to Institutional Partners:

If an institutional partner is submitting the nomination, they must also have confirmation from the student’s academic unit that:

  • the student is not already being nominated for the same award by the academic unit, and
  • the student is in good academic standing, making satisfactory progress, and that the nomination aligns with the student’s status in the program.

Nomination Form

Submit a nomination

Scholarships and Fellowships Application Form Overview

Questions

For questions about this award or any Office of Graduate Education administered awards, please contact our Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships team