Transcript Document
External Funding Resources for Graduate Students Georgia Ehlers, Director Fellowships & Community Engagement Graduate College Admin. 322 The University of Arizona
How to get a grant Know yourself Set goals Note timing Develop ideas Network with faculty & peers Publish & present Get a variety of experiences, including travel, service & research Write a variety of grants Keep on applying!
Average Grad & First Professional Student Debt at Graduation 10-11 AZ Resident - $54,169 Non-resident - $46,095 All Students - $51,838 Source: Arizona Board of Regents, 2011 Financial Aid Report, pg. 60.
Cumulative US student debt is up 25% from 2008 to 2011 in sharp contrast to declining debt in other consumer sectors. Source: NY Federal Reserve in the NY Times/Aug. 2011
World of Grad Funding 1.
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Federal Financial Aid - loans, grants, work study, remissions Internal Support - Assistantships, research $, donors, UA scholarships Employer assisted educational benefits (UA Qualified Tuition Reduction) Extramural Funding scholarships, fellowships, travel awards, research awards – external
Types of Extramural Awards Pre-dissertation awards - 1-3 year fellowships for study & training Dissertation Research - thesis or dissertation Travel Awards – archives, conferences Internship, externship, coop, workshops Special Projects, Service & Outreach Post-doctoral Research/Young faculty awards
Searchable Databases http://www.library.uiuc.edu/iris/ Pivot - http://pivot.cos.com/ GRAPES @ UCLA www.gdnet.ucla.edu/grpinst.htm
Grants.gov – main government database Foundation Directory Online @ Pima Co. Library
Scholarship Databases UA’s Scholarship Universe – https://scholarshipuniverse.arizona.edu/s plash/splash.aspx
Fin Aid www.finaid.org/ Fast Web - www.fastweb.com/
Campus Resources Grad College Finances website [email protected]
CALS Grants Alert/CALS International Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships – Honors College website SBSRI – Social & Behavioral Sciences UA News, 3-D Memos, Chronicle of Higher Ed Your advisor, peers and grad coordinator.
Training Grants/UA Selects Education - FLAS, GAANN NASA Grad. Student Research Program & Space Grant Fellowships NSF IGERT, VIGRE, CESUM NIH Training Grants USDA National Needs
Student Applies Directly NSF Grad Research Fellowship National Defense Science & Engineering DOE Climate Change EPA STAR National Laboratories and Observatories National Park Service NIH R-31 Dissertation Presidential Management Fellowship Smithsonian
UA Applies on Behalf of Student Fulbright (IIE) NSEP David Boren Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad NSF Dissertation Improvement (DDIG) DAAD
Foundations Supporting Graduate Education Mellon/ACLS AAUW Charlotte W. Newcombe Beinecke P.E.O.
Jack Kent Cooke Rockefeller DAAD Sloan Ford Gates Social Science Research Council Hertz Inter-American Spencer Tinker Japan Whitaker Kellogg Woodrow Wilson Lindbergh Zonta – Amelia Earhart
Awards through Other Universities FLAS (San Diego State, U Wisconsin) Dartmouth – Thurgood Marshall/Cesar Chavez Harvard Travel Award U Texas Harry Ransom Library
Join Your Professional Organization(s) Every field has one or more Join at a discounted student rate scholarships conferences publications insurance in some cases scholars in your field and your peers
All Applications Have Common Elements The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
NSF GRFP Key Elements
• • • • Five Year Award – $126,000 Three years of support • $30,000 Stipend per year • $12,000 Educational allowance to institution International research opportunities Access to XSEDE cyberinfrastructure resources
GRFP Supported Disciplines
• • • • • • • • • • • Chemistry Computer and Information Science and Engineering Engineering Geosciences Life Sciences Materials Research Mathematical Sciences Physics and Astronomy Psychology Social Sciences Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (research focused)
Complete Application
Via NSF FastLane
• • • • • Personal statement (2 pages) Previous research experience (2 pages) Proposed plan of research (2 pages) Transcripts, uploaded into FastLane Three letters of reference required • Additional information required for some candidates See Solicitation for eligibility requirements on www.nsfgrp.org
UA NSF GRF Mentoring Program Check your eligibility at http://www.nsfgrfp.org/ Register at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/UANSF GRF Look for an email from Dr. Shelley Hawthorne Smith with more information
Make it happen! Things Successful Applicants Do.
Where Do You See Yourself Going? Contemplate your path What do you want from further education?
Develop a map of educational goals Plan ahead with focused attention Develop a mix of funding strategies
Subscribe to GradFunding Send an email to [email protected]
Put “subscribe gradfundying Firstname Lastname” in the subject line and leave the message body blank Receive upcoming deadlines, advice and notice of workshops
Timing Matters Note deadlines – allow 6-12 months!
Apply in fall of 1 st & 2 nd yr for fellowships Use summers to research & write Advance to candidacy & have your topic approved in time for deadlines File the FAFSA in Jan./Feb. each year
Make Connections Network – Professors/Staff/Peers Cultivate 4 solid recommenders Develop affiliations and contacts at other institutions, research sites and conferences
Value of Travel & Interesting Experiences Conferences Internships Research Short term study Workshops Service/Outreach
Learn by Doing - Practice Classes/Workshops Form a writing group Offer to read, help on someone’s grant Use courses to prepare background research Learn to self-edit Take a grant-writing class
Stay Focused Each page of an application that you write may be worth thousands of dollars. Make a plan & stay on track.
Write every day!
Value the Process Regardless of Results Your thinking & quality of research will advance Valuable input from reviewers Strengthen writing skills Financial & academic independence Steppingstone to other awards Valuable skill for future
Don’t be like Brad & Marissa. Apply for external funding!