Fellowships for Minority Students

The college and university offer a variety of special programs to provide financial support for qualified graduate students of color.

Minority Competitive Doctoral Fellowships

These are three-year awards granted to selected racial/ethnic minority students. These awards provide a $12,000 fellowship stipend plus twelve credits of free tuition during their first year of study. In their second and third years of study, students receive a half-time graduate assistantship (plus fellowship) paying at least the same amount. Students must be recommended by their departments, which provide the assistantship in the second and third years. Department nominations must typically be received by the Associate Dean for External Relations and Student Affairs (134 Erickson Hall), by mid-February. Funds are sometimes available for awards later in the year.

Equal Opportunity Program Fellowship

These fellowships are provided based on a need analysis performed by the Office of Financial Aids. Students interested in applying should contact the Urban Affairs Program Office, 112 West Owen Hall.

Affirmative Action Graduate Assistantships

These awards encourage departments to recruit and enroll students of color by paying the first-year assistantship from a central graduate assistantship fund. The department agrees to continue funding in accordance with unit procedures for evaluating graduate assistants. Students must be recommended by their departments to the Associate Dean for External Relations and Student Affairs, who coordinates recommendations to the Urban Affairs Office. In general, these assistantships are designed for master's more than doctoral students.

Martin Luther King, Jr.-Cesar Chavez-Rosa Parks Fellowships

Typically provide $8,000 per academic year with a maximum of $25,000 over a four-year period for racial/ethnic minority doctoral students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Interested students can contact the Graduate School, 116 Linton Hall or explore the Graduate School website (http://www.msu.edu/user/gradschl/).

Information on other forms of financial aid is available from: Office of Financial Aid, Student Services Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (http://www.msu.edu/user/finaid/ofa-main.htm).