Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship Program

The Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship Program supports outstanding doctoral students who have achieved candidacy and are actively engaged in dissertation research and writing. We aim to support students whose dissertations are notably creative, ambitious, and impactful.

Approximately 240 Rackham doctoral students are nominated each year by Ann Arbor programs. Beginning with the 2023 cycle, we are excited to announce that Rackham has extended nominations for this prestigious fellowship to Rackham doctoral students at UM-Dearborn.

Students may not apply directly to this fellowship. They must be nominated by their program for this fellowship. Students should contact their program director regarding their selection and nomination process. Each UM-Dearborn Rackham doctoral program may submit two nominees.

Deadline: January 21, 2025

Nomination Process: 

1. A Statement of Student Achievement and Potential.
2. Students’ personal statement describing their dissertation and any additional information they wish to bring to the attention of the selection committee.
3. Copy of the dissertation title and dissertation abstract.
4. Two letters of recommendation for each nominee, one of which must come from the faculty member who is supervising the dissertation, commenting on the student’s overall performance, potential, and expected time to degree
5. Current curriculum vitae (c.v.).

Overview:

Two Rackham Predoctoral Fellowships are available for 2025-26 to Rackham doctoral students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS). The fellowship provides three terms of support, beginning in either the Spring/Summer or Fall term of 2025. As a Rackham Predoctoral Fellow, you are expected to work full-time toward completing your degree requirements during the award period. The fellowship includes a stipend of $41,310 (currently), candidacy tuition, and required fees for twelve months. GradCare health and dental insurance are also provided during the fellowship period. Please note that students can receive only one award, and predoctoral funding cannot be used concurrently with other Rackham-funded programs, such as the Sweetland Dissertation Writing Institute.

Any Rackham PhD program at UM-Dearborn may nominate two doctoral candidates for this award. If you have any questions, please email Rackham-Predoc-Dearborn@umich.edu.