Learn more about the program, how the colleges are involved, and what opportunities are available.
The Fellowship
Offering unparalleled support and access to resources at USU, the Presidential Doctoral Research Fellowship (PDRF) program is more than a financial aid package. PDRFs receive the mentorship and training necessary to assist them in becoming leaders in their fields of study.
The PDRF program provides USU’s most driven and dedicated graduate students opportunities to connect with top researchers, administrators, and leaders. PDRFs comprise an interdisciplinary cohort, offering each student a unique environment to develop academic relationships with other doctoral students across the university.
With just under 50 fellows on campus at any time, fellowship positions are competitive and available in limited disciplines each year. There is no central application process to be considered for a Presidential Doctoral Research Fellowship; departments with an available fellowship will nominate their preferred candidates to the Office of Research.
Eligibility
- Limited, discipline-specific positions in the fellowship open each year; check for available positions for the following year each Fall
- Departments nominate candidates to the Office of Research for consideration
- To express interest in a position, prospective students should contact their prospective department
- Candidates should meet all School of Graduate Studies requirements for general USU admission, any additional program- or department-specific requirements, and hold a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher
Benefits
- Four-year financial support:
- Annual $10,000 scholarship
- Full tuition waiver
- Subsidized health insurance
- Departmental assistantship guarantee
- Advanced access to USU’s graduate student support
- Exclusive access to PDRF programming including:
- Annual welcome dinner with top USU administrators
- Guest speakers
- Training workshops
- Mentoring opportunities
- Annual graduation dinner
- One-on-one support from the Office of Research
Learn More
Prospective Students
- Think you have what it takes? Hear from some of our Fellows about their journey to USU and their time as PDRFs
- Review PDRF positions available by discipline
Current Fellows
- Current students, faculty, and staff can review program guidelines and details in our guidebook
Contact the PDRF Program with any questions.
The Fellows
Our Presidential Doctoral Research Fellows represent all PhD-awarding colleges at USU, ensuring that you’ll meet a diverse and interdisciplinary cohort of researchers over the course of your degree. Fellows develop a support network of driven, intellectual researchers from this pool of students, meet leading faculty researchers throughout the university, and receive additional opportunities to get involved in the university’s broad culture of research excellence through mentoring and service experiences.