2014 Sample Offer Letter: Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship
The following letter is intended as a guide for departmental letters to recipients of Presidential
Graduate Research Fellowships. Please adapt the letter as appropriate, but keep in mind that
this letter is a three-way contract involving the Fellow, the Department/Program, and the
Graduate College. Thus, it is very important to lay out the Fellowship terms precisely and
without ambiguity. If you are offering more funding or more time than the basic Presidential
Graduate Research Fellowship, it is important that your award letter separates what the College
provides from what is added by your department/program. Letters from the
Department/Program must be approved by the Graduate College to ensure they are consistent
with the Fellowship terms laid out by the Graduate College. Please send a copy of your
Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship offer letter for our files to:
Dan Berkowitz, Associate Dean
Graduate College
205 Gilmore Hall
dan-berkowitz@uiowa.edu
Dear [add student name]:
It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been awarded a University of Iowa Presidential
Graduate Research Fellowship. This is the highest graduate award conferred by the University of
Iowa, and you are to be congratulated for having the kind of academic record that merits such an
honor.
The Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship provides support for five years:

The first year fellowship includes 10 hours/week of research experience with one or two
different mentors each semester. The fourth year is designed for dissertation research.

Fellows are typically appointed as teaching or research assistants by their departments
during the second and third years of the Fellowship award period.

Fellows are eligible for the Fourth Year Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship if they
have passed the comprehensive examination.

A final year fellowship is possible through the competitive Ballard Seashore Dissertation
Year Fellowship. Fellows not successful in the Ballard Seashore Fellowship will be
supported by their department with an RA, TA or fellowship.
The Fellowship also includes a $5,500 summer stipend and summer tuition for up to four
summers, provided you are registered during a summer session. Renewal of the Fellowship each
year depends on your maintaining a strong level of performance and making satisfactory
progress towards your degree. Tuition (excluding mandatory fees) is fully paid during the two
fellowship years and RA/TA years, and a very generous health and dental insurance allowance is
provided. The total value of the Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship is approximately
$150,000 (including stipend, tuition, health and dental insurance allowance).
The fellowship stipend for the first and fourth years is a minimum of $24,000 ($18,500 academic
year + $5,500 summer. These two fellowship years are free from departmental duties other than
the mentored research experience requirement during the first year. During years two and three,
you will receive a 50% research or teaching assistantship (20 hours of service per week) from
your program during the academic year, along with $5,500 in summer fellowship support.

Our department will provide you with assigned desk space through your first 6 years of
graduate study. We will help you identify a research mentor/advisor by the end of your
second year of study, which is required for you to receive the second year of summer
support.

We will meet with you at the end of each academic year and submit a brief memo to the
Graduate College advising them of your academic progress. If you have withdrawn from
courses, received any incompletes or a course grade of B- or lower, we will propose
appropriate remedies.

You must submit a memo of progress to the Graduate College by April 15 of each year
that addresses your summer plans. This is required to receive summer support. The
Fourth Year Post-comprehensive Research Fellowship is dependent on the receipt of all
memos. You must also present at least once at the Jakobsen Conference to receive the
Fourth Year Fellowship.
Graduate students in our department work closely with faculty members, both in seminars and in
research undertakings. The Graduate College provides several opportunities for Presidential
Graduate Research Fellows to meet and participate in special activities. A visit to the University
of Iowa would give you a fuller sense of graduate life here – we hope that you consider making a
visit soon. Arrangements would be made for you to meet students and faculty in your areas of
interest, as well as other Presidential Graduate Fellows and administrators in the Graduate
College.
[NOTE TO DEPARTMENTS: Dean Berkowitz or Kathy Klein Gerling can provide you with
names of current Presidential Graduate Fellows who might meet with prospective Fellows
visiting the campus. Limited funds may be available to assist in travel costs when bringing these
students to campus.]
In general, it is expected that Presidential Graduate Research Fellows will not hold other paid
positions during fellowship years. Exceptions may be considered in unique situations where it is
demonstrated that these appointments contribute substantially to the student’s professional
development and progress toward the degree. Such appointments must be pre-approved by the
Graduate College.
I would be happy to answer any questions about the Fellowship, the department, or the
university. Please feel free to call me at [add phone number], or send me an email message at
[add email address]. Other faculty you might wish to contact include [add faculty names]. Our
email addresses and telephone numbers, along with other information about us, can be found on
the Web at [add URL].
Please note that this letter constitutes an official offer of the Presidential Graduate Research
Fellowship from the University of Iowa. Upon your acceptance of this offer, the Graduate
College will also send you a letter acknowledging the Presidential Graduate Research Fellowship
award. If you accept this fellowship, please keep copies of both letters for your reference during
the course of your fellowship.
In accordance with the national agreement among U.S. graduate schools (Council of Graduate
Schools), all award recipients have until April 15th to notify schools (in writing) of their
decisions. Should you decide earlier to decline the award, you will open a fellowship spot to
another deserving student. However, we would be delighted if you are able to decide earlier to
accept this award.
[add for international students] Because of the time it takes to obtain a visa, international
students are encouraged to reach a decision as soon as possible.
Once again, my congratulations on receiving this prestigious award. We very much hope that
you will accept this Fellowship and join us in Iowa City in August. I look forward to hearing
from you.
Sincerely,