Legacy Building Fellowships
Mizzou graduate fellowships are administered by the Graduate School.
If you have questions about your Fellowship Disbursement, please read the Frequently Asked Questions document. Contact Graduate School Staff (Ms. Karen Gruen or Dr. Enid Schatz) if you have further questions.
Legacy Building Fellowship Competition
Legacy Building Fellowships (previously known as fellowships in the Spring Competition) are awarded on a competitive basis in recognition of a student’s demonstrated scholarship, scholastic and creative promise, and/ or financial need.
Departments/programs may nominate new graduate students for merit-based LBF funding. To be eligible for consideration, students must be newly admitted to a graduate program. To remain eligible for renewed funding in subsequent years, students must be enrolled in graduate academic course work full-time and be making good progress in their program. Typically, students with fellowships also hold graduate assistantships in their academic home.
Departments/programs provide LBF students with a graduate assistantship during the fellowship period. The LBF stipend does not replace the financial responsibility of the department/program in covering the costs of at least the minimum university stipend for an assistantship and tuition remission, typically at the .50 FTE. In rare cases, a qualifying scholarship, fellowship, or grant support may be provided by the department/program instead of a graduate assistantship.
For MU faculty and staff, learn more about the competition and nomination process here.
Note: Students cannot apply for these fellowships; departments/programs are responsible for submitting nominations to be considered in the fellowship competition.
Every LBF recipient must have full-time status as a graduate student during the period of appointment. Competitive fellowships are available for newly admitted master’s, specialist, and doctoral students. In addition to those open to all nominees, some of the LBF awards are designed for First Generation college students, Pell Recipients (in last 5 years), as well as for those who participated in the Missouri College Advising Corps Program, Teach for America, Americorps, and/or VISTA.
A fellowship may be renewed if:
- Funding is available, or limited semesters of support of a student are met.
- Academic program guidelines for funding duration are met.
- The student is making satisfactory academic progress.
- Monthly stipend payments are scheduled and administered through payroll. (note: If a student does not have a graduate assistantship paid through payroll, then their fellowship will be administered through Financial Aid.)
- To qualify for the spring semester LBF stipend, the recipient must have successfully completed the fall semester and be enrolled full time for the spring semester.
- New employee paperwork and onboarding must be completed for a student’s payments to be processed.
Life Sciences Fellowships
Life Sciences Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis in recognition of a student’s demonstrated scholarship, scholastic and creative promise, and/ or financial need.
Departments/programs may nominate new graduate students for merit-based LSF funding. To be eligible for consideration, students must be newly admitted to a life sciences graduate program. To remain eligible for renewed funding in subsequent years, students must be enrolled in graduate academic course work full-time and be making good progress in their program. Typically, students with fellowships also hold graduate assistantships in their academic home.
Departments/programs provide LSF students with a graduate assistantship during the fellowship period. The LSF stipend does not replace the financial responsibility of the department/program in covering the costs of at least the minimum university stipend for an assistantship and tuition remission, typically at the .50 FTE. In rare cases, a qualifying scholarship, fellowship, or grant support may be provided by the department/program instead of a graduate assistantship.
Fellows are required to participate in a LSF seminar program and other training activities throughout the support period, in addition to meeting all programmatic requirements of the home department.
For MU faculty and staff, learn more about the competition and nomination process here.
Note: Students cannot apply for these fellowships; departments/programs are responsible for submitting nominations to be considered in the fellowship competition.
Every LSF recipient must have full-time status as a graduate student during the period of appointment. Competitive fellowships are available for newly admitted doctoral students in a life sciences graduate program. International students are ineligible for this award.
A fellowship may be renewed if:
- Funding is available, or limited semesters of support of a student are met.
- Academic program guidelines for funding duration are met.
- The student is making satisfactory academic progress.
- Monthly stipend payments are scheduled and administered through payroll. (note: If a student does not have a graduate assistantship paid through payroll, then their fellowship will be administered through Financial Aid.)
- To qualify for the spring semester LSF stipend, the recipient must have successfully completed the fall semester and be enrolled full time for the spring semester.
- New employee paperwork and onboarding must be completed for a student’s payments to be processed.
Contact: Dr. Kristine Mallinson | gradlifesci@missouri.edu
Curator’s Grant in Aid Scholarship
In the early 1950s, the Board of Curators of the University of Missouri authorized the Curators Grant-In-Aid (GIA) Scholarship specifically for international students. Since the inception of the award, thousands of international students demonstrating good academic standing and financial need have been helped to successfully complete their programs of study.
Dissertation Year Fellowships
The Gamma Alpha Gamma and Raymond White Dissertation Year Fellowships are intended to help defray dissertation research expenses in the same academic year that students defend their dissertation. The award amount is equivalent to the minimum stipend for a .25 FTE assistantship.
Doctoral students may self-nominate for these fellowships. Each nomination will be considered for both awards, although a student can only receive one award.