Kulkarni Foundation Endowed PhD Fellowship

Dr. Ashok Kulkarni, a distinguished alumnus of the India Institute of Technology and the University
of Maryland Graduate School, generously endowed the Kulkarni Foundation Endowed PhD
Fellowship. The Award provides support to doctoral students who are in the latter stages of their
UMD doctoral program. Nominees must be first-generation and demonstrate financial need.
Preference will be given to students working to complete dissertations with a community
improvement focus.

The Tuition Assistance Award offers up to $3,500 to offset the cost of candidacy tuition
(e.g., 899 credits), mandatory fees, and other educational costs.

Eligibility: To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be a first-generation PhD student enrolled in a UMD program
• Demonstrate financial need
• Be in the latter stages of their program (preferably their final year)
• Preferably, be engaged in dissertation research that benefits disadvantaged communities

Please note:

• students with graduate assistantship support during the award year are not eligible
  for this award.
• Students may receive the Kulkarni PhD Fellowship only once.
• Fellowships are awarded to specific students and are not transferable to other students.
• Fellowships may not be deferred.

A complete application must include:

1. Student-written statement expressing financial need and how receiving this award will
   assist in writing/finishing doctoral completion. This statement should also provide
   information about how the dissertation research will benefit disadvantaged communities
   (2-page maximum)
   ** students are not permitted to use ChatGPT or other AI software.
2. Student’s Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages)
3. Letter of support from the student’s Advisor. This letter should confirm the student is in
   good standing, explain why this student is being nominated, and confirm the student’s
   timeline for graduation. (Advisor to submit separately).
4. Recommendation Surveys from the program’s Director and Coordinator that collect
   information about programmatic standards and norms (Program to submit separately).

Application Instructions
To apply for Kulkarni Foundation Endowed PhD Fellowship, students must submit their studentwritten statement and CV on Scholarship Universe (SU). SU will begin accepting in February 2026.

Please note, upon logging on to Scholarship Universe, students will be directed to the SU student
dashboard. Once on the student dashboard, click on “Scholarships” on the left sidebar to view
matched opportunities. (Answering additional questions is optional.) To apply, find the award in
the matched opportunities list and click the “Apply” button, then click the box to verify eligibility.

Application Deadline: Extended to March 25, 2026

Contact Information
Please direct any questions to Graduate School Office of Funding Opportunities, Program Director
Robyn Kotzker at 301-405-0281 or (rkotzker@umd.edu/ X 50281).