Semester Dissertation Fellowships - Wylie and Lee Thornton

The Graduate School's Semester Dissertation Fellowship program includes the Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship and the Lee Thornton Endowed Fellowship. Dissertation fellowships provide full-time support to University of Maryland doctoral candidates who are in the latter stages of writing their dissertations.  Awarded students for AY 26-27 can choose to use the fellowship in either Fall 2026 or Spring 2027. Fellowship benefits include a $15,000 Stipend, a Candidacy Tuition award (899 only), a credit for mandatory fees associated with 899 registration, and reimbursement for the purchase of an individual student health insurance plan for the semester.  

Eligibility: Eligible candidates are current UMD doctoral students who will have advanced to candidacy by June 1, 2026, and expect to graduate by August 2027.  

Nomination Process: Doctoral programs are eligible to nominate candidates for the Semester Dissertation Fellowship. Please see the Nomination Allocation Schedule in the Guidelines. Programs must submit nominations by noon, Wednesday, February 11, 2026. 

Students: Please consult with your department about the internal selection process and deadlines.

AY 26-27 Guidelines
Nomination Cover Sheet
DGS Questionnaire - PDF / Word