News reaching us says that the Florida Education Fund in partnership with the Office of Graduate Minority Programs is currently offering applications for the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship this year.

The Florida Education Fund (FEF) was established in 1984, and since its inception, the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program has assisted African Americans to earn a Ph.D. in historically underrepresented, crucial disciplines where African Americans have never enrolled and completed degree programs.

The program is designed to address the underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic faculty at the higher institutions in Florida by increasing qualified citizens with Ph.D. degrees to teach at college and university levels.

FEF has awarded over 1200 Fellowships to African Americans and Hispanics pursuing Ph.D., and the Program enjoys an impressive retention rate of over 87%.

About McKnight Doctoral Scholarships

With more than 690 Fellows who have graduated with Ph.D., in an average completion time of 5.5 years.

Up to 50 Fellowships (a fee waiver renewable for up to five years) are granted each year to students pursuing doctoral degrees at one of 9 participating institutions in the State of Florida.

Each of these fellowship grants consists of $26,080 per year in tuition fees [up to $5,000, fees above this amount are waived by the participating institution) for each of the three academic years.

Health insurance, and an annual stipend of $12,000 (An additional two years of support at this same level is provided by the participating institution).

Each annual renewal is contingent upon satisfactory performance and normal progress toward the Ph.D. degree.

Participating universities include; Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida International University, Florida State University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, and University of South Florida.

It is important to note that the University of Miami and the Florida Institute of Technology will cover tuition expenses over the $5,000 paid by the Florida Education Fund.

Furthermore, universities may supplement the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship’s stipend to varying degrees. For doctoral programs that require entry at the master’s level before acceptance at the doctoral level, institutional verification will be required.

All recipients of the McKnight Ph.D. Fellowship must agree to seek a professorial position at a four-year Florida university.

If the student does not accept a competitive faculty position at a Florida university, the student must repay the amount of the Fellowship received.

But if a Fellow does not receive a competitive offer for employment from a Florida university, the Fellow may secure employment opportunities elsewhere.

What is the Eligibility Level/Fields Of Study?

Eligible fields of study include any discipline in the Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, Nursing, or the Visual and Performing Arts, especially encouraged in [but not limited to] the following disciplines; Agriculture, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Marine Biology, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology.

Academic programs that lead to professional degrees such as the M.D., D.B.A., D.D.S., J.D., and D.V.M., are not covered by the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship.

Except for Ph.D. programs in Math Education, Science Education, and Educational Measurement and Testing, graduate programs that are housed in a university’s School or College of Education (whether leading to an Ed.D. or Ph.D.) are not covered by the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship.

The Fellowship will be awarded only to persons who intend to seek the Ph.D. degree full-time in one of the aforementioned eligible fields of study.

In those doctoral programs that require entry at the master’s level before acceptance at the doctoral level, institutional verification will be required.

All recipients of the McKnight Ph.D. Fellowship must agree to seek a professorial position at a four-year Florida university.

If the student is offered a competitive faculty position at a Florida university and does not accept the position, the student must repay the amount of the Fellowship received.

If a Fellow does not receive a competitive offer for employment from a Florida university, without penalty, the Fellow may secure employment opportunities elsewhere.

What is the Host Nationality?

The Scholarship is hosted in the United States of America. All the Scholarships are for Ph.D. Students in the USA.

Eligible Nationality

African American or Hispanic, a U.S. citizen, and hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in an accredited University in the USA.

What is the Scholarship Worth?

Up to 50 Fellowships (a fee waiver renewable for up to five years) are granted each year to students pursuing doctoral degrees at one of 9 participating institutions in the State of Florida.

Each fellowship grant consists of $26,080 per year in tuition fees [up to $5,000, fees above this amount are waived by the participating institution) for each of three academic years, health insurance, and an annual stipend of $12,000 (An additional two years of support at this same level is provided by the participating institution.).

McKnight Doctoral Fellowships Requirements

Applicants must be African American or Hispanic, a U.S. citizen, and hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
Currently, enrolled doctoral students are not eligible to apply.
Must be entering the first year PhD program at the University of Florida
Recipients of this fellowship can hold McKnight and any other award, although it depends on the funding source.

How To Apply for McKnight Doctoral Fellowship

The FEF strongly encourages all applicants to submit the MDF Application online via the Program’s secure online application.

To apply, the candidate can register for the McKnight Doctoral Scholarship through the given link: https://www.fefonline.org

Candidates who encounter difficulty while submitting the online application should contact the FEF webmaster via email or 813-943-7578.

Paper application forms are also available upon request, just call the FEF at (813) 272-2772 to make a request.

Supporting Documents for Your Application

Submit a copy of your resume or vita to the FEF office
Request that three (3) letters of recommendation (http://www.fefonline.org/mdfapply/RecommendationForms.pdf)
Submit original sets of transcripts and standardized test scores to the FEF office.
If you are applying to one of the seven state-participating universities, complete the Residency Affidavit (http://www.fefonline.org/mdfapply/Residency.pdf)

Applications and supporting materials postmarked to; Mailed- the FEF, 201 E. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 1525, Tampa, FL 33602.

What is the Application Deadline?

All application documents must be submitted online and/or postmarked no later than January 15th of each year. Students will be notified by the Florida Education Fund of admission selection decisions directly.

For More Information on the McKnight Doctoral Scholarship, interested applicants visit the FEF official website by clicking on the link below:

http://www.fefonline.org/mdf.html

For inquiries, please call or email the Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives at 352-392-6444.

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