President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship
This Postgraduate Fellowship is announced in honor of President A.P.J. Kalam. President Kalam was a strong advocate for young people and a passionate supporter of clean energy and energy independence.
He visited the University of South Florida (USF) in 2012 and is remembered affectionately by USF and the vibrant Indian heritage community in Tampa Bay, Florida.
One award will be offered each academic year.
ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS / FIELDS OF STUDY
The student award will be offered to a student who graduated from or is about to graduate from an Indian University and is seeking to pursue a Ph.D. degree in the following subject/discipline at the University of South Florida:
- Applied Anthropology
- Applied Physics
- Business Ph.D. programs
- Cell Biology, Microbiology & Molecular Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science & Engineering
- Engineering
- Criminology
- Integrative Biology
- Marine Science
- Psychology
SELECTION OF AWARDEES
Application for the award will be made to USF World, which will also be solely responsible for allocating the award. The Postgraduate Fellowship will recognize laudable students who graduated from or is about to graduate from an Indian university, have exceptional academic credentials, and a passion for the STEM fields of study. Applicants must demonstrate experience in his or her discipline, research productivity, and professional contributions and achievements to the field.
FUNDING
The University of South Florida will:
- Waive all tuition for a total of up to four years,
- Contribute a stipend of $22,000 that is payable in three installments of $8000 each in the fall and spring semesters and $6000 in the summer semester. Kalam fellows receive the stipend after the Drop/Add Deadline the first week of classes in the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. In addition, the University will pay full-time tuition (up to 12 credits per semester) for graduate-level credit hours taken at USF that count toward your graduate degree,
- The stipends will be payable by USF once the winner of the President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship at the University of South Florida is enrolled at the university for his/her first term,
- All other costs (e.g., airfare, housing at USF, etc.) will be met by the awardee.
TO APPLY
All candidates must have submitted a USF graduate application by February 15th and established a university ID number at the USF graduate admissions portal prior to submitting the Kalam Fellowship form. Once admitted to USF the awardee will comply with all USF regulations, processes and procedures and all applicable law. To submit the A.P.J. Kalam application, candidates must scan the following materials and email them to KalamFellowship@usf.edu in one composite PDF (please do not send .jpeg files):
- Postgraduate Fellowship Form (Download here)
- A brief letter outlining your interest in the Fellowship and your proposed area of study.
- Curriculum Vitae including your current occupation, your academic and professional experience/achievement and evidence of scholarly activity
- Statement on intended research for your Ph.D. degree under the Kalam Fellowship
- Two Letters of Recommendation on academic and/or professional letterhead
The deadline to apply for the Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship is March 1st. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply to their academic program as early as possible. Admissions dates vary depending on program; be sure to check online for your prospective program.
Timeline
October 15 - Announcement of Fellowship opportunity sent to the Indian community
December 1 - February 15 - Applicant must apply through USF Graduate Admissions Office no later than February 15th
March 1 - Kalam Applications due to USF
June 1 - Public announcement of winner and timeline for next year
Successful Applications include:
- Only applications for a Ph.D. This award is NOT a combination of Master's degree/Ph.D. You must have already completed your Master's degree prior to applying for the Kalam Award.
- Selection of the USF department and program should match your research, education, and background – along with your letters of recommendation.
- No plagiarism or copied information unless cited – including your own research. The committee will search for information that has been copied or plagiarized.
- Letter of Intent needs to directly correlate and be in relation to the application for the Kalam award – Be very specific in your introductory letter, statement of intent, basic research, and program focus.
- Please include as much information in your letter as possible to build your case as to why you should be selected for the Kalam Award and how your research would parallel the vision of President A.PJ. Abdul Kalam.
Previous Recipients
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