Frequently Asked Questions About
IGCC Fellowships and Grants


Eligibility
Application Preparation
Due Dates
Award Process
Award Administration
UCDC Internships

Eligibility

Q: Who is eligible to apply for IGCC awards?

A: IGCC awards are only available to University of California graduate students and faculty. More information on fellowship eligibility can be found here.


Q: Does a student have to be advanced to candidacy at the time they apply for a dissertation fellowship?

A: No. The requirement for the fellowship is that they advance by the end of the academic year in which they apply, usually June 30. (So, for 2009-10 awards, fellows have to advance by June 30, 2009.) Verification of advancement will be required if awarded a fellowship. If advancement is confirmed on the transcript, that is also acceptable.


Q: By saying that people cannot reapply to the dissertation fellowship, does that mean if you apply once you can never apply again, regardless of if you get the fellowship or is it only if you receive the fellowship one year you cannot apply for it again?

A: Those who are not eligible to re-apply for IGCC fellowships are those who have already been awarded an IGCC fellowship. If you have applied in the past and were not selected, you may certainly re-apply and may do so as many times as you continue to meet the eligibility requirements of the current application.


Q: Can IGCC dissertation fellows engage in paid employment during the term of their fellowship?

A: Possibly; however, the fellow must make a written request to and receive permission from the IGCC Central Office to perform paid employment during the fellowship term. Normally only ten hours per week of paid employment is allowed; however, exceptions are sometimes allowed, particularly if the work facilitates work on the dissertation.

Return to top.


Application Preparation

Q: At UCSC we don’t have GPAs because we have narrative evaluations. What should we put in the GPA box? For our evaluations do we just compile them into one big document and upload them?

A: Since UCSC doesn't use the standard GPA scale for grades, it is acceptable to write n/a in the GPA box. And yes, you should compile all your narrative course evaluations into one document and upload them so they can be reviewed.


Q: Should I double-space the narrative essay?

A: Yes, please double-space your narrative essay.


Q: I used footnotes in the main proposal essay. Is this normal and/or OK?

A: Footnotes are acceptable in lieu of the required bibliography and can be included behind the narrative essay section. You do not need to include footnotes in your word count. Alternatively, a literature review or bibliography is acceptable for demonstrating the primary sources of your research.


Q: The bibliography has to be included in the narrative proposal, but I’m not sure I understand where it goes in the proposal.

A: Unless you are using detailed footnotes, the mandatory bibliography (or literature review) should be submitted as an appendix so that all your sources can be reviewed as a single document. You still have up to two pages for appendix materials. A bibliography does not count against your appendix limit or word limit.


Q: Right now my total word count (excluding references) is 1,569. Does this seem reasonably close enough to 1,500, or should I cut down to 1,500? Will my application be rejected for being 69 words over the word count?

A: The IGCC steering committee does its best to make the process fair and equitable to all applicants. The 1,500-word limit does create a need to be concise, but since each senior faculty member on the committee volunteers their time as a reviewer in addition to their own teaching commitments, this guideline is in place to ensure each application gets a comprehensive review. For this reason, the committee strongly encourages applicants to adhere to proposal guidelines.


Q: Are abbreviations and acronyms acceptable in the narrative and progress reports?

A: Yes; however, be sure they are properly identified when they are used the first time. Avoid jargon, and write the narrative and progress reports for a broad audience.


Q: What is considered a stipend? Is this the money that will be covering the living expenses and will not be spend on the research? If so, should I include the detailed description of such expenses?

A: The $16,000 is intended to provide a means for your living expenses. You do not need to provide a complex breakdown of what your living expenses are and can simply list room and board on your budget at $16,000. You should, however, break down the $4,000 in research and travel according to how it will be spent (air travel, photocopying, etc).


Q: Who should a dissertation fellowship applicant ask to submit letters of recommendation for them?

A: One letter must be from the applicant's committee chair. The second letter can be from any other faculty member the applicant chooses to ask, even someone outside the University of California.


Q: Is a dissertation fellowship application invalid if the letters of recommendation are not submitted to IGCC by the application deadline?

A: No. IGCC realizes the submission of the letters is somewhat beyond the control of the student; however, the student should ask for them early to ensure they are completed on time. Letters of recommendation must be postmarked by the application deadline to be included with the proposal when forwarded to the Steering Committee. Late letters will not be included in time for review, and committee members consider the letters a critical element of the proposal package.


Q: Does IGCC require signatures from UC campus Graduate Studies Offices, Contracts & Grants Offices, or Office of Sponsored Research?

A: For faculty grant proposals, yes, IGCC requires the signature of an official from the local UC campus Contracts & Grants Office/Sponsored Research Office. For Ph.D. dissertation fellowship proposals, no, IGCC does not require any local campus signatures; however, some of the local UC campuses have their own requirements. UC campuses which do require fellowship applicants to submit their proposals for local review are UCI, UCLA, UCR and UCSC. It is the applicant's responsibility to adhere to all local UC campus requirements and deadlines. Not doing so can result in delays in the receipt of proposals and possible disqualification of proposals.


Q: My campus Office of Special Projects (OSP) requires all students to submit the application package to them first. They have a questionnaire that I have to fill out and one of the questions asks about who is the Principal Investigator (the professor responsible for the project) and I am not sure whose name goes there. Should there really be a professor responsible for the project, or should I just put IGCC?

A: It’s best for you to check with the OSP first since it is their form. You are the only applicant performing research so you more than likely will list yourself as the Principal Investigator, but you should follow their recommendation.

Return to top.


Due Dates

Q: What is the cut-off time on the due date for submission of my application?

A: IGCC will accept applications until midnight on the day of the deadline.  For example, if the due date is February 2, you have until midnight on February 2nd to complete your application.

Return to top.


Award Process

Q: When are the award decisions announced?

A: Mid-May, each year. If you have not received a response regarding your application by then, you may email igcc-cp@ucsd.edu to inquire about your application’s status.


Q: Who reviews the proposals?

A: A multidisciplinary committee composed of representatives from each of the ten UC campuses and Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories. Information on the IGCC Steering Committee is posted on this site.


Q: Can applicants find out what types of projects IGCC has funded in the past?

A: Yes. For past dissertation fellowship information, click here.


Q: Is there a set number of awards given out each year?

A: The steering committee determines the number of awards based on IGCC’s funding.  Normally, IGCC awards about eighteen dissertation fellowships annually. The number of faculty awards varies from year to year. The number of internship awards is usually five.

Return to top.


Award Administration

Q: When will funds be available for faculty grant awards?

A: A faculty grant recipient should expect to receive funds five to six weeks after the transfer is completed. All faculty grants are awarded funds contingent upon the state budget; therefore, the transfer schedule is dependent upon the California state budget. As with student fellowships, local administering units have the discretion to extend advances.


Q: When will dissertation fellowship award recipients receive their first stipend check?

A: The IGCC standard fellowship, IGCC-UCDC fellowship, and York fellowship stipends are for a nine-month period October 1–June 30. The first stipend check should be available on November 1 of the calendar year in which the award begins. (So for 2009–2010 awards, Nov. 1, 2010.) An award recipient should verify this information with his or her local campus fiscal administrator.


Q: Can IGCC dissertation fellows accept other awards that overlap the term of their IGCC award?

A: Possibly; however, applicants must submit an extended project budget at the time of application that justifies the need for additional funds in order to be eligible to accept multiple awards. Before accepting any other award from any other source, the IGCC fellow must make a written request to and receive permission from the IGCC Central Office to receive the additional award. IGCC reserves the right to negotiate cost sharing directly with the other agency.


Q: Can IGCC fellowship recipients receive a summer advance of their travel award?

A: Possibly. The recipient must request permission from the IGCC central office to be reimbursed for travel between July 1–September 30 (the summer before their official grant period). Then it is up to the administering unit on the recipient's campus if they will advance travel funds. Please note that IGCC grant funding is always contingent upon continued funding by the State of California. Administering units and award recipients incur expenses at their own risk prior to the grant period if they do not request permission to do so.


Q: Does IGCC allow fellowship recipients to defer their fellowships for one year?

A: No. Applicants who receive fellowships must use the funding in the academic year for which it was intended. If an awardee is not able to use the funding in this manner, they must decline the fellowship and reapply the following year.


Q: Does IGCC grant fellowships if an applicant is on another fellowship that covers living expenses, and the applicant only needs travel and research funding for summer research?

A: We do not allow carry-forwards or deferments on fellowships. However, you can apply for a partial award if you wish for the travel and research funding.

Return to top.


UCDC Internships

Q: I would be interested in taking part in your upcoming internship program and I would appreciate if you could tell if I have to be a graduate student from your university?

A: IGCC fellowship and internship opportunities are available only to students who are currently enrolled at one of the campuses within the University of California.


Q: I am interested in the internship program but will be concluding my studies before summer. Are departing students who will have received their Master’s degree before the internship starts eligible to apply for an internship award?

A: Yes, you do need to be an enrolled UC student at the time of application, but you can still apply for internship funding even if you will be concluding your studies before you begin the internship.


Please direct any other inquiries to IGCC Campus Programs at IGCC-CP@ucsd.edu.

Return to top.



IGCC is a non-profit, nonpartisan institute with official 501(c)(3) status. We welcome your tax-deductible donations to help support our work, and encourage you to contact us about our programs and activities.
Copyright 2001–2008 by the Regents of the University of California on behalf of IGCC.
Click Here for Terms and Conditions of Use