Nominating REAL Fellows

Nomination deadline is February 4th, 2026, at 6 p.m. 

The Graduate School aims to increase access, inclusion, and engagement for students who are underrepresented within their academic discipline.  We would like to partner with you to recruit and support all students, especially those who are underrepresented in your field. Our primary goal is to partner with you to attract students of high academic caliber who bring varied and diverse perspectives, achievements, and lived experiences to your discipline, thereby contributing to research innovation.  

The Graduate School offers two fellowships for which Graduate Program Directors and Admission Chairs can nominate outstanding students. Below is information on how to nominate your student for the REAL fellowship. 

The Research Enhancement and Leadership (REAL) Fellowship aims to promote excellence by broadening perspectives and enhancing participation for students who are underrepresented within their discipline. The REAL fellowship is awarded to outstanding doctoral or MFA students. The fellowship provides four years of summer support in the form of a $6,000 fellowship each summer (two years for MFA students), as well as mentoring, professional development, and community-building programs. 

Eligibility 

Eligibility is limited to new students entering campus-based PhD or MFA programs in the following colleges: 

• College of Education
• College of Humanities and Fine Arts
• College of Nursing
• College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Isenberg School of Management 

Funding is intended for students from groups that are underrepresented within the disciplines, the professoriate, or among recipients of doctoral degrees. There is no limit on either the number of nominations a program may submit or on the number of awards that can be made to any program. 

Nominees should have a demonstrated record of academic excellence and potential for future success. This may be discerned from an applicant’s grades, research experience, work experience, publications, scholarships and awards, letters of recommendation, and other appropriate factors, depending on the nominee’s discipline and background. We encourage admissions committees to look at a range of indicators when evaluating academic success and potential. 

Applicants’ personal experiences and backgrounds may be discerned from transcripts, personal statements, resumes, letters of recommendation, and other relevant materials.  

Nomination Process 

• Nominations must come from the Graduate Program Director or the Graduate Admissions Director. Students are not permitted to apply directly for these fellowships. 
• The program admitting the student must make a commitment of five years of academic year assistantship support (three years for students in MFA programs). As in all cases, program funding commitments are contingent upon the student’s satisfactory progress in the program and the availability of sufficient funding resources. 
• The program must commit to assigning an advisor who will mentor the student’s research during the summers when fellowship support will be provided. Assigned mentors are strongly encouraged to participate in the Faculty Mentor Training Program.
• Nomination occurs in Slate. The nomination questions can be accessed here, and instructions on completing the nomination process in Slate for advisor can be accessed here and for Graduate Program Director or Admission Chair can be accessed here.
• Afterwards, the REAL Fellowship Committee meets to consider the nominees, and OIE will notify departments/programs, and nominees as quickly as possible thereafter. 

Additional Resources 

The following resources may be useful for nominations: 

• NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• Hispanic Serving Institutions
• Tribal Colleges and Universities
• McNair Scholars Program

Please contact the oie [at] grad [dot] umass [dot] edu (Office of Inclusion & Engagement) with any further questions. 

If you are a Graduate Program Director or Admission Chair and Interested in nominating an accepted student for a REAL Fellowship — this can be done in Slate.