Funding

Supplemental Retention Scholarship

The UF Graduate School’s Supplemental Retention Scholarship (SRS) has long been a lifeline to get PhD and MFA Grad Gators over the finish line — by providing much-needed tuition relief to those in that final stage of dissertation or final project during their graduating semester when they have exhausted their funding contract.

Details

• This scholarship funds three credit hours (in fall and spring) and two credit hours (in summer) of in-state tuition.

Eligibility & Requirements

• You must be in their final semester and due to graduate.
• You must have exhausted their funding (such as department or college fellowships, assistantships or other funding).
• You must have been on a graduate assistant appointment or fellowship for at least three years prior.
• You cannot be employed as a UF TEAM employee or in a UF adjunct position.
• You can be employed as a student assistant or in an OPS position, but for no more than $15 an hour.
• You must have a degree application on file with the Registrar’s Office.
• You must meet the dissertation first submission deadline for the semester in which you are due to graduate. Note: The scholarship award will be released after the first submission deadline.
• You must include with their application a personal statement explaining why you could not complete their dissertation with the time frame of their funding.
• Your academic unit must supply a letter of support that explains why it can no longer fund you and why you did not complete their dissertation in the time frame of funding.
• You must include with their application a research plan with milestones, advising check-ins, and courses for which you will register to wrap up the semester with graduation. See: Dissertation Research Action Plan.
• You can only receive this scholarship once.

Deadlines & Critical Dates

• The application cycle for this scholarship is now closed. It will next open for Spring 2026 awards on Friday, October 10, 2025. The deadline will be Monday, November 10, 2025.

Application & Instructions

• Click here for the application form and instructions: Spring 2026 Supplemental Retention Scholarship Application.

Questions?

• Email the Graduate School Prestigious Awards at gradawards@aa.ufl.edu.