The Graduate School seeks to recruit, enroll, and retain qualified students who will benefit from educational and social interactions with peers who come from different backgrounds and who have different life experiences, perspectives, and goals. These fellowships are provided to achieve UT’s goals of expanding access to educational opportunities, striving to remove barriers, and making graduate education more affordable. These awards are given annually to qualified students who meet UT’s high academic standards and student achievement. Visit the Carolyn R. Hodges Graduate Fellowships page for eligibility requirements.
View the awardees for the 2025-2026 Carolyn R. Hodges Graduate Fellowship
In fall 2022, the Carolyn R. Hodges Graduate Fellowships were named in honor of the first African American Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School. Hodges began her UT career in 1982, when she joined the faculty of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages. She has served in several administrative roles, including: head of the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, Associate Dean for Academic Personnel in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School.
Award
This award will provide a total of $15,000 for the 2025–2026 academic year. This amount will be paid in two equal awards of $7,500 each; one at the beginning of the fall semester, and the other when the spring semester begins (see Financial Aid and Graduate School Fellowships). Departments are encouraged to provide the nominee with a graduate assistantship including a tuition waiver. In the event that the department does not offer an assistantship, the Graduate School will provide tuition and health insurance. This is a non-renewable fellowship and no portion of the fellowship may be deferred.
Eligibility Criteria
The fellowship is open to first-time enrollees who have been admitted to a graduate degree program at UT for fall 2025 and who demonstrate significant potential to contribute to the Graduate School’s educational mission and its diversity-related goals. Competition is open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and international applicants. Employees are not eligible. Applicants must be admitted to a degree program by the Office of Graduate Admissions by February 10, 2025. Admission will be confirmed by the Graduate School. Recipients of this award must also be enrolled as full-time students for both fall 2025 and spring 2026 semesters.