PACE Fellowship for Graduate Student-Faculty Mentor Pairs
The PACE Fellowship recognizes accomplished doctoral students and faculty mentors who have demonstrated commitment to program climate and student success. Students and faculty are nominated together by their department representatives. Graduate students are selected based on their scholarly accomplishments and efforts to increase student climate, success, and community building within their field. Faculty mentors are selected based on their efforts to increase student success and climate within their department.
The first PACE Fellowships were awarded in summer 2024 to 20 graduate student and faculty mentor pairs. The inaugural cohort can be found on our recipients page.
Application
- The 2025–2026 application will open on March 17, 2025
- Applications are due by April 21, 2025
Eligibility
Graduate Students
Graduate student nominees must be enrolled in a Rackham doctoral program on the Ann Arbor campus and must have advanced to candidacy by the start of the Fall 2025 term to be eligible. In addition, as this fellowship is under the umbrella of the Rackham Merit Fellowship (RMF) program, the PACE Fellowship eligibility and the evaluative criteria are closely linked to that of the RMF. Thus, graduate student nominees must have been eligible and awardable for an RMF at the time of admission or have received an RMF at the time of admission. Additional information for determining eligibility can be found on the RMF web page.
Faculty Mentors
Eligible faculty nominees will be the primary or key mentor of the student nominee, be a faculty member in good standing, and have contributed in an ongoing way to mentoring practices, student success, and program and/or departmental climate. Typically, the faculty mentor will be the dissertation chair of the graduate student. In cases where the student has a faculty mentoring team, one of those mentors should serve as the lead nominee, although all members of the mentoring team can contribute to the nomination of the graduate student.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nominations
Who can submit a nomination for a faculty mentor-student pairing for this fellowship?
Nominations for the PACE Fellowship should be submitted by a department chair, program coordinator, or staff member of the faculty member and student’s department. The nominator must be able to both speak to the qualifications of the faculty and student as well as any good-standing status.
Eligibility
Are international students eligible for this fellowship?
No, international students are not eligible for the PACE Fellowship. Students must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or DACA recipient at the time of admission.
I’m a graduate student who is earning their candidacy mid-way through fall 2025 term. Am I still eligible?
No, you must reach full candidacy by the start of fall 2025 term to be eligible for this fellowship.
Is a faculty mentor eligible to receive an award more than once?
Yes, if a faculty mentor is listed on multiple applications, they are eligible to receive an award for each student pairing.
Funding
What does the term of funding include for the graduate student?
The student will receive one full term of funding: stipend, tuition and benefits, plus an additional $2,500.
When does the student need to use the funding?
The term of funding must be used within one calendar year (for this application cycle: fall 2025, winter 2026, or spring/summer 2026).
How does the faculty mentor receive their funds?
The faculty mentor will receive their $2,500 award via a disbursement to their discretionary funds.