Bridge to the Doctorate

As part of a deep commitment to diversifying our graduate programs, the professoriate and the research workforce, the Graduate School seeks to support post-baccalaureate students from groups that are underrepresented in their disciplines and who have not had sufficient training and research experiences to prepare them for admission to doctoral programs.

Mentoring

Our bridge program provides two full years of fellowship support without teaching responsibilities for students to enroll in a combination of courses, guided research opportunities and UVA’s intensive graduate student professional development curriculum known as “PhD Plus.” Each bridge fellow will work individually with faculty to develop a customized academic plan that will identify opportunities for additional disciplinary training, enable them to cultivate writing and research skills specific to their field, and develop a competitive portfolio for applying to doctoral programs. Qualified students will be considered for promotion into UVA’s own doctoral programs after the first or second year.

Financial Support

Students will receive $26,000 per year in living support and full payment of their tuition, fees and single-person coverage in the University’s student health insurance plan for a period of two years.

Further information and application