University-Wide Award: Ranjit Kumar Graduate Fellowship

Award Overview

Eligibility

At the time of application, an applicant must:

  • Be conducting research related to the development of government, civil society, and/or the private sector in Africa, Asia, the Americas, or the Middle East
  • Be a domestic or international graduate student
  • Be currently registered full-tim​​e in any doctoral (e.g. PhD) or doctoral-stream (i.e. research-stream master’s) program
  • Demonstrate academic merit – have achieved at least A- (or equivalent) in each of the last two completed years of study (full-time equivalent); or if the student has competed two years of graduate studies at the time of application, the student must only demonstrate an overall average of at least A- (or equivalent) on all graduate courses completed

Note: Recipients must maintain full-time registration throughout the academic year immediately following the current competition.

Application Process

The Ranjit Kumar Graduate Fellowship is one of the endowed awards within the SGS University-Wide Awards competition. Review the full Application Process on the University Wide Awards web page​.

Each applicant must ensure that a complete application package (including their referee’s letter) is provided to their graduate unit by the unit’s specified deadline. ​

Application Package

A completed application will include all of the following items (no other supporting documentation will be accepted):

    1. Completed and signed University-Wide Awards application form;
    2. Original or certified copies of official transcripts from all universities attended in the last two years of full-time studies or if the student has competed two years of graduate studies at the time of application, the student must include transcripts for all graduate studies;
      • ACORN print-outs are sufficient for the U of T transcript
      • Certification/validation may be performed by the graduate unit. If the graduate unit is not able to certify/validate a transcript, it is each applicant’s responsibility to obtain and provide within their application package an original official transcript that was issued by the appropriate institution
      • Grading legends must be provided with every transcript. Copies of unofficial transcripts from other institutions will not be accepted. Transcripts should not be separately mailed to the Graduate Awards Office
    3. One copy of resumé / CV;
    4. One page plan of study/research proposal in non-technical language (the introduction must state how the applicant’s research meets this award’s research criteria); and
    5. One letter of reference addressing the applicant’s academic merit from an academic supervisor/advisor or a faculty member familiar with the applicant’s academic work (one page maximum); letter must clearly state the referee’s name and contact information.​

Additional Info

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Donor: Dr. Ranjit Kumar, founder and former Executive Director of the Foundation for International Training