Q: What kind of dissertation research does the FINRA Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellowship Programs seek to fund?
A: The Fellowship program seeks to advance doctoral research on topics related to financial capability, financial inclusion, financial security, fintech services, and investor protection. Although the dissertation topic must centrally concern financial services and the capital markets, graduate study may be in any academic discipline.
Q: Who do I contact if I have questions about the FINRA Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellowship Program?
A: Contact [email protected] at the FINRA Foundation with questions about FINRA Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellowship.
Q: Do FINRA Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellows have to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible?
A: The Fellowship is open to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals or U.S. permanent residents, or individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program or Temporary Protected Status. International students studying in the U.S. on a student Visa are ineligible for this fellowship.
Q: Can I submit an unofficial transcript with my application?
A: An unofficial copy is sufficient for purposes of the application; if selected to receive a Fellowship, the applicant must provide an official transcript at that time.
Q: How are the applications reviewed?
A: A selection committee of scholars and research experts from diverse fields are responsible for selecting award recipients. The review panel meets once a year to review applications for funding. Awards are based on the factors for Fellowship selection. Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis according to FINRA Foundation funds available in a given fiscal year. To ensure a fair review process, the FINRA Foundation does not comment on the deliberations of its award panels. The FINRA Foundation does not provide evaluations of applications or other feedback to applicants. Applications and supporting documents become the sole property of FINRA Foundation and will not be returned or held for another year.
Q: May the Fellow reside outside of the United States during the fellowship year?
A: The Fellowship must be conducted within the United States, either in-residence at the home university or remotely.
Q: How will the stipend be paid?
A: The form of payment will be a stipend. The Fellowship will be paid in four quarterly installments. To receive an installment, the Fellow must submit (and the Foundation must accept) a progress report describing, among other things, the progress the Fellow has made toward completion of the dissertation.
