What are the Graduate and Professional SEED Awards?
The Graduate and Professional Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) Award program honors graduate and professional students who are doing outstanding scholarly and/or personal work to advance equity, diversity, and social justice at the University of Minnesota and in the community. This program is open to all individuals regardless of race, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristic.
Funding for four of these awards generously comes from the following endowment:
- Dennis R. Clayton Graduate Fellowship
WHAT IS THE APPLICATION WINDOW?
- The 2026-27 application window is open now. The application deadline is 11:59 pm CST on Friday, December 18, 2026.
HOW MUCH IS THE AWARD?
- Six graduate students and one professional student will each be awarded a $2,000 scholarship for the Spring 2027 semester. Award funding will be paid as a scholarship via Financial Aid.
- Graduate SEED Awardees will be requested to participate in OED’s SEED Award Winners video and will be presented their awards at the Fall 2027 OED celebration.
Who Is Eligible?
To be considered, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:
- Academic Status: Applicants must be a current student to a University of Minnesota research-based graduate degree program or professional degree program for the 2026-27 academic year.
- Citizenship Status: U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, prospective students lawfully in the U.S. on a non-temporary basis, MN Dream Act students, and prospective Indigenous Canadian students who are eligible under the Jay Treaty.
- Prior Fellowship History: Applicants must not have previously received this award.
It is the student’s responsibility to check with One Stop Student Services to make sure that receiving this scholarship funding will not have a negative impact on their financial aid.
Further Information
If you have any questions related to this award, contact the Graduate School Fellowship Office.
Application Form
Application Materials
- Narrative Statement: A narrative statement discussing how your academic and/or personal experiences at the University of Minnesota have contributed to your thinking about issues of equity, diversity, and social justice. Give examples of your experiences or involvement with equity, diversity, and or social justice. Formatting Requirements: 1,000-word maximum, double-spaced, Times New Roman Font.
- Abstract: An abstract describing your current scholarly research, thesis or capstone experience. Formatting Requirements: 500-word maximum, double-spaced, Times New Roman Font.
- Current Curriculum Vitae (CV): Please tailor to best highlight your most relevant experiences and achievements for this award. Formatting Requirements: 2-page maximum, Times New Roman Font.
Review Criteria
Graduate and professional students who have demonstrated impressive understanding and commitment to issues of equity, diversity, and social justice through their research and/or service to the community. Applications are rated on:
- Experiences relating to hardships or obstacles overcome to excel academically.
- Contribution to the UMN community related to equity, diversity, and/or social justice.
- Extensive volunteer or community activism experiences that required a long-term commitment (e.g., personal experiences, field study experiences, volunteer experiences).
- Experiences that demonstrate leadership.
- Potential of research or scholarly interests to impact areas related to equity, diversity, and/or social justice.
Note: The field of study does not need to be in the areas of equity, diversity, ethnic studies, gender studies, etc., but the research or scholarly interests must focus on issues related to equity, diversity, and/or social justice.
Donate
If you wish to donate funds to the SEED Scholars program, you may do so online. You can also contact the University of Minnesota Foundation directly at 612-624-3333, or 800-775-2187 (toll-free).