The Endowment for The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School exists to support and enrich the Fox Graduate School, with a focus on improving academic excellence and advancing its aspiration of becoming the preeminent graduate school in the United States.
Penn State is home to countless talented graduate students who are making a tremendous impact in their academics and beyond. The Fox endowment, created through a generous $20 million donation from Jeff and Ann Marie Fox, will support and enrich the Fox Graduate School, with a focus on improving academic excellence and advancing Penn State’s aspiration of becoming the preeminent graduate school in the United States.
Nominations Open for 2026 Fox Scholarships
We're now accepting nominations for Fox scholarships of up to $10,000, which will be disbursed in the summer 2026 semester. Faculty may submit nominations to their colleges now to be considered for the internal college review and endorsement process. Nominations must be endorsed by colleges and submitted through InfoReady by Noon EST on May 15. Faculty interested in nominating a student should contact their unit’s associate dean for graduate education or similar leadership role.
This should only be used by college leadership to advance a total of five nominations.
Students: If you are interested in being nominated, please contact your faculty advisor or your graduate program leadership. A faculty member will need to nominate you to be considered.
Scholarship Types
Fox endowment scholarships vary by the type of scholarship (up to $10,000) and students’ demonstrated academic achievement.
Category 1: Fox Degree Completion Awards (up to $10,000)
These awards support graduate students at a critical juncture—the final push toward degree completion—where targeted financial support can make a significant difference in time-to-degree.
Primary Considerations
- Doctoral candidates in the dissertation or final research phase
- Master's students in thesis or capstone completion
Secondary Considerations
- Academic leadership
- Scholarly impact
- Financial vulnerability
Category 2: Fox Scholarly and Professional Impact Awards (up to $10,000)
These awards support high-impact scholarly, research, or professional activities that materially advance a student's academic or career trajectory, such as attending and presenting at conferences, conducting critical fieldwork, or other activities that deepen scholarly engagement.
Primary Considerations
- Master’s or doctoral students in good academic standing
- Clear articulation of impact and outcomes
Secondary Considerations
- Research productivity
- Professional readiness
- Leadership or engagement related to the proposed activity
Eligibility
To be eligible for consideration, a nominee must:
- Be nominated by a faculty member and be recommended by college leadership
- Be currently enrolled in a graduate degree program in the Fox Graduate School
- Be in good academic standing
- Not be a full-time Penn State employee
Nomination Process
Faculty advisors nominate students to their college leadership.
College leadership endorses a maximum of five total nominations and sends them to Fox Graduate School via InfoReady.
Fox announces scholarship recipients and disburses funds in June.
All nominations must be submitted through the student's academic college or program following an internal review and endorsement process. This process changed from last year to allow for colleges to endorse select nominations. Individual submissions not endorsed by a college will not be reviewed.
Faculty interested in nominating a student should contact their unit’s associate dean for graduate education or similar leadership role.
Students who are interested in being nominated should speak with their faculty advisor or graduate program leadership.
Each college will be allowed to advance a total of five submissions.
Required Application Materials
College leadership will need to submit the following materials via InfoReady for every nominee they advance:
- Current resume or curriculum vitae
- Documentation of academic achievement and/or significant merit, which may include but is not limited to:
- Scholarly or creative accomplishments
- Research productivity or dissemination
- Recognized leadership or service
- Entrepreneurship or innovation
- Military service and performance (if applicable)
- Professional or athletic honors and awards
- All undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable)
- College endorsement statement, confirming:
- The nominee’s eligibility and good academic standing
- The basis for nomination grounded in objective measures of academic achievement and/or significant merit
- That the nominee was selected through the college’s internal review and prioritization process
Application Deadline
Colleges must submit endorsed nominations through InfoReady by Noon EST on May 15 for consideration.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Long-Term Vision of the Fox Endowment
The Fox endowment will create funds in perpetuity for the Fox Graduate School to award to graduate students, faculty, and programs to enhance graduate education offerings and opportunities. The first several years of funding will focus on providing student scholarships.
Future funding opportunities may include:
- Pilot investments in faculty and innovative programming to attract and retain top graduate students.
- Support for graduate student research projects aligned with military service, national security, veterans' health, or military history.
- Pilot grants for faculty-led recruitment and mentoring initiatives that support outstanding graduate students, particularly those from military backgrounds.
- Professional development for military-affiliated graduate students transitioning into academic or professional careers.
- Fox Fellowships and Faculty Excellence Awards
Contact
For questions about the Fox endowment, contact:
Stephanie Danette Preston
- Associate Dean, Graduate Educational Engagement
- Chief Diversity Officer for Graduate Education