Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI)
The DFI Program Board, administered through the Illinois Board of HIgher Education, and the IBHE are pleased to announce the release of the current Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) Fellowship Program. For more than 27 years, the DFI program and its predecessor programs have provided competitive need-based financial awards to underrepresented students who have earned graduate degrees from a participating Illinois higher education institution.
The DFI program provides awards of up to $17,000 for a full-time graduate student. The award is renewable for one year for master’s students and up to three years for doctoral students, contingent upon satisfactory academic progress.
An applicant must be an Illinois resident, from an underrepresented group (African American/Black, Hispanic American, Asian American, Native American or Alaskan Native), above average academic ability, and must demonstrate financial need to be considered for this award. An award recipient must agree to actively seek and accept when offered a teaching or non-teaching full-time appointment at an Illinois post-secondary educational institution or at a state office, equal to the number of years for which they receive the DFI fellowship.
Applications are due to Mesha Garner, PhD, Director of Student Financial Aid, on February 10th, 2023. Awards are announced in late spring for the following academic year.
