Academic Merit and Exceptional Performance Fellowship Program (PBMA)

The Academic Merit and Exceptional Performance Fellowship (PBMA, for its Spanish abbreviation) is a competitive fellowship that acknowledges students with notable and commendable academic performance that distinguishes them from others (including publications and creations). It provides a monthly stipend of $1,200 for students in master’s programs and $1,500 for students in doctoral programs. The fellowship recipient may also apply for other available DEGI funds for traveling—for research purposes or to attend congresses—and publication fees. It is necessary that the student demonstrates the need to strengthen their research or present the results of their work. This fellowship does not include a tuition waiver. The student must apply for the fellowship through the announcement published on our website at the beginning of the second semester. The specific dates are announced in due course.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Be a full time student, as defined in Academic Senate Certification 38, 2012-2013; Certification 51, 2017-2018; or Certification 95, 2019-2020.
  • Be a doctoral student, or a master's student if your program does not have a doctoral degree.
  • Have satisfactory academic progress, as determined by the graduate program.
  • Have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in a scale of 4.0.
  • Have passed more than 50% of the degree requirements (preferably including the degree exam).
  • The graduate student may not have a full time or part time job, nor a professional services contract within or outside the Institution for the duration of the fellowship.
  • Students admitted to online programs denominated as self-sustaining or self-financing are not eligible for this fellowship.
  1. Meet all eligibility requirements. 
  2. Submit a detailed work plan (courses to be taken, participation in internships, research, publication and creation projects, among others), with measurable expectations during the term of the scholarship (August -May per Academic year). 
  3. Demonstrate academic trajectory, as shown in the student’s credit transcript and academic progress record. 
  4. Submit evidence of research, publications, and creative projects. 

The required documents to apply for the Scholarship for Academic Merit and Exceptional Achievements are: 

  • Complete the online application (must use the institutional email). 
  • Evidence of exceptional achievements (including research, publication and creative projects). 
  • Essay 
  • Submit a detailed work plan (courses to be taken, participation in internships, research, publication and creation projects, among others), with measurable expectations during the term of the scholarship (August 2024-May 2025). 
  • CIPSHI or IACUC authorization (if applicable). 3 
  • Curriculum Vitae or Portfolio. 
  • List of presentations in forums, in and outside Puerto Rico. 
  • List of research, publications and/or creative works. 
  • Certification of eligibility. 
  • 2 letters of recommendation from professors (letters of recommendation will only be accepted during the call period to the email address estudiantil.degi@upr.edu, in case the professor wishes to do so confidentially) 
  • 1 letter of recommendation from the project director or mentor (letters of recommendation will only be accepted during the call period to the email address estudiantil.degi@upr.edu, in case the professor wishes to do so confidentially) 
  • Credit transcript. 4 

 

3 Students must know the rules and regulations that govern research with humans and animals. For research that requires the participation of human beings (by interviews, surveys, focus groups, behavioral observations, biological sampling, use of existing data and experiments, among others), the student must receive authorization from the Institutional Committee for the Protection of Human Beings in Research (CIPSHI, for its Spanish abbreviation) before starting their research. Likewise, if the research requires the use of animals, the student must receive authorization from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before starting their research. 

 

4 Due to circumstances, the digital credit transcript provided through MIUPI will be accepted. 

 

 

Fellowship recipients may receive other financial aid, as long as it is not subsidized with institutional or DEGi funds.  The sum of the awarded scholarship and the additional financial aid may not exceed the cost of studies established by the institution. 

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