The University of South Carolina recently announced a new fellowship program in support of increasing diversity of underrepresented minority groups in USC’s graduate programs.

The Rising Star Fellowship program is intended for current students and alumni from South Carolina’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and provides funding for HBCU students to pursue their graduate degrees at the Darla Moore School of Business and other USC schools and colleges. Rising Star Fellows will receive full tuition and fees, a full health insurance subsidy and an annual stipend, as outlined below.

• 4+1 and 3+2 students*: A stipend of $5,000 per year for up to two years of enrollment in a USC graduate program.
• Master's students: A stipend of $5,000 per year for up to two years of enrollment in a USC Master's program.
• Doctoral students: A stipend of $10,000 per year for up to four years of enrollment in a USC doctoral program.

*“4+1 students” pursue a bachelor’s degree at their home HBCU for four years before spending one year pursuing their master’s degree at USC. “3+2 students” pursue a bachelor’s degree at their home HBCU for three years before spending two years pursuing their master’s degree at USC.

The fellowship is open to currently enrolled students, as well as graduates of South Carolina HBCUs. To be eligible for the fellowship, applicants must first be admitted into a qualifying USC graduate program and enroll full time upon acceptance. The graduate program director will then submit the funding request through the appropriate channels. Please note that the awarding of fellowships is contingent upon availability of funds.

Moore School graduate programs that are eligible for Rising Star Fellows include:

• Master of Accountancy
• Master of Arts in Economics
• Master of Human Resources
• Master of International Business
• Master of Science in Business Analytics
• One-Year MBA
• International MBA
• Ph.D. in Business Administration
• Ph.D. in Economics