In the Joint PhD Program, what is the Rackham One-term Fellowship and when should it be requested?

The Rackham One-term fellowship is given to students in the semester they plan to defend their dissertation. The Joint PhD Program reviews all applications for one-term dissertations in the spring for the next academic year. One-term Fellowships are given in order of priority, and no guarantee is made to a student requesting the fellowship. Once the fellowship has been awarded, it can't be given to the same student again. If defense is not completed during time of award, the student will be responsible for funding in the term of defense.