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Fellowships

For a detailed comparison of RAs, TAs, and fellowships, refer to the table on the Resources page.

In general, fellowships are very competitive but are also very prestigious. They do not require service, such as teaching, in return for funding, but some fellowships may have payback requirements (recipients must work in a designated field for a certain period of time). Portable fellowships are externally funded and allow recipients to use the funding at the institutions of their choice. Institutional fellowships, on the other hand, must be used to pursue graduate study exclusively at the institution awarding the fellowship. In most cases, you would be automatically considered for an institutional fellowship as part of your application for admission to the department.

Some federal government agencies and many non-profit foundations offer portable fellowships. The list below will give you some guidance in searching for such fellowship opportunities. Remember, however, that most graduate students are NOT funded on fellowships but on Teaching or Research Assistantships.

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Portable Fellowships

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

A

American Academy in Rome Fellowships (AAR)

Rome Prize Applications are accepted in the following fields: ARTS (Architecture, Design, Historic Preservation and Conservation, Landscape Architecture, Literature, Musical Composition, Visual Arts) and HUMANITIES (Ancient Studies, Medieval Studies, Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, Modern Italian Studies).

American Association of University Women

  • Dissertation Fellowships: To qualify, applicants must have completed all course work, passed all required preliminary examinations, and received approval for their research proposals or plan by a certain date. Open to applicants in all fields of study, except engineering.
  • Selected Professions Fellowships : Awarded to women who intend to pursue a full-time course of study at accredited institutions during the fellowship year in one of the designated degree programs where women's participation traditionally has been low.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA)

  • Research Fellows Program : This program receives support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to provide fellowships for beginning educational policy researchers, including advanced graduate students, to focus on policy-related research while in residence at either NCES or NSF. Minority researchers are strongly encouraged to apply.
  • Dissertation Grants Program : This program receives support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to provide funding for advanced graduate students conducting educational policy-related dissertation proposals using NCES, NSF, and other national data bases. Minority researchers are strongly encouraged to apply.

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

Minority Doctoral Fellowships: Fellowships of up to $12,000 available to minority candidates who have been accepted into a doctoral accounting program.

American Psychological Association

  • Minority Fellowship Program (MFP)
  • Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (MHSAS) Fellowship: Funded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) this fellowship program is directed at students in clinical, counseling, and school psychology, or other psychology doctoral students whose training prepares them to provide counseling, therapy, testing, assessments, etc…Minority students are especially encouraged to apply.
  • The Mental Health Research (MHR) Fellowship: Funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the MHR fellowship supports the training of students who have primary interests in research related to the mental health or the psychological well being of ethnic minorities.
  • HIV/AIDS Research fellowship: Funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) the HIV/AIDS Research fellowship provides up to three years of support the training of doctoral students who have primary interests in research related to HIV/AIDS and its relationship to the mental health or the psychological well being of ethnic minorities.

American-Scandinavian Foundation Fellowships

Applicants must have completed their undergraduate education by the start of their projects in Scandinavia and must have a well-defined research or study project that makes a stay in Scandinavia essential. Priority given to candidates at graduate level for dissertation-related study or research.

Archaeological Institute of America (Predoctoral and Recent PhD Fellowships)

The Archaeological Institute of America awards several fellowships each year, with the exception of the Anna C. and Oliver C. Colburn Fellowship, which is awarded every other year. These fellowships are generally awarded to students in doctoral programs or to recent recipients of the Ph.D. Current officers and members of the Governing Board of the Institute are not eligible for these awards.

American Society for Microbiology

The Robert D. Watkins Minority Graduate Fellowship: Aimed at highly competitive minority graduate students who are enrolled in a PhD program and who have completed their graduate course work in the microbiological sciences.

AT&T Labs Fellowship Program

The AT&T Labs Fellowships are available to female and minority students who are pursuing a PhD in computer and communications-related fields.

B

Beinecke Scholarship Program

Open to college juniors who intend to pursue graduate study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences at any accredited university.

British Chevening Scholarships

The British Chevening Scholarships enable non-UK students to study in the United Kingdom. Scholarships are awarded for postgraduate studies and research.

C

California State Fellowship

Open to applicants who have completed a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree by the time the fellowship year begins. There is no preferred major. Applicants should intend public services careers.

Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas

The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas provides eight fellowships to PhD students throughout the Americas (Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean) to conduct conservation-related research projects in the biological, physical, social and cultural sciences, and technological innovation in support of conservation science.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Junior Fellows

Open to graduating seniors or students who have graduated during the last academic year. Anyone who has already started graduate studies is ineligible. The Endowment offers up to ten one-year fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and individuals who will have graduated during the past academic year. Junior Fellows provide research assistance to Associates working on various Carnegie Endowment projects (e.g., non-proliferation).

D

Davies-Jackson Scholarship Program

Open to Graduating seniors who wish to study Archaeology and Anthropology, Classics, Economics, English, History, Modern and Medieval Languages, and Music at St. John's College (Cambridge University).

Defense, Department of (DOD)

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program : Portable fellowships for US citizen students at or near the beginning of their graduate study in science or engineering.

Dumbarton Oaks Fellowships

Dumbarton Oaks offers residential fellowships in its three areas of study: Byzantine Studies (including related aspects of late Roman, early Christian, western medieval, Slavic, and Near Eastern Studies), Pre-Columbian Studies (of Mexico, Central America, and Andean South America), and Studies in Landscape Architecture.

E

Education, Department of

Educational Testing Services (ETS)  

  • Summer Program in Research for Graduate Students : Designed to attract women and minority graduate students to the field of education and related disciplines, this 8-week program funds graduate students to participate in research under the guidance of a senior ETS staff member in one of the following areas: psychology, education, teaching, learning, psychometrics, statistics, literacy, policy research, linguistics, educational technology, new constructs, minority issues, testing issues including alternate forms of assessment for special populations, and new forms of assessment.
  • Harold Gulliksen Psychometric Research Fellowship Program: Open to national and international doctoral students who have completed a minimum of two years of full-time study toward their Ph.D. to study at their universities and participate in a research project that correlates with research currently underway at ETS. One of the program's goals is to increase the number of scientists who are members of groups underrepresented in the educational measurement field.

Energy, Department of (DOE)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Student programs

  • National Network for Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS) : Fellowships to provide practical research experiences for graduate students in Environmental Policy, Regulation, and Law; Environmental Management and Administration; Environmental Science; Public Relations and Communications; and Computer Programming and Development.
  • Tribal Lands Environmental Science Scholarship Program : Full-time junior, senior, and graduate students majoring in an environmental discipline are eligible to compete. Application materials available through the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
  • National Center for Environmental Research’s (NCER) Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Graduate Fellowships: Graduate education fellowships in environmentally-related fields of study. Contact: Virginia Broadway, USEPA, Office of Research and Development NCER, e-mail: broadway.virginia@epa.gov

F

The Ford Foundation Fellowships

Predoctoral, Dissertation, and Postdoctoral Fellowships for Minorities : Up to three years financial assistance for members of six underrepresented minority groups with demonstrated ability in order to engage in graduate study leading to a doctoral degree in Social sciences, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, biological sciences, humanities, and interdisciplinary programs comprised of two or more eligible disciplines.

G

Gates Cambridge Scholarships

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships are open to graduate students from outside the United Kingdom for study at the University of Cambridge. Scholars should be under the age of 30 years and be admitted through the university's regular admissions process.

The Geological Society of America (GSA)

Graduate Student Research Grants : Provides partial support of master's and doctoral thesis research in geological sciences for graduate students at universities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. GSA strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to participate fully in this grants program.

George Mitchell Scholarships

The George Mitchell Scholarships enable American students to pursue one year of postgraduate study at an Ireland university.

German Marshall Fund of the United States (The)

  • GMF manages a number of fellowship programs designed to engage and educate emerging and established leaders in U.S.-European relations. These fellowships include the Journalism Fellowship Program, the Marshall Memorial Fellowship Program, and the Research Fellowship Program. Under the Research Fellowship Program, projects should involve either comparative analysis of a specific issue in more than one country or the exploration of an issue in a single country in ways that can be expected to have relevance for other countries. Projects with direct relevance to current public policy issues with a transatlantic dimension will be given special consideration.

    The geographic scope of the program includes Western, Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia and Turkey as they relate to Europe, but not the Central Asian countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union.

H

Harry S. Truman Scholarships

The Harry S. Truman Scholarships are open to college juniors who are US citizens and nationals and who want to go to graduate school in preparation for a career in public service (government or the nonprofit and advocacy sectors).

Health and Human Services Department of (DHHS)

 

The National Institutes of Health

  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants Query
  • Predoctoral Fellowship Awards For Minority Students : Up to five years of support for research training leading to the Ph.D. or equivalent research degree in the biomedical, behavioral sciences, or health services research.
  • NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grants (T32): The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will award National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Training Grants (T32) to eligible institutions to develop or enhance research training opportunities for individuals, selected by the institution, who are training for careers in specified areas of biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research. The NRSA program supports predoctoral, postdoctoral, and short-term research training experiences. The NIH institutes and centers may have special policies and requirements for their Institutional Research Training Grants (T32). Therefore, in the early stages of application preparation, applicants should contact the prospective NIH awarding component listed at the end of this announcement to discuss their specific policies.
  • NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Program for NIGMS MARC Predoctoral Fellowships:The intent of the MARC Predoctoral Fellowship Program is to encourage students from minority groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences to seek graduate degrees.

Hertz Fellowship

Fellowships support the graduate education of students of outstanding potential in the applied physical sciences. Open to applicants who will have received a bachelor's degree by the time they propose to commence tenure of their Fellowships, and propose to complete a program of graduate study leading to an advanced degree are eligible.

Homeland Security, U.S. Department of

Graduate Fellowships http://www.orau.gov/dhsed/05grad.htm for students interested in pursuing the basic science and technology innovations that can be applied to the DHS mission. Areas of study include: physical, biological, social and behavioral sciences including science policy, engineering, mathematics, and computer science.

Housing and Urban Development Department of (HUD)

 

Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant (ddrg) Program :

Funding to assist PhD candidates who have completed all of their doctoral program requirements except the preparation of the dissertation on housing and urban development issues.

Early Doctoral Student Research Grant (edsrg) Program:

To help eligible doctoral students cultivate their research skills through the preparation of research manuscripts that focus on housing and urban development issues.

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund

  • HSF/PFIZER, INC. Fellowship Program : One year $10,000 award and a paid Summer 2003 Internship in New York available to Hispanic graduate students at selected universities pursuing a degree in Biostatistics, Electrical Engineering, Business Administration, Epidemiology, Computer Engineering, Health Administration, Computer Information Systems, Medicine, Economics, or Public Health. A renewal award of $10,000 for a second year is contingent upon successful completion of the summer internship.
  • HSF/SHPE Inc. Scholarship Program : Available to graduate and professional degrees students of Hispanic heritage from the Little Village Community in Chicago, Illinois.
  • HSF/McNamara Family Creative Arts Project Grant : Financial resources ($5,000 to $20,000) for undergraduate and graduate Hispanic students enrolled full-time in a creative arts related field -media, film, performing arts, communications, writing, and others- to assist them in beginning and completing an art project. Grants will range from.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

  • Medical Student Fellowships : Applicants must be enrolled in a U.S. medical school and the fellowship research must be conducted at a U.S. institution. Research may be conducted abroad if the fellow's mentor is affiliated with a U.S. institution.
  • Research Scholars Program : The program provides the opportunity for outstanding students at U.S. medical and dental schools to receive research training at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

I

IBM PhD Fellowships

IBM PhD Fellowships are available to PhD students in business, chemistry, computer science, electrical engineering, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering and physics, as well as a variety of emerging technical fields. All IBM fellows are matched with an IBM Mentor and are expected to intern at an IBM research or development laboratory under their mentor's guidance. Nomination by a faculty member is required. Students must have completed at least one year of study at the time of nomination.

J

James Madison Graduate Fellowship

Open to college seniors and recent college graduates who intend to go to graduate school on a full-time basis. The fellowships provide funding for graduate study leading to a master's degree and are tenable at any accredited institution of higher education in the United States. Candidates must intend to become secondary school teachers of American history, American government and social studies.

L

Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs Innovations)

The Bell Labs Graduate Research Fellowship Program : Designed to increase the number of minorities and women in the fields of science, math, engineering and technology, the program is primarily directed to graduating college seniors, but applications from first-year graduate students will be considered. Fellowships can be renewed on a yearly basis for up to four years of graduate study.

M

Marshall Scholarships

The Marshall Sherfield Scholarships Program supports young Americans who choose to pursue a graduate education in the United Kingdom. The awards are tenable at any British university and cover two years of study in any field, typically at the graduate level, leading to the award of a British university degree.

Mellon Fellowship

Open to college seniors or college graduates applying for graduate school admission, in accordance with normal procedures, for a Ph.D. program, in the traditional humanities These Fellowships are designed to help exceptionally promising students prepare for careers of teaching and scholarship in humanistic disciplines. The Mellon Fellowship is a competitive award for first-year doctoral students only and cannot be deferred. The fellowship covers full graduate tuition and required fees for the first year of graduate study and includes a stipend of $17,500.

N

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

  • The Harriett G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship Program (JPFP) : Up to 3 year fellowship support leading to doctoral degrees in NASA-related disciplines for women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. The program is managed by the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation .
  • Goddard Coastal Research Graduate Fellowship Program:Limited number of graduate student research opportunities. Selected students to pursue specially tailored research projects on coastal processes in conjunction with Goddard scientific mentors during the program period.
  • Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) : Fellowships renewable up to two times for a total of three years for doctoral students in science, mathematics, and engineering. African Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Alaskan Natives, Native Pacific Islanders, women, and persons with disabilities are strongly urged to apply.
  • Graduate Student Fellowships in Earth System Science : Fellowships renewable up to two times for a total of three years for doctoral students doing research in atmospheric chemistry and physics, ocean biology and physics, ecosystem dynamics, hydrology, cryospheric processes, geology, geophysics, and information science and engineering. United States citizens and resident aliens will be given preference, although the program is not restricted to them. Students with disabilities and from underrepresented minority groups are urged to apply.

National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science

  • The GEM Fellowship programs are designed to offer opportunities for underrepresented minority students to obtain MS degrees in engineering and PhD degrees in engineering and the natural and physical sciences through a program of paid summer internships and graduate financial assistance.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

  • Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program : Provides up to 4 year support for doctoral studies in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology, particularly by women and members of minority groups.
  • Graduate Fellowships: opportunities for graduate students and recent recipients of master's or professional degrees interested in coastal, marine, and environmental management or research.

National Physical Science Consortium Fellowship

The National Physical Science Consortium (NPSC) sponsors a graduate fellowship program for graduate students pursuing a PhD in the physical sciences at one of more than 100 participating colleges and universities. Fields of study include Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Materials Science, Mathematical Sciences, Physics, and their subdisciplines, and related engineering fields, including Chemical, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

  • Award Search:
  • Graduate Research Fellowships : Three-year graduate research fellowships in science, mathematics, and engineering, including Women in Engineering and Computer and Information Science awards.

National Security Education Program Graduate Fellowships

The National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships are available to US graduate students for the study of languages, cultures and world regions that are critical to US national security. It is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The scholarships are awarded to US students studying outside of Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

National Urban/Rural Fellows

A fully funded fourteen month full-time graduate program comprised of academic course work and field experience, leading to a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Bernard M. Baruch College, School of Public Affairs, City University of New York. Applicants must be US citizens, have 3-5 years working in the field, and have a BA.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Graduate Fellowship Program:

Highly competitive monthly stipends, full tuition & fees for outstanding candidates who aspire to obtain graduate degrees and work in areas requiring highly specialized technical knowledge and skills. Successful candidates will have an initial work experience at the NRC, followed by a fellowship for master's or doctoral education, after which they must commit to NRC employment for two years for each academic year of fellowship support.

P

Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

The Soros Fellowships provide for up to two years of graduate study in the US for "New Americans". New Americans include resident aliens (i.e., holders of a Green Card), naturalized US citizens, and the children of two parents who are both naturalized US citizens. Fellows may pursue graduate degrees in any professional field, such as engineering, medicine, law, and social work, or any scholarly discipline in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences.

Prettyman/Stiller Post-Graduate Fellowship Program

The Fellowships are awarded to four outstanding recent law graduates selected to participate in a two-year program leading to the LL.M. degree. Participation in the Fellowship is contingent upon admission to the District of Columbia Bar.

Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship Program

It promotes careers in public service with an outreach focus among students of color. PPIA Fellows participate in a fully funded training program during the summer before their senior year as preparation for graduate school. Fellows are then provided with internships and other professional development opportunities. Finally, participants receive a scholarship towards a Master's Degree in Public Policy, Public Administration or International Affairs from select institutions.

R

Rhodes Scholarships

The Rhodes Scholarships enable students from many countries to study at the University of Oxford.

S

Smithsonian Institution

Fellowship programs:

  • Graduate Student Fellowships allow students to conduct research for ten-week periods in association with Smithsonian research staff members.
  • Predoctoral Fellowships allow students to conduct research for periods of three to twelve months.
  • Smithsonian Institution Latino Studies Fellowship Program: This program offers awards of up to twelve months with the opportunity to spend up to a third of the time in the field but not at the home institution for US Latino/a predoctoral students to pursue research related to Latino history, art, and culture using Smithsonian resources.
  • Minority Internship Program: Internship funding for beginning graduate students interested in Animal behavior, ecology, and environmental science, including an emphasis on the tropics, Anthropology, including archaeology, Astrophysics and astronomy, Earth sciences and paleobiology, Evolutionary and systematic biology, History of science and technology, History of art, especially American, contemporary, African, and Asian art, twentieth-century American crafts, and decorative arts. Social and cultural history of the United States, Folklife.
  • Native American Internship Awards: Internships in residence at the Smithsonian are awarded to undergraduate and graduate Native American students who are formally or informally related to a Native American community, to participate in research or museum activities related to Native American studies for periods of 10 weeks.
  • Webb James E. Internship Program for Minority Undergraduate Seniors and Graduate Students in Business and Public Administration : Internships in residence at the Smithsonian are offered to minority senior undergraduate and graduate students in Business and Public Administration.

Social Science Research Council - Eurasia Predoctoral Fellowships

All fellowships are intended to support work on or related to the New States of Eurasia, the Soviet Union and/or the Russian Empire, regardless of the historical time period studied or the applicant's discipline within the social sciences or humanities. Predoctoral Fellowships target individuals at seminal stages of their graduate careers. They provide essential training opportunities for individuals in the early stages of their programs as well as support for advanced students in the intellectually challenging dissertation write-up stage of their work. Predissertation Training Fellowships (both with or without a language component) provide between $3,000-$7,000 for projects lasting up to 6 months. Dissertation Write-up Fellowships offer support in the amount of $15,000 for the 2005-2006 academic year.

Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) - Fellowships and Scholarships

State, Department of

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

  • Fulbright U.S. Student Program: Funding for recent graduates, postgraduate candidates, and developing professionals and artists to conduct career-launching study and research abroad.
  • Curriculum Development Exchange Program: Administered through IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board ) this program provides grants to educators and advanced graduate students from the US and participating countries to strengthen the institutional capacity of universities in the Newly Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet region to teach in social sciences and humanities, including business administration, economics, education administration, information sciences, journalism, foreign language instruction, law, political science, and sociology.
  • Individual Advanced Research Opportunities (IARO) : Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, The US Department of State and the IREX Scholar Support Fund, the program provides fellowships to predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars from the United States for individual long-term research in Europe and Eurasia.
  • The Regional Scholar Exchange Program (RSEP) : Fellowships for a maximum of nine months for junior and mid-level university faculty, researchers, and PhD candidates in the social sciences and humanities from Eurasia and the United States to conduct independent research overseas.

T

Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship (GFAF)

Open to students enrolled in two-year full-time master's degree programs in fields such as political and economic analysis, international affairs, administration, and science policy. Intended to prepare students for careers as Foreign Service Officers. Recipients are obligated to serve at least three years as Foreign Service Officers. Women, members of minority groups, and students with financial need are especially encouraged to apply.

Trinity Fellows Program at Marquette University

The Trinity Fellows Program at Marquette University is a graduate fellowship program dedicated to developing urban leaders with a commitment to community service. Fellows participate in a 21-month study/work program while earning a master's degree in one of nine fields of study.

U

The Morris K. Udall Foundation Environmental Public Policy and Conflict Resolution Fellowships:

Two PhD dissertation fellowships of $24,000 per year to students in the final, writing year of their Ph.D. work in the areas of environmental public policy or environmental conflict resolution.

United Negro College Fund:

UNCF is a fund-raising consortium of historically black colleges and universities. The College Fund administers over 400 scholarship programs for African American students.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Graduate Applied Project (GAP) Mini-Grants

Open to graduate students interested in a career in international family planning (including integrated family planning/reproductive health and population-environment).

W

Wenner-Gren Foundation - Dissertation Fieldwork Grants

The Wenner-Gren Foundation pursues its two major goals-advancing basic research in anthropology and building an international community of anthropologists-through several funding programs. Dissertation Fieldwork Grants are awarded to individuals to aid doctoral dissertation or thesis research. Applicants must be enrolled for a doctoral degree. Application must be made jointly with a thesis advisor or other scholar who will undertake responsibility for supervising the project.

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