External fellowships
Many outside organizations fund fellowships for graduate students. This page provides a listing of the fellowships administered by the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education; contact fellowship administrator Keiko Tanaka for details.
Read each description carefully. See also general guidelines on applying for fellowships, scholarships, and grants. The following symbols are used in the fellowship descriptions:
US citizens may apply
Permanent residents may apply
Internationals may apply
Fellowships are grouped according to the following deadlines:
October deadlines
Jacob K. Javits Program, US Department of Education
Melissa Burton
Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5247
Telephone (202) 260-3574
The fellowship supports graduate study for students in the arts, humanities or social sciences. Study should lead to the highest degree awarded in the selected field of study at accredited institutions of higher education (usually a doctoral degree, but sometimes a masters). There is a 12-month stipend. US citizens and permanent residents only.
Applications are available online, but must be submitted in hard copy.
Deadline: early October
Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program
Fannie and John Hertz Foundation
P.O. Box 5032
Livermore, CA 94551-5032
Telephone (925) 373-1642
Supports students in the physical sciences. Candidates may be seniors or students who have already begun graduate study. They must be US citizens or in the processing of acquiring permanent residency. The awards are for one academic year and are renewable. The award includes a stipend plus an allowance for tuition and other expenses.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: late October
November deadlines
National Consortium for Graduate Degrees For Minorities In Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM)
1800 K. Street NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20006
Fax (202) 207-3518
GEM offers financial support for advanced degrees:
- MS Engineering Fellowship Program
- PhD Engineering Fellowship Program
- PhD Science Fellowship Program
GEM also offers mentoring workshops, graduate research orientation workshops, summer internships with a sponsoring company, and student development seminars. Level of support varies by fellowship program.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: November 15 (early consideration by October 1)
Dissertation Fellowship Program
Dissertation Fellowship Program
The Spencer Foundation
875 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3930
Chicago, IL 60611-1803
Telephone (312) 274-6526
E-mail fellows@spencer.org
The Dissertation Fellowship Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world. Applicants must be candidates for the doctoral degree in any field of study at a graduate school. They need not be US citizens. Dissertation topics must concern education, and all pre-dissertation requirements must be commpleted by June 1 of the academic year prior to support.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: early November
Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships
Fellowships Office, Keck 576
National Research Council
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-334-2872
E-mail infofell@nas.edu
These fellowships are designed to increase the diversity of the nation's college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.
- Predoctoral fellowships support study toward a PhD or ScD
- Dissertation fellowships offer support in the final year of writing the PhD or ScD thesis
- Postdoctoral Fellowships offer one-year awards for PhD recipients
Applicants must be US citizens in research-based fields of study.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: early November
National Science Foundation
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
GRF Operations Center
Suite T-50
1818 N. Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone (866) NSF-GRFP
E-mail info@nsfgradfellows.org
Fellowships cover a wide variety of disciplines and are awarded for three years. US citizens or permanent residents only may apply.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: early November
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
400 West 59th Street
New York, New York 10019
Telephone 212-547-6926
Fax 212-548-4623
E-mail pdsoros_fellows@sorosny.org
The purpose of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields. Fellowships offer support for up to two years in any academic discipline or professional field, and provide (stipend) and half tuition. Applicants must be a senior in a bachelor's program or a first or second year graduate student, and have status as a "New American": the holder of a Green Card; a naturalized citizen; or the child of two naturalized citizen parents.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: November 1
December deadlines
Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program
American Society for Engineering Education
1818 N Street N.W., Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Telephone: (202) 331-3544
Fax: (202) 265-8504
Email: smart@asee.org
Through this scholarship program, academically excellent students pursuing degrees in disciplines of particular interest to the Department of Defense receive funding for full tuition, related educational fees, and living expenses and are then placed in civilian laboratory positions upon graduation. The program is open to graduate and undergraduate students.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: December 15
The Delores Zohrab Liebmann Fund Fellowship
Amy Eaker
Trust Administrator
JP Morgan Chase
Email: amy.a.eaker [at] jpmorgan.com
Tel: 214-965-2873
This is an external fellowship. Departments are requested to forward ONE nomination each to the Dean's office, and MIT will send three of these to the Liebmann Trust.
The Will of Dolores Zohrab Liebmann created a Perpetual Charitable Trust designated as "The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund" for the purpose of funding advanced education and graduate study grants, as well as for independent research or study projects, which must be carried out entirely in the United States of America. "The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowships" are to be awarded only to candidates who have outstanding undergraduate records, have demonstrated a need for financial assistance, are citizens of the US, are enrolled in in accredited colleges and universities in the US, and have received baccalaureate degrees.
Graduate fellowships in any recognized field of study in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences (including law, medicine, engineering, architecture or other formal professional training) and scholarly publications focusing on Armenian studies and culture are eligible to apply. The trustees welcome applications from students of all national origins who are US citizens.
Nomination requirements:
- A Statement of Purpose (up to 3 pages) which considers the relationship between the student's graduate studies and intended personal and/or professional goals. Statement of purpose must include a 10-15 line abstract at the top (included in page limit) that explains (in layman’s terms) your degree program, giving emphasis to its eventual intellectual impact on your field of study.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- A budget (estimated tuition plus a breakdown of how the $18K stipend will be used to support the student; see sample)
- Letters of Recommendation from two (2) faculty members
- Letter of Recommendation from Department Head
- Undergraduate and Graduate transcripts (unofficial are fine)
- Proof of U.S. Citizenship (e.g. passport)
- Financial Information (contact ODGE for a template):
o listing of current educational and other loans
o listing of previous and current scholarships
o estimated amount of other funding from family, etc.
o written statement of plans to finance graduate education
Fellowships are restricted to graduate students who are US citizens attending an accredited institution of higher education within the US.
Nominations MUST be submitted in hard copy (not electronically). Nominations should be submitted to Dean Ortiz, Attn: Jessica Landry, 3-138, early December.
Notification of successful nominees occurs in late December.
January deadlines
Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship Program
DOE CSGF Program Coordinator
1609 Golden Aspen Drive, Suite 101
Ames, IA 50010
Telephone (515) 956-3696
Fax (515) 956-3699
E-mail csgf@krellinst.org
This fellowship is for exceptional undergraduate seniors or first or second year graduate students planning full-time study toward a PhD in the physical, engineering, computer, mathematical, or life sciences with emphasis in high performance computing. Recipients receive full tuition and required fees for up to 4 years of study, a yearly stipend, matching funds for a computer workstation, yearly academic allowance, yearly conferences, and opportunity to complete a practicum at a national DOE laboratory. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent resident aliens.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: early January
Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration
Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship
1609 Golden Aspen Dr., Suite 101
Ames, IA 50010
Telephone (515) 956-3696
Fax (515) 956-3699
E-mail ssgf@krellinst.org
Fellowship supports graduate students planning full-time study for a PhD in areas of interest to stewartship science areas such as high-energy density physics, low-energy nuclear science, or properties of materials under extreme conditions. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent resident aliens. Benefits include yearly stipend, payment of all tuition and required fees for up to 4 years of study at any US university, and a yearly academic allowance for professional development.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: early January
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program (NDSEG)
US Department of Defense, NDSEG Fellowship Program
200 Park Drive, Suite 211
P.O. Box 134444,
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709
Telephone (919) 549-8505
The NDSEG fellowship of the US Department of Defense is intended for students at or near the beginning of graduate study for doctoral degrees in mathematical, physical, biological and engineering sciences. Open to US citizens only, it is a three-year award with stipend plus full tuition and fees. Send e-mail to ndseg@aro-emhl.army.mil.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: early January
American Psychological Association Neuroscience Fellowships
Minority Fellowship Program
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Telephone (202) 336-6127
TDD/TTY (202) 336-6123
Fax (202) 336-6012
Email mfp@apa.org
Predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships in neuroscience are available for full-time students in nonclinical doctoral programs, or those who hold doctorates and are engaged in full-time postdoctoral training in neuroscience. Members of underrepresented ethnic-minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: January 15
Josephine de Karman Fellowship
Fellowship Committee
Judy McClain, Secretary
Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trust
P.O. Box 3389
San Dimas, CA 91773
Telephone (909) 592-0607
Fellowships are available to students in any discipline entering their senior undergraduate year, or to any candidate for a PhD who has completed all requirements for that degree by January 31. Post doctoral students are not eligible for consideration. International students may apply if they are already enrolled in a university located in the United States and if they will be in the United States by July preceding the fall semester of the academic year for which they have enrolled. Grants include a stipend; they are for one academic year and may not be renewed or postponed.
Applications are available online; completed applications include transcripts of the applicant's scholarship records and two letters of recommendation.
Deadline: January 31
February deadlines
NASA Graduate Student Researchers Project
Graduate Student Researchers Program Manager, Ahmed Nurriddin
NASA Headquarters, Code FE, HQ
Washington, DC 20546-0001
Telephone (301) 918-8390
Training grants, plus a NASA internship, for one year; renewable for a total of three years. Students may apply at any time during their graduate career. An applicant must be sponsored by the department chair or faculty advisor.
Applications are available online.
Deadline: February 1
Last updated August, 2010