Graduate
Fellowships and Internships

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General Fellowships and Internships

The Crown Family Internship

This internship is an elective program that lets PhD students get practical experience in industry or at national laboratories in areas closely related to their research. These internships can provide impetus for the intern’s thesis and may lead to future employment.

Cabell Fellowship

The Cabell Fellowship is awarded to a highly select group of incoming PhD students. Each year, 10 students are given higher stipend amounts compared to University fellowships.

Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowships (DOE CSGF)

This program provides benefits and opportunities to students pursuing a PhD in scientific or engineering disciplines with an emphasis in high-performance computing.

Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellowship Program

This program supports outstanding students to pursue graduate research in areas of physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, computer and computational sciences, and environmental sciences. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and either a first- or second-year graduate student or an undergraduate senior with plans to pursue a relevant field of graduate study.

The Fannie and John Hertz Graduate Fellowships in the Applied Physical Sciences

Hertz fellows are students of the applied physical, biological and engineering sciences who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America, and who are willing to morally commit to make their skills available to the United States in time of national emergency.

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships

As a means of increasing the number of U.S. citizens and nationals trained in science and engineering disciplines of military importance, the Department of Defense (DoD) offers three-year graduate fellowships to individuals who will pursue a doctoral degree in, or closely related to, one of several areas of DoD interest.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

This program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in the U.S. and abroad.

Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program

This program provides full-tuition scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Part of the National Defense Education Program, students are provided with employment placement assistance after graduation.

Whitaker Foundation Graduate Fellowships in Biomedical Engineering

Whitaker Fellows are biomedical engineers ranging from graduating seniors to those conducting doctoral studies. This fellowship award will be approximately one academic year in length, and should be used to conduct work. Candidates may apply to study or do research in any country outside of the U.S., except Canada.

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Fellowship Information for Minority Students

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Fellowships and Grants

AAUW provides fellowships to women in their dissertation year of doctoral study. Additional fellowships and grants are available to women through AAUW.

American Chemical Society Scholars Program

The American Chemical Society awards renewable scholarships to underrepresented minority students who want to enter the fields of chemistry or chemistry-related fields. Awards are given to qualified students based on academic standing, financial need, career objective, leadership skills, and involvement in school activities and community service.

AT&T Labs Fellowship Program

Each summer, research interns from all over the world come to AT&T Labs Research to work with individual technical staff members on research projects for 10 weeks. Candidates with interest in and experience working on research problems at the graduate level are eligible. Deadline: January

 

Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship for Minorities

Through its fellowship program, the Ford Foundation seeks 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. Deadline: Early November of each year

Gates Millennium Scholarship

This scholarship provides financial assistance to 1,000 graduate and undergraduate students each year. With an emphasis on assisting minority students, it also provides personal and professional development through academic support and leadership programs.

GEM Fellowships

The National GEM Consortium helps thousands of students from ethnic groups historically underrepresented in the engineering, physical science, and life science disciplines identify and secure the funding to secure advanced degrees.

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Scholarships

LULAC Councils will award scholarships to qualified Hispanic students who are enrolled or are planning to enroll in accredited colleges or universities in the United States. Scholarships may be used for the payment of tuition, academic fees, room, board, and the purchase of required educational materials & books.

National Physical Science Consortium Fellows

These fellowships are provided to women and underrepresented minorities and are designed to increase the number of Americans with graduate degrees in physical sciences and engineering. The fellowships, which include tuition and an annual stipend, are open to all U.S. citizens and lasts up to six years.

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans

These fellowships are grants for up to two years of graduate study in the United States. A New American is an individual who:

  1. is a resident alien, i.e., holds a Green Card; or,
  2. has been naturalized as a US citizen, or
  3. is the child of two parents who are both naturalized citizens.

The applicant must either have a bachelor's degree or be in her/his final year of undergraduate study. Apply during the fall before planned entry into Graduate School.

Smithsonian Institute Minority Student Internship Program

The Smithsonian Institute’s Office of Fellowships offers internships and visiting student awards to increase participation of U.S. minority groups who are underrepresented in Smithsonian scholarly programs, in the disciplines of research conducted at the Institution, and in the museum field.

  • Deadline for Summer: January 15
  • Deadline for Fall: January 15
  • Deadline for Spring: October 15

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National Fellowship Databases

 

GrantsNet

A free funding database provided by Science magazine.

GrantForward

The GrantForward (formerly IRIS) database lists research funding opportunities in all fields. Northwestern students can use this service free of charge.

FastWeb

Find scholarships, fellowships and grants to fund your graduate education.

Free Scholarship Search Service

A database of over 5,000 organizations and foundations that offer scholarships, representing approximately 450,000 awards.

Visit the Northwestern Office of Fellowships for current Northwestern information.