how long is a phd fellowship

• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Personal Finance for PhDs

Live a financially balanced life - no Real Job required

How to Find, Apply for, and Win a Fellowship During Your PhD or Postdoc

September 3, 2018 by Emily

Applying for fellowships is an essential component of your PhD training. My fellowship application advice is to apply for a few relevant fellowships as a prospective PhD student, whether you are coming from an undergraduate degree, master’s degree, job, or other fellowship. It’s also a great idea to keep applying for fellowships and grants throughout your PhD and postdoc for any years when you’re not already a fellow.

The advice in this article is on why, where, and how to apply for fellowships successfully. It has a particular focus on outside fellowships that are portable (you can use them at any institution), remunerative (they provide at least stipend/salary support), and broad (many research fields are eligible).

Fellowships at the graduate level are similar to scholarships at the undergraduate level in that they are awards that are given based on merit, and sometimes only a narrow slice of students is eligible. They are “free money” similar to scholarships and grants in the sense that they do not have to be repaid. What is different is that fellowships typically pay part or all of a PhD student or postdoc’s stipend/salary and may also include some money for tuition and fees. However, as a fellow you do have the responsibility of making progress in your research or else your fellowship is not likely to be renewed. PhD-level fellows are free to focus their attention solely on their research (in addition to classes in the early stage of training).

Further Reading:

• How to Find and Apply for Fellowships (with ProFellow Founder Dr. Vicki Johnson)
• How to Financially Manage Your NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• Weird Tax Situations for Fellowship Recipients
• The Complete Guide to Quarterly Estimated Tax for Fellowship Recipients
• Fellowship Recipients Can Save for Retirement Outside an IRA

Why Apply for Fellowships

Regularly applying for outside funding is an expectation in graduate school (and often before and after) that should be made more explicit. Even if you are fully funded by your program or group, you will benefit from applying for fellowships throughout your PhD and postdoc. The only reason to forgo submitting at least one fellowship application in a given year is if you are already funded by an outside fellowship in the upcoming year.

Further Reading: Why You Should Apply for Fellowships Even If You’re Fully Funded

There are numerous reasons apply for fellowships regularly, some of which apply even if you don’t ultimately win a fellowship.

1) A Higher Stipend/Salary

Often, outside fellowships are structured to pay a higher stipend than what is typically paid to a graduate student or postdoc. This is especially true for the prestigious, competitive, national fellowships. Winning an outside fellowship that awards a higher stipend/salary is one of the very few ways a graduate student or postdoc can secure a significant raise within the same career stage. Even if the fellowship pays a stipend/salary lower than the baseline amount for the department, typically the department will supplement the fellowship stipend/salary up to or even above the baseline pay as a gesture of appreciation to the student or postdoc for winning the fellowship.

2) Greater Independence

Depending on the PhD’s stage and department, an outside fellowship may confer an increased degree of research independence. For example, a fellow may be able to set up a new collaboration, pursue a side project, or complete additional lab rotations when a graduate student funded by another means would not be given permission. This is because the fellow’s funding is not tied to working on any specific project the way a grant would specify.

3) Negotiation Power

Virtually all PhD students and many postdocs assume there is no room for negotiation in their funding package. However, there are two points at which negotiation is possible: Upon admission to a program and upon winning an outside fellowship (best if combined). If you are funding yourself through a fellowship, that’s money that your advisor/department does not have to spend on you (assuming they would have), and that money has now been freed up for other purposes.

After finding out that you have won a fellowship, you can tactfully ask your advisor or department chair if it is possible for you to receive an extra benefit. You could ask for an increase in pay, a one-time or yearly bonus, or one of the extra degrees of independence listed above.

4) Excused from “Work”

One aspect of PhD funding that is not necessarily widely discussed is the difference between being funded by a fellowship and being funded by an assistantship.

A research assistant, teaching assistant, or graduate assistant is virtually always an employee of her university (as well as a student). You can be sure of this status if you receive a W-2 at tax time. The graduate student’s stipend or salary is being paid for work she does: teaching, research, or another type of service.

A fellowship, on the other hand, is an award, and there is not supposed to be any work requirement tied to it, although in practice the PhD student must of course make adequate degree progress.

There is not much of a functional day-to-day difference between graduate students funded by research assistantships in which the research is included in their dissertations and graduate students funded by fellowships. In both cases, 100% of the graduate student’s time (less time spent completing courses) can be devoted to his dissertation.

However, being funded by a fellowship makes an enormous difference in the day-to-day life of a graduate student who would otherwise be funded by an assistantship that requires non-dissertation-related work. That work requirement is typically 20 hours per week. Winning a fellowship excuses the graduate student from that work requirement, meaning that 20 hours per week can be devoted to research that furthers the student’s degree progress. This might very well shorten the time it takes for the student to complete his PhD.

5) CV-Booster

One of the unsung but most important benefits of winning a fellowship, particularly a prestigious national fellowship, is its effect on your CV. Once one fellowship committee has deemed you worthy of funding, that stands as a testament to your ability that is seen by every subsequent funding committee. Winning your first fellowship gives you momentum toward career success. Assuming you continue to be an excellent candidate, winning subsequent fellowships and grants becomes more likely.

6) Shows Initiative/Effort

In my opinion, applying for at least one outside fellowship concurrently with applying for graduate school is an unspoken requirement. Being able to say on your grad school application or in your interviews that you have applied for outside funding (even if you don’t ultimately win) shows the faculty members reviewing your application that you take initiative and are ambitious. Even once you are settled into a department and group in grad school, attempting to fund yourself will almost certainly be viewed favorably by your advisor, even if you are not awarded a fellowship.

7) Applying Forces You to Frame and Justify Your Research

Writing a fellowship application can be a wonder pause and possibly reset point in your research progress. You have to step back from your day-to-day work, think about the underlying motivations and aspirations for your project, and explain why they (and you) are worth being funded. This exercise alone is likely to benefit your research and experimental design.

8) Good Practice

The final benefit of applying for fellowships is that it’s good practice. If you stay in academia or research long-term, applying for grants is likely to become part of your regular work rhythm. You may as well start early, gain experience, and hone your message.

When to Apply for Fellowships

Most fellowship application deadlines are in the fall, though a few occur at other points in the academic year. Over each summer, you should create a list of the fellowships you plan to apply for in the upcoming academic year, including ones with deadlines later in the year. Create calendar reminders leading up to each fellowship deadline to ensure that your applications stay on track.

Where to Find Fellowship Opportunities

Your first stop for finding fellowship opportunities should be your research and/or program advisor (postdoc, graduate, or undergraduate). Ask him or her what fellowships you should consider applying to and what fellowships other students and postdocs at your same stage apply to. You can also ask your peers which fellowships they have applied to in the past or are applying to now.

Another great place to look are websites that maintain databases of fellowship opportunities. Your university or department may cultivate such a list. In the next section, I have provided my own list of broad fellowships to consider. Other great databases can be found at:

• University of Illinois
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Finally, try a simple Google search with keyword combinations of “fellowship” or “scholarship” along with anything particular to you, such as your field, research interests, career stage, demographics, standout qualities, etc. You may find a fellowship or scholarship that is tailored to you that your peers wouldn’t qualify for and therefore overlooked.

When looking for fellowship descriptions and listings, always consider both the large, well-known programs that fund a lot of fellows and lesser-known opportunities that may be a good match for you in particular, either because of your demographics or your research area. All of the advantages of fellowship funding apply to both types.

Fellowship Programs for Graduate Students and Postdocs

Below is a list of portable fellowship programs that are granted to a large number of fellows each year in a broad array of fields. These fellowships provide full or nearly full levels of stipend/salary support, often in addition to tuition and fees.

American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowships

• Fields: All
• Eligibility: US citizen or permanent residents; applicant must identify as a woman; current PhD students who will complete their dissertations between April 1 and June 30
• Award: $25,000
• Number of Awards: Not specified
• Deadline: November 15, 2023

American Association of University Women Postdoctoral Fellowships

• Eligibility: US citizen or permanent residents; applicant must identify as a woman; must hold a Ph.D., Ed.D., D.B.A., M.F.A., J.D., M.D., D.M.D., D.V.M., D.S.W., or M.P.H. at the time of application
• Award: $50,000

Department of Defense Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation (SMART)

• Fields: Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering; Biosciences; Biomedical Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Civil Engineering; Cognitive, Neural, and Behavioral Sciences; Computer and Computational Sciences and Computer Engineering; Cybersecurity; Data Science and Analytics; Electrical Engineering; Environmental Sciences; Geosciences; Industrial and Systems Engineering; Information Sciences; Materials Science and Engineering; Mathematics; Mechanical Engineering; Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering; Nuclear Engineering; Oceanography; Operations Research; Physics; Software Engineering
• Eligibility: Citizen of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or United Kingdom; 18 years of age or older; Requesting at least 1 year of degree funding; Able to accept post-graduation employment with the DoD for every year of funding requested; Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; Enrolled in a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or awaiting notification of admission for fall term.
• Award: 1-5 years of support; $30,000-46,000/year stipend, full tuition and fees, $2,500 health insurance allowance, $1,000 miscellaneous supplies allowance
• Deadline: December 1, 2023

Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF)

• Fields: Science & Engineering Track: Aeronautics, Astrophysics, Biological Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Materials Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics. Mathematics/Computer Science Track: applied mathematics, statistics, computer science, computer  engineering or computational science.
• Eligibility: Prospective and first-year graduate students; US citizens or permanent residents; full time uninterrupted study toward a Ph.D. at an accredited U.S. university
• Award: up to 4 years of support; $45,000/year stipend, full tuition and fees, professional development allowance of $1,000 per year
• Number of Awards: not stated; there are ~110 current fellows
• Deadline: January 17, 2024

Ford Foundation Dissertation

• Fields: Research-based programs, e.g., American studies, anthropology, archaeology, art and theater history, astronomy, chemistry, communications, computer science, cultural studies, earth sciences, economics, education, engineering, ethnic studies, ethnomusicology, geography, history, international relations, language, life sciences, linguistics, literature, mathematics, performance study, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religious studies, sociology, urban planning, women’s studies, and interdisciplinary programs
• Eligibility: Previous Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship recipient; Current PhD students who will complete their dissertations no later than fall 2024; Enrolled in an eligible research-based program leading to a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree at a not for profit U.S. institution of higher education; US citizens, nationals, permanent residents, and DACA recipients; Indigenous individuals exercising rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794; individuals granted Temporary Protected Status; asylees; and refugees; committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level in the U.S.
• Award: 1 year of support; $28,000/year stipend
• Number of Awards:  ~36
• Deadline: December 12, 2023

Ford Foundation Postdoctoral

• Eligibility: Individuals who held a previous Ford Foundation Fellowship; Individuals who completed or will complete their PhDs or ScDs between 12/08/2015 and 12/08/2022; US citizens, nationals, permanent residents, and DACA recipients; Indigenous individuals exercising rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794; individuals granted Temporary Protected Status; asylees; and refugees; committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level in the U.S.
• Award: 1 year of support; $50,000/year stipend
• Number of Awards:  ~24

Graduate Fellowships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Diversity (GFSD)

• Fields: Astronomy, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Materials Science, Mathematical Sciences, Physics, and their sub-disciplines, and related engineering fields (Chemical, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Mechanical)
• Eligibility: Prospective and current graduate students available for two summer internships; US citizens with the ability to pursue graduate work at a GFSD university partner
• Award: Up to 6 years of support; $20,000/year stipend
• Number of Awards:  Varies
• Deadline: December 29, 2023

Hertz Foundation

• Fields: Applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering
• Eligibility: Prospective and first-year PhD students; US citizens and permanent residents
• Award: Up to 5 years of support; $38,000/9-month stipend and full tuition; $5,000/year stipend for fellows with dependent children
• Number of Awards: 15 in 2023
• Deadline: October 27, 2023

Life Sciences Research Foundation

• Fields: Life sciences
• Eligibility: PhD or MD/DVM recipients (awarded less than 5 years ago); US citizens working in any geographic location and non-US citizens working in US laboratories; begun (or will begin) working in your postdoc lab between August 1, 2022 and July 31, 2024; Postdoctoral training must be completed in a lab different from that of your graduate (thesis) lab
• Award: 3 years of support; $66,000/year for salary and $11,000/year for research
• Number of Awards: 18-27
• Deadline: October 1, 2023

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG)

• Fields: Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering; Astrodynamics; Biomedical Engineering; Biosciences (includes toxicology); Chemical Engineering; Chemistry; Civil Engineering; Cognitive, Neural, and Behavioral Sciences; Computer and Computational Sciences; Electrical Engineering; Geosciences; Materials Science and Engineering; Mathematics; Mechanical Engineering; Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering; Oceanography; Physics; Space Physics
• Eligibility: Prospective and current (first or second year) PhD students; US citizens and nationals
• Award: 3 years of support; $3,400/month in stipend, up to $1,400/year in health insurance, and full tuition and fees
• Number of Awards: Up to 500
• Deadline: November 3, 2023

National GEM Consortium MS Engineering and Science Fellowship Program

• Fields: Science and engineering
• Eligibility: Senior or graduate of an accredited engineering or computer science program; Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8/4.0; Agree to intern for two summers with sponsoring GEM Employer; under-represented students (American Indian/Native, African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino); US citizens or permanent residents
• Award: Employer Fellows: full tuition and fees; $4,000 living stipend per full-time semester up to 4 semesters; minimum $16,000 total stipend over the entire Master’s program; up to two paid summer internships. University Fellows: full tuition and fees; Associate Fellows: full tuition and fees; at least $8,000 stipend per year
• Number of Awards: ~180 in 2022
• Deadline: 2nd Friday in November

National GEM Consortium PhD Engineering and Science Fellowship Program

• Eligibility: Senior, masters student, or graduate of an accredited engineering or applied science program; Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0/4.0; Agree to intern with sponsoring GEM Employer; under-represented students (American Indian/Native, African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino); US citizens or permanent residents
• Award: Employer Fellows: full tuition and fees up to the 5th year of the PhD; $16,000 stipend for one academic year, supplemented by university; a minimum of one paid summer internship. Associate Fellows: full tuition and fees; at least $16,000 stipend per year
• Number of Awards: ~240 in 2022

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP)

• Fields:  STEM and STEM education
• Eligibility: Pursuing a research-based Master’s or Ph.D. at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus; Completed no more than one academic year of full-time graduate study; Graduate students can apply only once either in their first or second year; US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents
• Award: 3 years of support; $37,000/year in stipend, $12,000/year to institution
• Number of Awards: 2,750
• Deadline: October 16-20, 2023 (date varies based on discipline)

Paul and Daisy Soros

• Fields:  Unrestricted
• Eligibility:  Prospective and current (first or second year) graduate students; immigrants and the children of immigrants age 30 or younger
• Award:  1 or 2 years of support; $25,000/year stipend, 50% of tuition and fees up to $20,000 per year
• Number of Awards:  30
• Deadline: 10/26/2023

How to Create a Winning Fellowship Application

You can’t throw together an excellent fellowship application in a weekend. They take a great deal of time and effort to conceive, write, re-write, and improve with feedback. Below are the steps you must follow to submit a potentially winning fellowship application.

1) Find Fellowships that Are a Good Match for You

You will dramatically increase your odds of winning a fellowship if you are selective about which ones you apply to. Don’t waste time applying to fellowship programs that have been cultivated for candidates with characteristics or research interests that you don’t share or for which you are unambiguously unqualified.

2) Read the Fellowship Application Components and Prompts Carefully

It may seem like all fellowship applications are similar, but there are actually overt or subtle differences among them. Most if not all fellowship programs will want to hear about your research or research interests (research statement) and also about you personally (personal statement), but the particular aspects of each that they are looking for may differ. It’s vital to fully answer the specific prompts for each different application. Make it easy for the evaluators to confirm that you have addressed every component of their rubrics, e.g., intellectual merit and broader impacts (for the NSF GRFP), career aspirations, etc.

You may be able to use similar points and even prose across your fellowship applications, but each application statement must be carefully tailored.

Early on, it’s also important to identify the various non-statement components of the fellowship application so you can gather them without rushing. These components may include letters of recommendation, test scores, and transcripts.

You may be required to receive your current university’s permission (nomination) to apply for a fellowship, so you need to be aware of the requirements and deadline for applying for that pre-selection stage.

3) Select and Notify the Writers of Your Letters of Recommendation

Give the writers of your letters of recommendation plenty of notice regarding the fellowship applications you request that they submit to (at least a couple months). It is helpful to share with them a spreadsheet or similar in which you can list all the different applications, their due dates, and submission links for each application season.

Different fellowship applications may require different types of letter writers, so you may need to reach out to faculty members or other mentors who are not your primary research advisors for one application or another.

Give faculty members who have never written you a letter of recommendation in the past an extra-long period of time to prepare the letter and offer to meet with them to discuss your application.

4) Begin Drafting Your Fellowship Application Materials Well in Advance of the Deadline

Once you are finished preparing, it’s time to start writing. Again, writing well in advance of the application deadline is imperative. You need to give yourself time for high-quality research, reflection, and crafting. Finish a draft, walk away from it for a few days or a week, and then come back with fresh eyes. At any stage you may ask for feedback: outline, sketchy draft, full draft, or the I-think-it’s-complete draft.

5) Write for the Proper Audience

As with any piece of writing, it’s vital to write for a certain audience. In the case of fellowship applications, you must understand, possibly by reading between the lines, what the evaluators of the fellowship applications are looking for. This is not to say that you will simply tell them what they want to hear, but rather that you will highlight the specific components of your application that you know they have to or want to see included. You should also use language that the evaluator will understand, which likely does not include obscure jargon.

6) Seek Input from Advisors, Peers, and Past Winners

To create a competitive fellowship application, you need outside eyes and expertise. You can get feedback and tips from:

1. Your Research and/or Academic Advisor(s)

Your undergraduate or graduate advisor is the best person to read your statements and give you feedback from his or her perspective as a career researcher who has advised other fellowship applicants and winners. He or she may even be overseeing the project you have proposed in your application, in which case the feedback will be even more specific and useful. Your advisor is likely also writing you a letter of recommendation, so it’s a great idea to give him or her full awareness of what you’re proposing.

2. Other Research and/or Academic Mentors

You may reach out to other faculty or staff members at your current or past institutions to read and provide feedback on your fellowship application. Your university may even designate a specific faculty or staff member as a mentor for certain fellowship applications. Your current institution may hold workshops and seminars to guide you in your applications, which you should make every effort to attend.

3. Your Peers Applying for Fellowships

Forming a reading group for one or more specific fellowship applications is among the most powerful steps you can do to take your application from ordinary to extraordinary. Your group should be composed of your peers of a similar stage and field who are applying to one or more of the same fellowships. You should agree on deadlines for producing outlines and drafts of your statements and read one another’s work at one or more of the stages to help one another improve the ideas and writing therein.

4. Prior Fellowship Winners

You can learn from the past awardees of the fellowships you are applying to. The first network to tap is your personal one: your friends and (older) peers from your college or graduate school who have previously won the fellowship you are applying to. You can also search for advice from fellowship winners online. Ask these winners to share their tips with you, in particular anything that is unique to that one fellowship. Some past winners may even share their statements with you as a model, but if you do read them be quite careful to avoid even inadvertent plagiarism.

7) Finalize Your Fellowship Application

Once you have incorporated the feedback you receive from your mentors and peers, it’s time to finalize your statements and application. Follow all formatting specifications precisely, and even beyond that format your statements so that they are easy to for the evaluators to read.

Be sure to proofread the final version of your statements carefully. While you can complete this step yourself, it is probably even better to ask a friend or family member who has not yet read your statement to go through it with fresh eyes to catch any grammatical, spelling, or formatting mistakes. You might even be able to use your university’s writing center for this step.

Again, don’t wait to the last minute to load your application materials into the application portal. Do this a couple of days in advance of the deadline so you can be sure you have prepared all the materials properly. Finally, you’re ready to submit!

The main advice in this section is to give your application plenty of time and careful attention and to ask for feedback from anyone willing to give it to you!

How to Be an Excellent Fellowship Applicant

This last subject is arguably the most important one of this entire article. Submitting a large number of marvelously written fellowship applications will not propel a weak applicant to success. That is to say, prior to and concurrently with searching out and applying for fellowships, you should also take steps to increase your strength as an applicant.

Of course, fellowships vary in what they look for in a candidate. But there are commonalities:

• Research experience with demonstrated results and/or deliverables (e.g., papers, posters, presentations, patents)
• High grades and test scores
• Strong and detailed letters of recommendation
• Community service
• Stand-out experiences
• Career commitment to research, teaching, service, etc. (whatever is in line with the ideals of the fellowship program)

It’s a great idea to keep track of accomplishment or activity you participate in throughout your college years and beyond with a few annotations about your contributions to draw upon when preparing fellowship applications.

At the end of the day, what makes you an excellent fellowship applicant has a great deal of overlap with what makes you an excellent undergraduate or graduate student or postdoc, effective researcher, and personable individual. Effort you put toward making yourself a stronger fellowship applicant will benefit many other areas of your life as well.

Join Our Phinancially Distinct Community

Receive 1-2 emails per week to help you take the next step with your finances.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Reader Interactions

September 23, 2020 at 10:10 pm

Just a note about the SMART fellowship: that range for the stipend is a little misleading. PhD students will get that max. value if they accept the full terms (i.e. full year worth of funding). Stipend should be same as/competitive with other federal grants, i.e. CSGF, NDSEG, GRFP, ~$3300/mo. One major benefit to SMART is the job security after graduation.

October 5, 2020 at 7:48 am

Thanks for the clarification!

[…] Further reading: How to Find, Apply for, and Win a Fellowship During Your PhD or Postdoc […]

[…] How to Find, Apply for, and Win a Fellowship During Your PhD or Postdoc […]

Sign Up for More Awesome Content

I'll send you my 2,500-word "Five Ways to Improve Your Finances TODAY as a Graduate Student or Postdoc."

Fellowships

Harvard Griffin GSAS provides resources for graduate students seeking short- or long-term funding support for research, language study, graduate school generally, and dissertation writing.

• Dissertation
• External Fellowships
• Internal Fellowships
• Maximizing Your Degree
• Before You Arrive
• First Weeks at Harvard
• Harvard Speak
• Pre-Arrival Resources for New International Students
• Alumni Council
• Student Engagement
• Applying to Degree Programs
• Applying to the Visiting Students Program
• Admissions Policies
• Cost of Attendance
• Express Interest
• Campus Safety
• Commencement
• Diversity & Inclusion Fellows
• Student Affinity Groups
• Recruitment and Outreach
• Budget Calculator
• Find Your Financial Aid Officer
• Funding and Aid
• Regulations Regarding Employment
• Financial Wellness
• Consumer Information
• Life Sciences
• Policies (Student Handbook)
• Student Center
• Title IX and Gender Equity

As a Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) student, you may be required or encouraged to find outside funding for projects and research. Harvard Griffin GSAS provides resources for graduate students seeking short- or long-term funding support for research, language study, graduate school generally, and dissertation writing. 

Plan Ahead 

Deadlines for fellowship competitions are usually in the academic year before the fellowship period. For example, if you’re looking for funding for the fall or spring, you will apply for fellowships the previous fall.  

Finding Fellowships 

The Fellowships & Writing Center provides guidance to students interested in applying for certain internal and external fellowship competitions. Harvard Griffin GSAS also maintains the  CARAT database , which contains information about additional fellowship opportunities and should be your first stop. CARAT allows you to search for fellowship opportunities by keyword, citizenship requirement, length of opportunity, stage in graduate school, and more. Through CARAT, you can find links to application materials for many internal fellowships, including those listed on the Harvard Griffin GSAS website, and instructions on how to apply. You can also search external databases for opportunities:  

• The University of Illinois Fellowship Finder  
• The UCLA Search for Graduate and Postdoc Funding
• The University of Chicago Fellowships Database 
• Online Guide to Scholarships & Resources for LGBTQIA+ College Students  

Getting Help 

In an individual consultation on your fellowship proposal, you will receive feedback and advice on how to articulate the significance of your fellowship project. If you would like a critique of your fellowship essay, please complete the  FWC intake form  and one of our writing specialists will read and return your essay with an offer to schedule an appointment with you to discuss the feedback. 

If you have a question about fellowships, please  sign up for an advising appointment  with Dr. Jeannette Miller. 

How do I apply for a fellowship? 

Every fellowship has specific criteria and application instructions, but as a general rule, most competitions ask for: 

• A fellowship proposal, explaining your research topic and what you plan to do if you are granted the fellowship 
• Recommendation letters 
• A budget of expenses you expect to incur, especially for fellowships requiring travel 
• Transcripts 
• A current CV, which includes a list of awards and fellowships you have won during your time as a graduate student, presentations, publications, and other relevant information. 

Plan your application well in advance by seeking out recommenders early, making sure you obtain official transcripts well ahead of deadlines, and drafting your proposal early to get as much feedback on it as possible. 

Fellowships & Writing Center

Share this page, explore events, related news.

Using Writing to Squash Your Inner Critic: Three Strategies

Have you ever sat down to write up a grant proposal, a conference abstract, or the next section of your dissertation and found yourself paralyzed by the blank page? This paralysis, known variously as blank page syndrome or writer’s block, can stem from many causes, but a common one is the intrusion of your inner critic. 

With Apologies to Rabbits

There’s often a fine line between letting research guide you and getting lost chasing ideas down rabbit holes. While I have never tried to catch a rabbit, I imagine it is (at least roughly) something like cutting through the underbrush, chasing a trail, following it to ground, and at long last finding that little gap in the earth where you should dig. 

How to Build a First Draft from an Outline

You’ve decided to write a paper or fellowship application, but now it’s time to start drafting. There are almost no sights more intimidating to an academic than a blank page that you hope will soon be filled with brilliant arguments and turns of phrase.

Meet the Writing Specialists!

The Fellowships & Writing Center is excited to introduce its cohort of postdoctoral fellows for the 2024–25 academic year. We welcome three new and two returning members to our team of specialists from across the disciplinary and geographical landscapes of the University. 

EXPLORE SMU

Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies

How to pay for a phd: fellowships for graduate students, research funding, and more.

If you've ever considered earning a doctorate, one of the questions you've undoubtedly asked yourself is "how will I pay for a PhD?" 

The good news is, most doctoral students receive fellowships and research funding from the their college or university, and are not directly responsible for paying for the majority of their PhD costs.

Fully Funded PhD Programs: What Makes them Possible?

Fully funded PhD programs allow doctoral students to focus exclusively on their studies and research, without having to hold a full time job to make ends meet. Full funding is often made possible through one or more fellowships or grants from the department, the graduate school, and other organizations. SMU currently has 55 Moody School funded PhD students.

SMU’s newest school, the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies , is able to offer a wide range of fellowships thanks, in large part, to a landmark $100 million endowment from the Moody Foundation. SMU's PhD programs cater to graduate students who want to engage in advanced, interdisciplinary, innovative studies, and data-driven research.  In this new chapter of our story, we leading the charge to discover technological solutions to the many local and global issues that challenge us as we move further into the 21 st century.

This endowment and the associated operational funds support…

• Graduate students
• SMU faculty, renowned visiting faculty, and deanships
• Leading scholars who conduct world-changing research
• Expansion of interdisciplinary research and development

“We cannot overstate the power and reach of this gift. This is a transformational moment for SMU and Dallas, signaling that SMU is a premier institution with the means to be a full partner in commercial and global problem-solving, and a pipeline for leaders to tackle those challenges." — R. Gerald Turner, SMU President

In addition to propelling SMU forward as a leading research institution, the Moody endowment has an untold impact on the Dallas community surrounding SMU. "As the Texas economy booms, companies and institutions look to universities like SMU for innovative ideas, data-driven research, and technology that can create opportunity,” Turner said. “The Moody School will be the portal to all of our resources — the entry point for any organization with a research challenge to approach the University for partnership.”

What Does the Moody Foundation Grant Mean for Graduate Students?

The Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies offers master’s and doctoral degrees that span many fields across four of SMU’s colleges and schools. These are the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, the Lyle School of Engineering, the Meadows School of the Arts, and the Simmons School of Education and Human Development.

In a purely practical sense, this remarkable donation opens new doors for graduate students seeking fellowships and grants. Students in each of the four colleges and schools noted above can apply for fellowships, grants, and research funding that advance the goals of SMU. Let’s explore each of these funding mechanisms and discuss how prospective SMU grad students can secure these forms of funding.

Fellowships for Graduate Students at SMU

Moody graduate fellowships.

Beginning with the Fall 2021 applicants, SMU will offer fellowships to a select group of PhD applicants. These fellowships reward applicants who show exceptional promise for academic success. They provide tuition waivers, health insurance, and pensions of $30,000 for up to five years.

Students who apply to a PhD program at SMU by the  priority deadline  are eligible for the Moody Graduate Fellowship. Each department may nominate only one candidate, and SMU will consider only candidates nominated by their department.

University PhD Fellowships

Exceptional PhD and students with PhD-equivalents qualify for a fellowship grant that can defray educational costs for up to five years, contingent on satisfactory progress toward the degree.

All students who apply to a PhD program by the priority deadline  are eligible for the University PhD Fellowship. Each department may nominate a limited number of candidates, and SMU will consider only candidates nominated by their department.

Mustang Fellowships

Mustang Fellowships help SMU improve the diversity of its graduate student population. These provide tuition waivers, health insurance, and pensions of $30,000 for up to five years for PhD students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and identify as diverse in their academic disciplines.

As a PhD program applicant, you’re invited to apply for this fellowship through a brief essay in your application. You should explain why your educational, cultural, geographic, or familial background will contribute to SMU’s graduate program diversity. Departments nominate candidates for the Mustang Fellowship as part of their application review process.

Moody Dissertation Fellowships

These fellowships recognize and support outstanding PhD students as they complete their dissertations. SMU reserves this award for PhD students in the dissertation-writing phase of their degrees. It is available for those whose research shows exceptional promise for impact in their field of study.

The awards provide tuition waivers, health insurance, and a stipend of $30,000 for one year. Recipients commit to develop and defend their dissertations in the fellowship year. Their departments must nominate students to be eligible for this fellowship.

Dean’s Dissertation Fellowships

These fellowships provide support to PhD students in the dissertation-writing phase of their degrees, allowing them to focus on completing and defending their dissertations. They provide tuition waiver, health insurance, and a stipend commensurate with the standard PhD stipend in their department. Recipients commit to complete and defend their dissertations in the fellowship year. Each department must nominate students to be eligible for this fellowship.

Grants for PhD Students at SMU

Graduate student travel grants.

Graduate students can receive up to $750 in reimbursement for travel expenses to present an accepted paper or poster at a conference. You can apply for a travel grant here.

SMU accepts travel grant applications year-round but awards only one grant per student each academic year. The department chair and the graduate advisor must sponsor each proposal. Note that travel grants cannot be awarded retroactively, you'll need to submit a proposal before you travel.

Dedman Graduate Student Assembly Funding

The Dedman College Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) provides funding for graduate students in each department of Dedman College. The GSA receives a portion of the student fees paid by the graduate students in Dedman College. Those funds circulate back to graduate students who receive small grants to cover certain expenses that range from $100 to a few hundred dollars.

Graduate students can use this funding to pay for thesis and dissertation related expenses, such as presenting a paper or poster at a convention, conference, or other graduate activity, attending conferences, and purchasing membership in professional organizations and journals. Grad students may apply before the funding is necessary, or for reimbursement up to 30 days after the activity. 

Begin Your Fully-Funded PhD Program at SMU

With more than 100 years of history to build on, the SMU community is excited for the next chapter of growth that has been made possible through the Moody Foundation. With growing enrollment numbers, the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies is already attracting the best students, staff, and faculty. Now, SMU and its graduate students are positioned to make even greater research contributions to our local Dallas community, our nation, and the world.

learn more about how

the new Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies is more committed than ever to helping grad students thrive.

Request more

Information.

Complete the form to reach out to us for more information

Published On

More articles, recommended articles for you, world-changing data science research and initiatives at smu make dallas an international hub for innovation.

The digital revolution is here, and Southern Methodist University is at the forefront. By investing...

Moody Graduate School Interview: Rachel Ball-Phillips, Ph.D. — Director of Graduate Fellowships and Awards

Being awarded a research fellowship is a key way to fund your graduate school research, while also...

Introducing the Ph.D. in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry

We are excited to introduce a brand-new ph.d. program at smu  .

The Ph.D. in Theoretical and...

Browse articles by topic

Subscribe to.

Google PhD fellowship program

Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD, as well as connect them to a Google Research Mentor.

Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology. Google’s mission is to foster inclusive research communities and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to apply. We currently offer fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.

Quick links

• Copy link ×

Program details

Application status, how to apply, research areas of focus, review criteria, award recipients.

Applications are currently closed.

Update on 2024 Announcement : Decisions for the 2024 application cycle, originally planned for July 2024, will now be announced via email in August 2024. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience as we work to finalize decisions.

• Launch March 27, 2024
• Deadline May 8, 2024
• Awardees Notified By Aug. 31, 2024

The details of each Fellowship vary by region. Please see our FAQ for eligibility requirements and application instructions.

PhD students must be nominated by their university. Applications should be submitted by an official representative of the university during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Australia and New Zealand

Canada and the United States

PhD students in Japan, Korea and Taiwan must be nominated by their university. After the university's nomination is completed, either an official representative of the university or the nominated students can submit applications during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

India and Southeast Asia

PhD students apply directly during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Latin America

The 2024 application cycle is postponed. Please check back in 2025 for details on future application cycles.

Google PhD Fellowship students are a select group recognized by Google researchers and their institutions as some of the most promising young academics in the world. The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the fields listed below. Note that region-specific research areas will be listed in application forms during the application window.

Algorithms and Theory

Distributed Systems and Parallel Computing

Health and Bioscience

Human-Computer Interaction and Visualization

Machine Intelligence

Machine Perception

Natural Language Processing

Quantum Computing

Security, Privacy and Abuse Prevention

Software Engineering

Software Systems

Speech Processing

Applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential. Research proposals are evaluated for innovative concepts that are relevant to Google’s research areas, as well as aspects of robustness and potential impact to the field. Proposals should include the direction and any plans of where your work is going in addition to a comprehensive description of the research you are pursuing.

In Canada and the United States, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

What does the Google PhD Fellowship include?

Students receive named Fellowships which include a monetary award. The funds are given directly to the university to be distributed to cover the student’s expenses and stipend as appropriate. In addition, the student will be matched with a Google Research Mentor. There is no employee relationship between the student and Google as a result of receiving the fellowship. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If students wish to apply for a job at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $12K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor
• 1 year Fellowship
• AUD $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• Full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment
• US $10K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Yearly bursary towards stipend / salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel and personal computing equipment. The bursary varies by country.

Early-stage PhD students

• Up to 4 year Fellowship
• US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Late-stage PhD students

• US $10K to recognise research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• US $15K per year to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Southeast Asia

• US $10K per year for up to 3 years (or up to graduation, whichever is earlier) to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Is my university eligible for the PhD Fellowship Program?

Africa, Australia/New Zealand , Canada, East Asia, Europe and the United States : universities must be an accredited research institution that awards research degrees to PhD students in computer science (or an adjacent field).

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open to universities/institutes in India, Latin America (excluding Cuba), and in eligible Southeast Asian countries/regions (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).

Restrictions : All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.

What are the eligibility requirements for students?

All regions

• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees from the PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.
• Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
• Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.

Nominated students in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the United States, East Asia and Europe.

Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements:

• Africa: Incoming PhD students are eligible to apply, but the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
• Australia and New Zealand : early-stage students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).
• Canada and the United States : students who have completed graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
• East Asia: students who have completed most of graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins. Students should have sufficient time for research projects after receiving a fellowship.
• Europe: Students enrolled at any stage of their PhD are eligible to apply.

Direct applicant students in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia

• Latin America : incoming or early stage-students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).

What should be included in an application? What language should the application be in?

All application materials should be submitted in English.

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

• Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (1-page) resume/CV of the student's primary PhD program advisor
• Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
• Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee''s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: What impact would receiving this Fellowship have on your education? Describe any circumstances affecting your need for a Fellowship and what educational goals this Fellowship will enable you to accomplish.
• Transcripts of current and previous academic records
• 1-2 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)

Canada, East Asia, the United States

• Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
• Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
• Research / dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. (A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?)

Students will need the following documents in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file in order to complete an application (in English only):

• Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: What are your long-term goals for your pathway in computing research, and how would receiving the Google PhD Fellowship help you progress toward those goals in the short-term?

How do I apply for the PhD Fellowship Program? Who should submit the applications? Can students apply directly for a Fellowship?

Check the eligibility and application requirements in your region before applying. Submission forms are available on this page when the application period begins.

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: students may apply directly during the application period.

Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States : students cannot apply directly to the program; they must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period.

How many students may each university nominate?

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open directly to students with no limit to the number of students that can apply from a university.

Australia and New Zealand : universities may nominate up to two eligible students.

Canada and the United States : Universities may nominate up to four eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage additional nominees who self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability.

Africa, East Asia and Europe : Universities may nominate up to three eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage the additional nominee who self-identifies as a woman.

*Applications are evaluated on merit. Please see FAQ for details on how applications are evaluated.

How are applications evaluated?

In Canada and the United State, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.

Research should align with Google AI Principles .

Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

How are Google PhD Fellowships given?

Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow's university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.

What are the intellectual property implications of a Google PhD Fellowship?

Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. If that is the case, they are subject to the same intellectual property restrictions as any other Google intern.

Will the Fellowship recipients become employees of Google?

No, Fellowship recipients do not become employees of Google due to receiving the award. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If they are interested in working at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

Can Fellowship recipients also be considered for other Google scholarships?

Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships .

After award notification, when do the Google PhD Fellowships begin?

After Google PhD Fellowship recipients are notified, the Fellowship is effective starting the following school year.

What is the program application time period?

Applications for the 2024 program will open in March 2024 and close in May 2024 for all regions. Refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page for each region’s application details.

A global awards announcement will be made in September on the Google Research Blog publicly announcing all award recipients.

How can I ask additional questions?

Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to questions where the answer is available on the website. If your question has not been answered by a FAQ, email:

Africa: [email protected]

Australia and New Zealand: [email protected]

Canada and the United States: [email protected]

East Asia: [email protected]

Europe: [email protected]

India: [email protected]

Latin America: [email protected]

Southeast Asia: [email protected]

See past PhD Fellowship recipients.

Discover our collection of tools and resources

Browse our library of open source projects, public datasets, APIs and more to find the tools you need to tackle your next challenge or fuel your next breakthrough.

• Universities

Application Instructions

• application process

Fellow Selection

Access the Application

Thank you for your interest in The National GEM Consortium’s graduate engineering and science fellowship programs.

You may register and begin the application process via eGEM , GEM’s online application system.

If you have started an application, log in to retrieve it.

• eGEM APPLICATION PORTAL

Application Process

Registering with eGEM creates an account that allows you to work on your application securely, to save draft work, and return later to complete and submit online. After registering, you will receive an e-mail confirmation with information for later use.

After registering, you will be taken to the application form. Answer the questions carefully and accurately and include your resume and unofficial transcript. You will need to have your employment and educational history (and if applicable information on research experiences) handy to complete the questionnaire. If you cannot answer all the required questions, you can save your draft application and return to the application later to complete.

Note on GRE Scores: You are not required to submit your official GRE Score Report by the application deadline. However you are required to answer all of the questions as prompted about the GRE in your eGEM application. If you have taken the GRE you can self report your scores and scan and upload your score report. If selected for the fellowship, GEM will request to have an official GRE score report on file. If you choose to have your official report sent to GEM (not required), our code is 1305 (listed under the state of Indiana).

Remember, GEM applicants are required to apply to at least 3 GEM Member Universities. GEM wants to ensure that you have all necessary requirements to meet all 3 University’s application requirements. Although not required, we strongly recommend that you take the GRE.

GEM waives the requirement to apply to 3 GEM universities only if you are currently ENROLLED and MATRICULATING in a Master/PhD engineering or applied science program at a current GEM member university. To ultimately be confirmed as a GEM Fellow, your current matriculating university MUST provide confirmation of their willingness to sponsor you as a GEM Fellow. If you are selected by a GEM employer sponsor for GEM Fellow support, the university will be notified that confirmation of full sponsorship up to 2 years for MS Fellows and 5 years for PhD Fellows is required to confirm an applicant as a GEM Fellow.

Requires you to submit supplemental material:

• Statement of Purpose – You must submit at least a one page statement of purpose that outlines your academic, research and/or career goals by 11:59 PM Eastern on the second Friday in November. For tips go to www.statementofpurpose.com.
• Letters of Recommendation – Request three letters of recommendation and ensure that you have entered in your recommender’s email addresses to ensure submission by the second Friday in November. Please make sure at least one recommendation is from a faculty member. When you hit “submit” on your on-line application, your recommenders will receive an automatic email from the GEM application system. We will not accept letters via email or via postal mail. At least two of your recommenders must submit their recommendations on-line by 11:59 PM Eastern on the second Friday in November.
• Note our recommendation is 17 questions which the recommender rates the applicant.  The recommender have the option to upload a letter of recommendation on the candidate’s behalf. However, a letter or comment, while strongly beneficial to the applicant, is completely optional.

Review your application and submit online. At time of application, you will be asked to upload unofficial transcript(s) only.

Process and Schedule

We continue to develop the GEM application process to make it as manageable and efficient for all parties involved. We appreciate your interest in GEM and will do our best to make your relationship with us be a positive one. We have a number of people involved in the application process. GEM Recruiters, Alumni, Minority Engineering Program Administrators, and Employer and University Members assist in recruiting students. This page has several types of information regarding the application process.

If you have other questions about this process, please contact us.

Schedule for Cycle

Additional information.

The GEM Office is responsible for soliciting, screening, and processing applications. Applications received by the submission deadline are screened and certified for eligibility. Those approved for fellowship consideration are forwarded to the GEM Selection Committee. Applications and application materials received after the submission date are not eligible for consideration. Students are matched to Employer members based on compatibility. The GEM Office notifies all applicants of their award status.

Award Notification

Selected applicants are sent a notification of GEM Employer sponsorship and are asked to complete three forms: Student Acceptance Agreement, Code of Conduct, and University Support Confirmation Agreement. The Student Acceptance Agreement is a contract between GEM and the student that specifies the Fellow will pursue and complete their degree under the terms and conditions as outlined in this Agreement. The applicant becomes a GEM Fellow once all forms are signed and submitted to the GEM National Office along with an OFFICIAL transcript from their current or last university attended.

GEM Consortium Members place applicants not selected on a list for possible later selection. All GEM Consortium Members receive lists of certified applicants not selected initially for GEM Fellowship awards. These applicants may be contacted directly by GEM Consortium Members for a future GEM Fellowship, to be named a GEM University or Associate Fellow, or possibly other educational or employment opportunities.

Graduate Admission

GEM Fellowship awards are only valid at GEM Member Universities, and each GEM University exercises its own admission requirements and standards which are independent of the GEM Fellowship requirements and standards. Applicants who are seniors or who have baccalaureate degrees must apply for graduate admission to GEM Universities at the same time they submit their application materials to the GEM Office.

Graduate Enrollment

The MS Engineering Fellowship requires a student to pursue a master’s degree in the same or related discipline in which they complete their undergraduate degree. Minor variations are permitted if specified on the fellowship application and approved by the GEM Employer Member; however, the length and level of funding associated with the award remains the same. Note, if a change in major requires a lengthier academic program to satisfy deficiencies or prerequisites, this is not a sufficient condition or justification for extending a fellow’s funding or granting a waiver of summer internship requirements.

Academic Requirements

Ms engineering program applicants:.

• must be a senior, or graduate of an accredited engineering or computer science program at the time of application, and
• must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8/4.0.

PhD Program Applicants:

• must be a senior, masters student, or graduate of an accredited engineering or applied science program at the time of application, and
• must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0/4.0.

Internship Requirements

• MS Fellows are required to intern for a GEM Employer Member the summer immediately following selection, up until the MS requirements are completed.
• PhD fellows are required to intern once for a GEM Employer Member, the summer immediately following selection. Applicants who are unable to intern are highly unlikely to be selected for the GEM Fellowship.

Knowingly providing false information may result in termination of the GEM fellowship.

• How To Get A Marie Curie Fellowship – A Complete Guide
• Funding a PhD

Getting a research fellowship goes beyond monetary grants and funding. A comprehensive fellowship program looks at your overall growth. You gain invaluable exposure through cross-border knowledge exchange and cross-sector mobility. You network extensively with like-minded researchers, and at the end, you develop employable skills that create breakthroughs in your field of work.

If you have been looking for a PhD grant that supports these ambitious dreams, the Marie Curie Fellowship could be for you. In this guide, you will find information on its funding, eligibility criteria and application process that will help you understand the grant and submit a successful fellowship application.

Marie Curie PhD Grant – What You Should Know?

The Marie Curie PhD grant is offered by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), a research support group created by the European Union (EU). The grant offers well-remunerated fellowship opportunities at top research facilities across Europe. It also provides excellent exposure to working in both academic and non-academic sectors.

Besides funding, the Marie Curie Individual Fellowships encourage communication, dissemination, and public engagement to facilitate independent thinking and leadership qualities. Every researcher goes through a series of training, seminars and workshops directed towards widening their research competencies.

At its core, the Marie Curie Fellowship aims to provide the following,

• Take multidisciplinary approaches to individual research and innovation.
• Empower researchers to respond to current and future challenges in their field.
• Allow researchers to have exposure to both academic and non-academic areas.
• Translate theoretical knowledge into tangible products and services.
• Develop research experience and employable skills transferable across industries and sectors.

Ultimately, the mission is to have researchers move from being academically centred to being better prepared for employability in public and private sectors.

You can hear about the experiences of past Marie Curie Individual Fellowship researchers in the below video interview:

Marie Curie Fellowship Activities & Training Program

The fellowship makes sure that its activities aren’t limited to monetary exchange. Instead, it takes a holistic and result-driven approach to research. Therefore, even though researchers in different fields set out on different tangents, they all go through a series of general activities which includes the following:

Career Development Plan

Every individual researcher works in tandem with the supervisor to sketch out a career development plan that defines their research objectives.

It also plans out their training program in a way that aligns with their career needs. Besides these core objectives, a career development plan schedules the production of research publications and conference participation.

Along with attending conferences, researchers get multiple networking opportunities to grow their network such as,

• Engaging in workshops.
• Being a part of network meetings.
• Collaborating with other individual researchers.
• Meeting with participating organisations and beneficiaries to understand their objectives.

At the end of the training period, every researcher must organise a networking event where they share their research outcomes and forge strong partnerships with fellow researchers.

Public Engagement

After you have successfully published your research, it is time to publicise your work. The Marie Curie fellowship allows you to promote your work in front of the public, raising awareness about the research you have done. This not only gets the word out but also allows people to understand the impact of your research on society.

Public engagement forums can take the form of conferences, presentations at schools and universities and participation in research festivals.

One such noteworthy event is the European Researchers’ Night (NIGHT) which is held in September, all across Europe. The event is organised to encourage young minds to take an interest in academia and pursue a successful career in it.

Marie Curie Fellowship Eligibility

The Marie Curie Fellowship accepts PhD applications across all disciplines, irrespective of nationalities. The beneficiaries and partner organisations assign projects for every training network beforehand. Prospective students need to look out for a project that interests them and submit an application.

The eligibility criteria for most projects are as follows,

• Relevant Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification that demonstrates your suitability to undertake a doctoral degree.
• Transcript of grades.
• CV showcasing previous work experience and publications.
• Cover letter explaining why your candidature is the best fit for that project.
• Letter of recommendation or two contact references.
• Certificate of language proficiency, if required by the particular discipline.

Marie Curie Fellowship Funding

Most of your expenses are financed throughout the duration of your project. The funding covers the full cost of accommodation and travel. Besides that, you are also given a monthly living allowance.

Depending on your financial conditions, you may also apply for ‘Family Allowance’ and ‘Mobility Allowance’.

Monthly Living Allowance

Beneficiaries pay you living allowance every month in instalments. The allowance depends upon the country you will study and work in. However, for fellowships starting in 2020, this can be up to €4,880 per month.

Mobility Allowance

The costs that include your travel and other related expenses fall under mobility allowance. For fellowships starting in 2020, this can be up to €600 per month.

Family Allowance

Applicants are eligible for a €500 per month family allowance if they have a family, regardless of whether the family moves with them.

Having a family is proven by one of the following,

• Marriage certificate.
• A formal relationship status which stands equal to that of marriage in another region or country.
• Dependent children.

Marie Curie Fellowship Successful Application – Getting Started

The race to getting a PhD grant is highly competitive. Submitting a well-written proposal is not enough to make the cut. What you need to understand is the priorities of the European Commission and the thinking philosophy of the evaluators.

Structure of Application

The proposal comprises two parts – Administrative form (Part A) & Research proposal (Part B)

I) General information

Write the title of the proposal and define a project acronym. You should also include keywords related to your project and a 2000-character abstract for this section.

II) Administrative data of participating organisations

Specify contact information of the host department and the supervisor. Also, add your own information along with your Researcher ID, if you have one.

III) Budget

Once you fill in the duration of your project, cost to the researcher and the host institution, the budget is calculated automatically.

Ethics assessment is a self-declaration. It requires the applicants to fill in an “ethics issue table”.

I) Excellence

Shed light on the quality, originality and credibility of your research. It should start with an introduction, a description, research aim and an overview of the action. You should also mention the research methodology and approach.

Explain how your research will help make advancement in your field. Explore the mutual benefit opportunity you and your host organisation will receive.

Explore the level of impact that your project will have, first on your research career and second on the European economy and society.

Your proposal should also demonstrate that your project will help advance research and make the research profession popular in the mainstream career.

III) Implementation

This section deals with the allocation of tasks and resources regarding project deliverables and milestones.

Browse PhDs Now

Join thousands of students.

Join thousands of other students and stay up to date with the latest PhD programmes, funding opportunities and advice.

• Clinical Track
• Nephrology / Critical Care Medicine Track
• Nephrology / Palliative Care Medicine Track
• Yale Nephrology Research Fellowship
• Advanced Transplant Nephrology Track
• Customizing Your Education
• Current Fellows and Graduate Information
• Diversity & Inclusion in Yale Nephrology
• American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Conferences
• Administrative Resources
• Past Events
• Patient Care
• August 2023
• Inherited Diseases of the Kidney
• Glomerular Disease
• Acute Kidney Injury
• Interventional Data Science
• Kidney Transport and Stone Disease
• Interstitial Nephritis
• Kidney Transplantation
• Kidney Tubule Bioengineering
• Clinical Trials
• Summer Research
• Research Faculty
• Current Fellows
• Support Staff
• Research Resources

INFORMATION FOR

• Residents & Fellows
• Researchers

Nephrology Fellowship Programs

To become a specialist in kidney health, disease, and transplant, aspiring nephrologists should complete a fellowship. Many medical schools around the globe offer these educational opportunities and programs vary across institutions. Yale Nephrology offers four tracks within the nephrology fellowship, along with an additional year of training in transplant nephrology.

At Yale, we mentor our fellows to help them achieve all they want in their careers – whether it be in a career clinical practice, education, research, or transplant. Our fellows learn at one of the largest tertiary care hospitals and most prestigious medical schools in the country.

Yale Nephrology Fellowship

Why complete a nephrology fellowship, what training will i receive as part of the yale nephrology program, how long is a nephrology fellowship, why consider yale’s program, what is the salary for yale nephrology fellows, how do i apply.

If you are interested in becoming a specialist in kidney care, research, and/or transplant, completing extra training in nephrology is a necessary next step. Nephrology fellowship education programs at Yale School of Medicine offer a unique learning environment in a collegial, supportive program with internationally renowned faculty. All four nephrology programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Trainees are also able to apply for an additional year of training for kidney transplantation if they choose.

As a fellow, you train at Yale School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital, at area outpatient home and in-center dialysis centers, and at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in nearby West Haven.

You will care for patients with the wide-ranging conditions, in inpatient and outpatient settings such as:

• Acute kidney injury
• Critical Illness
• Chronic kidney disease
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Electrolyte disorders
• Glomerular diseases
• Hypertension
• Pregnancy and Kidney Disease
• Onco-Nephrology
• Kidney transplant
• Inherited kidney diseases

As a research fellow, you have full access to Yale core research facilities. Yale Nephrology has a long history of training nephrology fellows to become preeminent physician scientists around the globe, regardless of previous background research experience. Research opportunities for fellows are available in both basic and translational research programs and are successful because of the deep commitment to mentorship long held at Yale.

Nephrology fellowships range from two to three years, based on interest area. Yale offers the following fellowship tracks:

• Two-year Clinical Track
• Three-year Combined Nephrology / Critical Care Medicine Track
• Two-year Combined Clinical Nephrology / Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine Track
• Three-year (or more) Research Track
• Advanced Clinical Training in Transplant Nephrology

If your career plans are not yet solidified, or you change your focus after you get to Yale and are exposed to aspects of research you find exciting and wish to pursue, you may apply to switch from the clinical track to the research track after your first year.

In addition, if you are interested in global health, you can complete a Global Health rotation with our partners in Kampala, Uganda during your second year of fellowship in conjunction with the Department of Internal Medicine’s Office of Global Health.

We pride ourselves on training the future leaders in nephrology – some who wish to excel in clinical practice and others who wish to lead the country in nephrology education or basic and translational research. We see our mission as a global one, and recognize the importance of having our fellows be representative of that mission and purpose.

John P. Peters, MD, the founder of the metabolism section at Yale, has been synonymous with nephrology research and education. Many of the great leaders in nephrology around the globe have been trained by him or one of his trainees. He spent his entire career at Yale, and every year at the annual American Society of Nephrology meeting, the prestigious John P. Peters Award is given to a person who has made substantial contributions to the discipline of nephrology and have had ongoing achievement in academic clinical care, education, and leadership. Learn more about the section’s founding and significant growth .

Over a hundred years later, Yale Nephrology is thriving. We have grown and changed with the times, but have maintained Dr. Peters’ mission of excellence in nephrology education, clinical practice, patient advocacy, and research. Yale is a unique place—excellence in patient care, clinical training, and research opportunities are matched by a supportive faculty who prioritize the growth and success of our fellows.

We offer competitive salaries and benefits to all nephrology fellows. The annual salary for the 2024-2025 academic year is below. If you have additional questions about salary and benefits, please contact our Fellowship Manager.

Yale Salaries 2024 - 2025

Application to any of the two- or three-year nephrology tracks is done exclusively through The National Resident Matching Program® using the ERAS portal. Any questions about the application process should be directed to our fellowship coordinator Deepa Babu via email.

For the transplant nephrology track, please send a personal statement (one page maximum), CV, and two letters of recommendation to William Asch, MD, PhD, via email . Successful completion of a general nephrology fellowship in an ACGME-accredited program is required.

Fellowship Program Leadership

Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship

Professor of Medicine (Nephrology); Training Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship

Associate Program Director, Nephrology Fellowship

Assistant Professor of Medicine (Nephrology); Associate Program Director - Nephrology Fellowship, Internal Medicine

Program Director, Transplant Nephrology

Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology); Program Director, Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program, Internal Medicine; Director of Pre-Transplant Operations, Internal Medicine

Fellowship Coordinator

Senior Administrative Assistant

• Search SF State Search SF State Button SF State This Site

Department of Defense (DOD) - National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship

Fellowships Office

Fellowships Explained

Search for Fellowships

Graduate Fellowships Hub

CSU Programs for PhD-Bound Students

Make an Appointment

Please consult the program website to confirm details, including applicable deadlines.

Visit Program Website Here

Program Purpose: 

The Department of Defense is committed to increasing the number and quality of our nation's scientists and engineers. As a means of increasing the number of U.S, citizens and nationals trained in science and engineering disciplines of military importance, the DOD plans to award approximately 200 new three-year graduate fellowships annually.

Program Description: 

The DOD's National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship is a highly competitive, portable fellowship for those who intend to pursue a PhD in science and engineering in one of the 15 supported disciplines of research interest to the DOD. The Program supports approximately 8,000 graduate students annually. The NDSEG confers high honors upon its recipients, and allows them to attend whichever U.S. institution they choose, and engage in fundamental studies under the leadership of a senior researcher.

Supported Fields: 

Supported fields are: aeronautical and astronautical engineering; biosciences; chemical engineering; chemistry; civil engineering; cognitive, neural, and behavioral sciences; computer and computational sciences; electrical engineering; geosciences; materials science and engineering; mathematics; mechanical engineering; naval architecture and ocean engineering; oceanography; physics.

Program Benefits: 

NDSEG Fellowships last for three years and pay for full tuition and all mandatory fees, a monthly stipend, and up to $1,000 a year in medical insurance. The stipend for each of the 3 years is at the following rates: $30,500 for the first year, $31,000 for the second year, and $31,500 for the third year. Fellows also receive up to $1,000 per year for medical insurance. Fellows must be enrolled in coursework or engage in research activity during the summer months. Persons with disabilities may receive additional special educational expenses.

Applicant Profile: 

These fellowships are offered to individuals with a demonstrated ability and special aptitude for advanced training in science and engineering. Applications are encouraged from women, persons with disabilities, and members of ethnic and racial minority groups – including African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic or Latino persons – that have been underrepresented in science and engineering fields.

Eligibility: 

Graduating seniors or graduate students in the first or second year of a Ph.D., or master's, program.

Citizenship: 

U.S. citizens or nationals.

Program Deadline: 

Usually mid-December.

How To Apply: 

Students or alumni, as applicable, may apply directly to this program. Applicants are encouraged, however, to work with SF State's fellowship advisor well in advance of the program deadline to perfect their application essays and other materials.

Resources for Applicants

• Applicants Share Their Experiences
• Becoming a Strong Candidate
• Meet Our Fellows
• Campus Deadlines
• Contribute to This Site

Why Should You Apply for a Fulbright?

• Fulbright Program Video

Quick Links

• Funding for Admitted Students
• Scholarships Search Strategy
• Financial Aid - Scholarships Search
• Study Abroad
• Financing Study Abroad
• Transcripts

Dr. Joy Viveros Director  

Phone:  415 . 405.2128 Reception:  Grad Stop, ADM 250  1600 Holloway Avenue San Francisco, CA 94132 Email:   [email protected]

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: (415) 405-2128

Office Hours

• Graduate Studies
• Career & Leadership Development

What is a Fellow Doctor? Understanding Medical Fellowships

• By Med School Insiders
• October 26, 2022
• Doctor , Doctor Journey , Specialty

What is a fellow doctor? Premed, resident, fellow, attending—there are a lot of different names for doctors and soon-to-be doctors, and it all depends on where they are in their medical training.

So, what does it mean if a doctor is a fellow, and what are the benefits of pursuing a fellowship? In this post, we’ll answer those questions and break down the different terminology used to describe medical students, trainees, and doctors.

What is a Fellow Doctor?

A fellow doctor is a physician who has pursued additional, optional training in a subspecialty of medicine, known as a fellowship. Fellow doctors have completed both medical school and residency and are fully credentialed physicians. Pursuing a fellowship for an additional 1-3 years after residency allows them to become experts in a particular subspecialty of medicine.

For example, a doctor may complete residency and go into practice as a fully credentialed physician in general internal medicine. However, instead of going into practice, they may elect to pursue a fellowship to train in a subspecialty of internal medicine, such as cardiovascular disease (heart and vascular system), hematology (blood), nephrology (kidneys), and many others. During this training, they are known as a fellow doctor, and once they complete their fellowship, they are known as a fellowship-trained doctor.

What is a Medical Fellowship?

What is the difference between a fellow and a fellowship? A fellow is a doctor who is currently in training for a subspecialty. The training is known as the fellowship, and it typically takes between 1-3 years, depending on the subspecialty. A fellowship only occurs after a doctor has completed medical school and residency, and it is completely optional. Doctors do not need to pursue a fellowship in order to practice medicine, but they are necessary for training in a subspecialty.

Fellowships are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to ensure they meet standards for US graduate medical education. In 2021-2022, the ACGME accredited 871 institutions for 182 specialties and subspecialties.

The physician training process begins when medical school graduates enter a residency program in a specific specialty, such as internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, or pediatrics. Completing residency in a specialty allows that physician to enter a fellowship for subspecialization training within that specialty.

For example, doctors who specialize in general surgery during their residency training may pursue a fellowship in subspecialties, including hand surgery, pediatric surgery, vascular surgery, colon and rectal surgery, or plastic and reconstructive surgery. During a fellowship program, a fellow subspecializing in hand surgery may participate in hundreds of hand surgeries throughout their training to earn their subspecialty.

Likewise, doctors of the specialty obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) may subspecialize in reproductive endocrinology, maternal fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, or female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery through a medical fellowship.

What Are the Benefits of Pursuing a Medical Fellowship?

Pursuing a medical fellowship is becoming more and more common each year. Doctors may choose to subspecialize through a fellowship for many reasons, but the choice to do so is ultimately a personal one.

There are extra costs involved in pursuing fellowship training. Fellows have a lower salary than doctors who go directly into private practice. They also spend more time pursuing training. After 4 years of medical school and 3-7 years of residency, fellows then spend an additional 1-3 years training in their subspecialty.

Despite the cost and extra training, there are many benefits to becoming a fellow doctor. The only way to pursue a career in many subspecialties is through fellowship training. Fellow doctors are able to achieve specific career goals by becoming an expert in their specific subspecialty of choice. Through intensive fellowship training, they develop skills that would otherwise take many years to develop in a private practice setting.

Fellowship-trained doctors are highly sought-after due to the general shortage of subspecializing doctors, which means they often have their choice of job opportunities upon completing their fellowship.

General physicians and surgeons must refer critical cases to fellowship-trained doctors of all subspecialties. However, fellow doctors in many subspecialties may be in short supply, and patients may experience long wait times to see a subspecialist who can help them.

Fellow vs. Resident Doctor: How Do They Differ?

What is the difference between a resident and fellow doctor? To begin with, all doctors must complete a residency before becoming certified and credentialed physicians, including those who go on to become fellow doctors. Not all resident doctors will become fellow doctors, as fellowship training is optional. It’s pursued by doctors who have already completed their residency and wish to pursue a specific subspecialty.

Here are the other ways resident doctors differ from fellow doctors.

1 | Amount of Training

Both residents and fellow doctors completed 4 years of medical school. Next, residency training lasts anywhere from 3-7 years, depending on the specialty. For example, residency in family medicine lasts 3 years, but residency in neurosurgery lasts 7 years.

Fellow doctors receive an additional 1-3 years of training after their residency training. The amount of training depends on the subspecialty and the program offering the fellowship. The American Medical Association offers a database of all accredited residency and fellowship programs.

2 | Credentials and Status

A resident has not yet completed the training required to become a board-certified and fully credentialed physician. Therefore, they are not a full doctor and are supervised by attending physicians throughout their residency. They may participate in the care of a patient, but their supervisor, the attending physician, is ultimately in charge of the patient’s care.

However, a fellow doctor has already completed their residency training and is a fully certified physician. They can consult in their subspecialty and can also act as attending physicians and supervise residents.

The American Medical Association reports that the average resident earns about $60,000 per year. Fellow doctors earn a similar but possibly higher salary.

Fellowship-trained doctors can be highly sought-after, and it’s possible for them to make hundreds of thousands of dollars more than a physician who only completed residency and not a fellowship.

A fellow doctor’s salary also depends on their specialty or subspecialty, city, country, and institution of employment. Detailed salary information for all types of doctors, specialists, and subspecialists is reported on through the Medscape Physician Compensation Report .

Learn about the top Doctor Specialties with the Highest Hourly Rate .

The Complete Doctor Journey

Becoming a doctor , especially a fellowship-trained doctor practicing in a subspecialty, is quite the endeavor. They will pass through many different phases and have several different titles throughout their journey.

All future doctors must begin with a bachelor’s degree. Premed is not a major ; instead, it’s a term used to describe students who intend to apply to medical school after college. If you’re planning to apply to medical school after earning your bachelor’s degree, you must take several prerequisites in order to qualify, such as biology, physics, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, English, and math.

2 | Medical Student

Medical school generally lasts 4 years. Students in medical school are either pursuing a degree as a doctor of medicine or a doctor of osteopathy. During the first 2 years, medical school is primarily based in the classroom. During the final 2 years, med students spend more time in the hospital and clinic, getting hands-on training.

3 | Resident

Physicians will complete rotations and training in their specialty for an additional 2-7 years during residency. Throughout this time, residents are supervised by a certified physician, known as an attending physician, who is ultimately in charge of patient care. Under their supervision, the resident performs medical exams and procedures as part of patient care. Ultimately, a resident program prepares a resident doctor for their certification so that they may become a practicing doctor.

4 | (Optional) Fellows

After completing residency, a physician can earn their certification and become a professional, practicing doctor. Alternatively, they may choose to pursue additional training in a subspecialty through a fellowship. The fellow is a fully credentialed physician who chooses to pursue additional training. The fellowship is optional but necessary for practicing in a subspecialty.

5 | Attendings

Attending physicians are fully credentialed doctors. The term ‘attending physician’ is typically used in supervision situations to distinguish the supervising doctors from those who are still completing their training and may not yet practice independently.

Find Success Wherever Your Doctor Journey Takes You

The Med School Insiders blog is filled with hundreds of articles that are continually updated with the most recent and accurate information for college, premed, and medical students.

If you’re a medical student trying to choose a specialty or subspecialty, check out our So You What to Be… series, which provides insight into what it’s like to pursue different specialties. We have dozens of articles/videos, and we’re always adding more. If you don’t see a specialty you’re interested in, leave a comment below to make a request.

Med School Insiders

Updated 2024: Top 10 Most Competitive Specialties in Medicine

Based on brand new data from the 2024 NRMP Charting Outcomes, we meticulously reassessed the most competitive specialties.

What’s the Fastest Way to Become a Doctor?

We break down the fastest way to become a doctor, as well as the steps you need to take all the way from high school to residency.

Operating Room Roles: Who Are the Surgical Team Members?

There’s an entire healthcare team behind every surgery that ensures the patient is cared for when they’re under the knife. These are all of the essential roles.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

• Opportunities
• PhD Stories

Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship: How to apply and what to expect

• Posted by by Mónica Fernández Barcia
• 15. December 2019
• 7 minute read

Thinking about doing your PhD abroad and looking for funding? Curious about research beyond the horizon of traditional academic institutions? Then the Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship for Early Stage Researchers (ESR) in Europe might be just the right fit for you.

If you had told me, four years ago, that I would now be in Germany, about to defend my PhD thesis, I would not have believed you. For years, I was told I had no future in research. To do something else. That a PhD was not for me.

I studied in a master’s program designed to prepare me for academic research. My mind, however, was set on getting a job in industry as soon as possible. After all, I was told that research was not for me.

A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for. Grace Hopper, computer science pioneer

I found the right person, the right professor, who would become my master’s thesis supervisor. He encouraged me to continue with what I wanted to do: research. He suggested a position and I ended up applying for a Marie Skłodowska -Curie PhD fellowship (an “Early Stage Researcher” or ESR position). This made all the difference.

Find Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD positions

As in my case, communication by word of mouth is often the most effective way to find an open ESR PhD position. However, you can find these positions also on websites, such as EURAXESS , MCAA Jobs , or jobs.ac.uk , or directly on the websites of the institution(s) at which the PhD training will take place.

Who can apply?

To be suited for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship, you

• must be in the first 4 years of your (full-time) research career,
• must NOT hold a PhD yet,
• must apply for a position in a European country where you did not live or work for more than 12 months in the last three years (counted from the hypothetical day of recruitment).

I carried out my studies in Spain (Bachelor and Master), with the exception of one year that I spent in France. Therefore, I qualified for the ESR position in Germany that I was interested in. I applied by sending my CV, a couple of letters of recommendation and a motivation letter.

The first step was done!

In my personal case, it didn’t take long until I heard back. This may be related to the fact that I sent my application on the day of the deadline (a bad scientific habit).

Was I nervous? Not at all – I didn’t have high expectations. At this point, I have been sending out applications for months already. But when I was invited for an interview, oh yes! That’s when I became nervous. After an intense day of interviews, I got my answer: Yes! The consequence: I have been in Germany working on my PhD thesis for the last four years. Yeah!

Starting a PhD? Then find out about the 14 things you should know before!

How the Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship works – Innovative Training Networks

I want to focus here on the great experience, but also the challenge of getting an ESR fellowship. As some of you might now, ESR fellowship positions are associated to projects, the so-called Innovative Training Networks ( ITNs ). Each ITN consists of several PhD candidates and their supervisors (from public and private institutions), who form an international network of researchers to explore a specific topic of research.

When you apply, the PhD topic is already fixed. If you accept the position, you will carry out its development. After three years of research, you present your advances in a PhD thesis. This doesn’t sound very flexible, but after some time working on my PhD, I realized that it had become my own project and that it did not matter if the initial idea was not mine.

You are part of a team

One of the greatest parts of the ESR program: you are not alone! You are part of a team of PhD students and experienced researchers from many different institutions (and countries) which are in the same situation as you are. More than that, supervisors, advisors, and trainers are part of your network.

My ITN consisted of 14 PhD candidates and me as the 15th. One month after I started working at my institution in Germany, our first project meeting took place. There, I met all these people who I would call team during the next few years .

These people were my close colleagues and many of them are still my friends today. As our project officer told us, the ITN would be our very first network and will continue to be our contact list for the future. She was so right!

Networking in conferences, workshops or trainings is difficult for many PhD students. Luckily, when you are in an ITN project, this is not a challenge at all. As part of an ITN, every few months you take part in small-sized workshops with your project team members. Experiencing your first networking situations in these workshops makes things easier when you have to go to larger conferences or workshops later on. If you need a little extra help for outside, you may even take part in workshops about “Networking at conferences”.

Scientific Support

Regarding science, the support in an ITN is unbelievable. From the very beginning, my network was in place to exchange ideas and support. Each PhD candidate presented their work and progress in every meeting. We discussed any problems or solutions to scientific problems and were sharing experiences about different techniques and materials. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Personal Development and Soft Skill Training

At each of our meetings, in addition to presenting our work and learning about science from experts in the fields, we also had the opportunity to improve our soft skills. You might know the unsettling feeling of being in front of a blank page that is supposed to become an article, an abstract or even an understandable poster. Your ITN will help you figure out how these things work.

Regarding the training in soft skills during these years, my fourteen colleagues and I found ourselves in a situation of great advantage. We had an opportunity that is often hard to come by in common doctoral programs: Trainings about paper writing, poster preparation, oral talks, or other workshops and language courses (for the country you worked in) were covered for us.

Overcoming my fear of public speaking

Three years later, I realized that I had overcome my fear of speaking in public with the help of my program (although not yet completely). The funny thing about it: When I started my PhD, public speaking in English was a real torture for me. Nowadays, studying and learning more about the art of presenting has become one of my hobbies.

Challenges of living abroad

Until here, the experience of doing a PhD as a part of an ITN project must sound great. And it is! Good training, big network, nice people, team spirit… What is usually overlooked, however, are the challenges that ESR fellows need to overcome – some of them every day.

Living abroad is exciting, but can also be difficult to handle. After all, you leave behind your family, your friends, and your comfort zone. English as a language gets you far and is more than enough to handle interactions in academia. But when you move to a country where the spoken language is not English, you will face language difficulties every day.

Facing a new culture, as in my case, may also become a challenge. On the positive side, however, you will end up learning a new language and understanding a new culture, which will be an experience that you can cherish forever .

Secondments: Challenges (and perks) of living abroad TWICE

As part of the program, you will be required to do one or more secondments – research stays in a partner institution abroad where you perform experiments or studies that are not possible in your main institution.

Therefore, be prepared for the challenges of living abroad twice (or even three times). Travelling this much can be hard for some people, but it is part of the program after all – if you accept the position, you accept this part, too.

While you just got used to one new place, one new country, you now go abroad for a few months again. But this is not a bad thing! Every country has its own way of working, of organizing, and of socializing. You will learn new ways of doing things, new ways of thinking, and you will return to your main institution with new results that enrich your research and your personal experience.

Time is moving fast with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship

As an ESR fellow, you have 3 years to finish your doctorate, while you have to travel (for work of course – what would science be without conference and networking?), to publish, to attend courses, and maybe to take exams. You may want to visit friends and family back home from time to time. Also, you may want to have a bit of a social and private life.

Sometimes, managing your time to get all of these things done seems impossible. With this come tiredness, lack of sleep, stress and many other feelings that I am sure you know well enough. For my part, I could handle it sometimes better, sometimes worse, depending on the day you caught me. Outside home, everything becomes a little harder.

To not get overwhelmed with your tasks, maybe try our tricks for better focus and PhD time management .

A last note

I hope this text helps you to get an idea of what it means to get a “Marie Curie” ESR position. Even though it presents its own challenges (as any other PhD program does), the ESR fellowship is probably one of the best opportunities you can find to do a doctorate.

It offers, in my opinion, the best conditions you can imagine to carry out a PhD.

For me, there were some obstacles I had to overcome. Still, I grew as a person, made new friends and learned a lot (including a new language). I am happy that I applied all these years ago. In the end it all comes down to a great experience and a lot of lessons learned.

About the Author

Mónica Fernández Barcia started a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship 4 years ago. Originally from Salamanca in Spain, she is now in her fourth PhD year in Materials Science at the Technical University of Dresden and about to defend her thesis about electrosynthesis of (bio-)degradable materials.

Mónica’s journey began as a student, when she moved to France for an exchange year and realized that studying abroad could bring her a lot of new experiences and knowledge. She decided to do her PhD in Germany, where many challenges were awaiting: a new language, a new environment, and a new field of research. Mónica found a lot of support in her doctoral program and wants to share her experience with you.

What about you? Are you doing a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD fellowship or another international PhD program? What are your experiences? Any advice for newcomers? Share them in the comments below!

19 Comments

Great piece! Just a remark: It’s EURAXESS, not EUROAXESS. Congrats on the PhD!

Thanks Daniel! Good catch, we corrected it.

Hi dear, your article is just magnificent! May be this is a bit less challenging for students of western side. For east students even if they think they are capable to be a part of it, still have to deal with a lot of mess which technically previlige for the students from the developed countries.

Thanks for the comment! I hope you found the article useful.

Hi dear, your article is just magnificent! May be this is a bit less challenging for students from the western side. For east students even if they think they are capable to be a part of it, still have to deal with a lot of mess which is technically a previlige for the students from the developed countries.

Hello, I was wondering if tuition fees are covered as part of the Marie Curie ESR fellowship?

Hi Dee, please check this link:

https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/msca/funded-projects/how-to-manage/funded-projects/how-to-manage/general_documents/frequently_asked_questions_to_the_marie_curie_actions_financial_guidelines.pdf

You will find a better answer.

Nice article, I enjoyed reading it!

What kind of questions did they ask her during the interview (personal, academic, etc? How can someone be prepared for the interview? How long did it take? Is it a groupal interview?

Nice to hear that you enjoyed it!

Unfortunately, there is not a single answer to your questions. It is something that depends on a lot of the research group and group leader.

It exists the possibility of a group interview and an individual interview. In my case, it was individual and took many hours since I travelled to Dresden to do the interview and I had the chance to know the Institute, the labs, etc.

The preparation for the interview would be like in any other case or position. What are your studies, your motivation, your skills, both technical and soft skills, why a PhD, your previous experience… But again it depends on what the responsible person of the position is looking for.

I hope you can find this answer helpful.

Monica, thank you most graciously. Did you take some course work or it is just a full research PhD. Also, could you give some advice on interview preparation. Thanks

Hi Hammed! Glad that you like the post. The Ph.D. itself, to get the Dr degree, really depends on the university and their programs, there are countries where you have to teach, others where you have to do some credits, others where you have to pass some exams. This is something completely independent of the Marie Curie fellowship.

Regarding the interview preparation, nothing different than you would do for any other interview. Preparing for it in advance is a must. Take a look at the group and the institution offering the position. Take a look at the project and not just the position you are applying for. In the end, the interview is very personal and depends on your future boss.

I hope it can help you.

Congratulations on finishing the thesis! As someone about to start my journey as an ESR, I found this article quite insightful. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. 🙂

Best wishes, Chinmaya

Hi Chinmaya,

Thanks for your nice words!

I hope you had a good start as an ESR fellow 🙂 and that you enjoy the path.

Best, Monica

Hello Monica,

A very well crafted amalgam of your experiences. It really does set the right expectations for someone like me, who is about to start a new chapter of my life as an ESR at TU Darmstadt this year. With COVID still prevalent, wonder how the experiences would be different! 🙂

Congratulations on your Doctorate!

It is not until now that I have been able to read this comment. I’m glad to know that you found this article interesting in your situation and I hope that your beginning as a PhD student was good.

I wish you all the best!

Hi!!! Thank you, I really enjoy this piece!!! I love this job and I’m sure that I want to take this kind of direction and to continue my career in research. I’m sorry to bother you but I’d like to ask you some questions. How frequently were you able to go home to family? Is it possible to match that with this job? And how about the salary/quality of life ratio?

I hope everything went well!

Hi Valeria!

really happy to hear that this article is still helping people.

If you are sure this is your direction, go for it!

Regarding your questions, I must say that this is a really personal matter. You can visit your family as much as you want, it only depends on how many holidays your institution gives you and how you organize them. In my case, this was never a problem. I went home many times per year.

Again regarding the salary, the answer is not straightforward. The salary depends on the country. I would say the ratio of salary/life quality is pretty good. But this always depends on personal expenses and self-organisation. In my personal opinion, I would dare to say that economic issues would not be a problem, when accepting this type of fellowship.

I hope this could help you.

Hi Monica, great post and congratulations! I have just been offered an ESR position starting in October. My question is: How far in advance did you receive the employment contract? Does funding start after your first month? Are you paid by your institution or by MCA? Is the amount exactly as stated in the MCA documents?

Thanks in advance,

Thanks for this great article. Still I thought of taking your specific guidance. For your kind information, I’m from India and I started my PhD on 5th of June, 2023 in Prague, Czech republic. I’m curious to know if I’m eligible to apply for the upcoming call. Thank you in advance.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related Articles

14 Things you need to know when starting a PhD

• Posted by by Kristin The PhD

Share your science on PhD Lab!

• 1 minute read

Doing a PhD in Finland

• Posted by by Nicholas Rowe

Privacy Overview

Alumni profile: Sheldon Weinbaum, S.M. '60, Ph.D. '63

A lifetime devoted to diversifying science and engineering.

Sheldon Weinbaum, S.M. '60, Ph.D. '63, receives the Medal of Science from President Joe Biden (Photo courtesy of Ryan K. Morris and the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation)

In the long list of Sheldon Weinbaum’s accomplishments as a researcher and advocate for diversity in STEM, it’s the one thing he didn’t do that drives him the most. In 1963, Weinbaum, S.M. ' 60, Ph.D. ' 63, had just completed his Ph.D. in Applied Physics in what was then the Division of Engineering and Applied Physics at Harvard — now the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Like most newly hooded Ph.Ds., Weinbaum was focused on the start of his career, so when the opportunity came to go to the March on Washington in August of 1963, Weinbaum passed. In doing so, he missed witnessing Martin Luther King’s landmark “I have a dream” speech and one of the most crucial moments of the Civil Rights movement.

“There was a space for me on that bus, and I did not occupy it,” Weinbaum said. “It has lived with me for my entire life.”

Weinbaum decided he wouldn’t sit out again.

When Black and Puerto Rican students protested for racial equity at the City College of New York (CCNY) in 1969, where Weinbaum served on the faculty, he stood arm-in-arm with the students, receiving a censure from the faculty for doing so.

When there were no female engineering faculty to advise CCNY’s first Society of Women Engineers in 1976, Weinbaum became their advisor.

When it became apparent that more work needed to be done to recruit undergraduate engineering students from underrepresented minorities, Weinbaum obtained funding from the college to start summer high school outreach programs to majority minority schools, and CCNY quickly became one of the most diverse engineering departments nationwide. He even served as lead plaintiff and organizer of a 1992 lawsuit against the state of New York over racial bias in budgeting for City University of New York and State University of New York.

He’s done all this alongside his own extremely accomplished career as a bioengineer. He holds the rare distinction of membership in the three most prestigious national academies, the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine. He’s now the CUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering, and last year received the U.S. National Medal of Science.

You have to start at the top like that to really change things. In the National Academy of Science, last year we had an equal number of women and men elected, which would’ve been unheard of in previous eras.

Born in Brooklyn, Weinbaum came to Harvard after getting his undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. His research here was funded through both a Gordon McKay Prize Fellowship and National Science Foundation Fellowship, and his dissertation on heat convection in horizontal cylinders was done under the mentorship of George Carrier, T. Jefferson Coolidge Professor of Applied Mathematics.

Focusing on mechanical engineering at Harvard set up Weinbaum for his work at Avco-Everett Research Laboratory and then as a theoretical aerodynamicist at General Electric, where he received a government grant to work in the missiles and space division as part of the Vietnam War effort. His career in weapons development didn’t last, as he and his wife Alexandra became more involved in anti-war efforts throughout the 1960s. He eventually returned his federal grant and joined the CCNY faculty in 1967.

Not long after joining the CCNY faculty, Weinbaum brought in Yuan-Cheng Fung, considered the founder of modern biomechanics, as a visiting speaker. Weinbaum already had an interest in bioengineering because his father-in-law was an ophthalmologist and head of the glaucoma clinic at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. Through Fung, Weinbaum was introduced to other biomechanics researchers in the field.

“That started a much more serious interest in the field,” he said. “I decided to go into biomechanics.”

Biomechanics became the center of Weinbaum’s research for the rest of his career. Some of his most impactful research involved fluid dynamics through bones, the causes of rupture in the vulnerable plaque of arterial walls that can lead to heart attacks, and how the microscopic cellular membrane protrusions known as microvilli sense fluid movement in renal cells.

No one at that time had made a mathematical model that could describe the fluid changes between the chambers of the eye, and how that interacted with glaucoma. That was the first problem I ever took on in bioengineering.

At every step alongside his own accomplishments, Weinbaum has also sought to diversify his field. In his first 20 years on the faculty at CCNY, not one woman had received an engineering Ph.D. During a 1986 sabbatical, Weinbaum traveled to China, where he went to numerous colleges and universities to encourage women to apply to be his Ph.D. students at CCNY.

“Since I went to China, 17 of my last 27 Ph.D. students have been women,” he said. “Once everyone learned about this, my female applicants weren’t just from China.”

He received the Public Service Award of the Fund for the City of New York in 1988. Since then, Weinbaum has also created programs to further minority matriculation to graduate schools. Grants from the National Institutes of Health allowed him to start a minority scholars program, which every year supported 25 biomedical engineering students. More than half went on to Ph.D. or M.D. programs.

“The key to that program was having all of those high-achieving undergraduates have a Ph.D. fellow that would meet with them every week to take them through the whole process of getting into research and becoming a graduate student,” he said.

Even as he’s transitioned to his emeritus status at CCNY, the work continues, as does the recognition. The National Medal of Science last year was just the latest in a line of awards, including the Franklin Institute’s 2022 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Biomedical Engineering, and the National Science Foundation 2020 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.

This year, Weinbaum provided support for a Distinguished Lecture series run by the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at SEAS. The first lecture, to be held on Nov. 8th, will feature Paula Hammond, professor of chemical engineering and Vice Provost for Faculty at MIT, as the inaugural speaker.

Topics: Academics , Applied Physics , Alumni , Bioengineering , Diversity / Inclusion

Cutting-edge science delivered direct to your inbox.

Join the Harvard SEAS mailing list.

Related News

Integrating traditional and academic knowledge

SEAS symposium explores engineering contributions of Indigenous peoples

Academics , Diversity / Inclusion , Environmental Science & Engineering

How do you remember how to ride a bike? Thank your cerebellum.

SEAS research deepens our understanding of certain types of long-term memories

Bioengineering , Health / Medicine

Finding friends, building community

Hispanic engineering club kicks off new year at SEAS

Diversity / Inclusion , Student Organizations