Funding Opportunities

American Association of University Women - American Fellowship

The American Fellowship program began in 1888, a time when women were discouraged from pursuing an education. It is AAUW’s largest fellowship program and the oldest non-institutional source of graduate funding for women in the United States. 

AAUW American Fellowships support women scholars who are pursuing full-time study to complete dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research full time, or preparing research for publication for eight consecutive weeks. Candidates are evaluated based on scholarly excellence; quality and originality of project design; and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research. 

Requirements: 

• U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 

American Association of University Women - International Fellowship

International Fellowships have been in existence since 1917. The program provides support for women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and who intend to return to their home country to pursue a professional career. A limited number of awards are available for study outside of the U.S. (excluding the applicant’s home country) to women who are members of Graduate Women International (see the list of GWI affiliates). Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions are supported.

Recipients return to their home countries to become leaders in business, government, academia, community activism, and the arts or scientific fields. 

Requirements: Applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by the application deadline and must have applied to their proposed institutions of study by the time of the application. Recipients are selected for academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to women and girls. 

Hertz Fellowship

The Hertz Fellowship is awarded annually to the nation’s most promising graduate students in science and technology. Using a rigorous, merit-based process, we identify innovators with the greatest potential to create transformative solutions to the world's most urgent challenges.

Requirements:

• be college seniors, first-year graduate students, or in a gap period preparing to apply to graduate school

• intend to pursue a PhD in the applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering

• intend to direct their studies toward understanding and solving major, near-term problems facing society 

• be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund - Scholars Program

Founded in 1975, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) empowers students and parents with the knowledge and resources to successfully complete a higher education, while providing support services and scholarships to as many exceptional students, Scholars, and Alumni as possible. HSF strives to make college education a top priority for every family across the nation, mobilizing communities to proactively advance that goal—each individual, over a lifetime, in every way they can. HSF also seeks to give its Scholars all the tools they need to do well in their course work, graduate, enter, and excel in a profession, help lead our nation going forward, and mentor the generations to come. As one of the nation’s leading nonprofit organizations, HSF has awarded over $730 million in scholarships and provides a broad range of programs and support services for students, parents, HSF Scholars, and HSF Alumni. 

Requirements:

• Must be of Hispanic heritage

• U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident, or DACA 

• Minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) for high school students; minimum of 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) for college and graduate students

• Plan to enroll full-time in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university, or graduate school, in the US, for the 2024-2025 academic year

• Submit the FAFSA or state-based financial aid forms (if applicable)

GEM Fellowship

The GEM Fellowship offers MS and Ph.D. level students an outstanding opportunity and access to dozens of the top Engineering and Science firms and Universities in the nation. The GEM Fellowship was designed to focus on promoting opportunities for individuals to enter industry at the graduate level in areas such as research and development, product development, and other high level technical careers. GEM also offers exposure to a number of opportunities in academia

Requirements:

• Must be a senior, or graduate of an accredited engineering or computer science program at the time of application.

• Must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8/4.0.

• Must contractually agree to intern for two summers with sponsoring GEM Employer, beginning the Summer after sponsorship.

• Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident at time of application.

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship 

The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship program was established in 1989 by direction of congress as an approach to increasing the number of United States (U.S.) citizens receiving doctoral degrees in science and engineering (S&E) disciplines of military importance.

Applicants who are interested in furthering their education in the disciplines of military importance compete for Fellowship opportunities listed under DoD’s Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) in research development. The broad research area disciplines include, but are not limited to the following: 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 (includes terrain, water, and air); materials science and engineering; mathematics; mechanical engineering; naval architecture and ocean engineering (includes undersea systems); oceanography (includes ocean acoustics, remote sensing, and marine meteorology); physics (including optics) and space physics. 

National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship 

The Rangel Program is a U.S. State Department program administered by Howard University that seeks to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers as diplomats in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. The Program seeks individuals interested in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world through formulating, representing, and implementing U.S. foreign policy. The Program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need. 

NSF Estab­lished Program to Stim­u­late Com­pet­i­tive Research (EPSCoR)

The U.S. National Science Foundation's EPSCoR program pursues a mission to enhance the research competitiveness of targeted jurisdictions (state, territory or commonwealth) by strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) capacity and capability through a diverse portfolio of investments from talent development to local infrastructure.  The EPSCoR program envisions its jurisdictions as recognized contributors to the national and global STEM research enterprise.

Many universities have EPSCoR programs, futher investigation into the universities and programs is needed.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. A goal of the program is to broaden participation of the full spectrum of diverse talents in STEM. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support inclusive of an annual stipend of $37,000.

Requirements: 

• be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident

• intend to pursue a research-based Master’s or Ph.D. program in a GRFP-supported field

• be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, by fall following selection

• be at an early stage in your graduate career

• have completed no more than one academic year of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent)

• Graduate students are limited to only one application to the GRFP, submitted either in the first year or in the second year of graduate school

Pathways to Science

Pathways to Science is a database for current graduate funding in STEM disciplines. They have opportunities for both masters and doctoral students.

• Opportunities for Masters Students

• Opportunities for Doctoral Students

Purdue Fellowship Catalog

Purdue'e College of Engineering has put together a list of 150+ scholarships and fellowships for graduate education. 

Many of these fellowships fall under "STEM" categories and not just engineering.

Science.gov

Science.gov is a U.S. government website providing a search tool for finding scientific and technical information from across top U.S. federal agencies. Here, you can search for current funding opportunities through all U.S. federal agencies including the USDA, DoE, NASA, NIH, and more!

SMART Scholarship for Service Program

The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program awards full-tuition STEM scholarships to hundreds of rising college freshman, current college students, and current U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees every year. Funded by the DoD, SMART offers a unique education and workforce development opportunity. During degree pursuit, SMART scholars receive an annual stipend enabling them to focus on their studies. Then, scholars dive into exciting summer internships at world-class DoD facilities during school breaks. Here, they engage in cutting-edge research critical to national defense and receive mentorship from top scientists and engineers, honing their skills and building a solid foundation for their future career. After graduation, scholars are springboarded into a rewarding DoD civilian career. They begin their one-for-one service commitment by directly applying their knowledge and skills to real-world challenges, contributing to the nation's security and technological advancement.

USDA - AFRI Predoctoral Fellowship

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development (EWD) focuses on developing the next generation of research, education, and extension professionals in the food and agricultural sciences. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requests applications for the AFRI’s Education and Workforce Development program areas to support:

1. professional development opportunities for K-14 educational professionals;

2. non-formal education that cultivates food and agricultural interest in youth;

3. workforce training at community, junior, and technical colleges;

4. training of undergraduate students in research and extension;

5. fellowships for predoctoral candidates and postdoctoral scholars.

Please Note: You must be advancing to candidacy at the time of submission.