Some fellowships are designated to support specific areas (i.e. Mellon Fellowships for the humanities, Howard Hughes for the biological sciences, etc.).

Select sources that match up and eliminate those fellowship programs that are not applicable.

Institutions may also have discipline-specific awards.

Search the Internet for funding sources (utilize list provided below).

• Further define sources available to you.
• Many institutions, agencies, foundations, organizations support students seeking the doctorate only.
• Contact graduate/professional school.
• Reliable source for fellowship applications, reference manuals, etc.
• Access to financial support resource person who can assist in identifying support for which you may qualify.

• Inform department/program of any fellowships (extramural) awarded to you.
• Inquire as to how your award will be supplemented for the non-fellowship years (i.e., TA, GSR/RA, etc.).
• Ask about the amount of fees and the method for paying them (i.e., Who will pay them?).
• Extramural funding deadlines likely to occur much earlier than institutional funding deadlines.
• Assume normal requirements apply (i.e., transcripts, GRE, letters, etc.)
• Provide addressed, stamped envelopes to those from whom letters are requested.
• Follow up to ensure that letters have been sent.
• Fulfill entrance exam requirements early during senior year.
• November GRE will be too late for many extramural (e.g., National Science Foundation, Ford, Howard Hughes) funding opportunities.
• Work concurrently to gather information from Ford, NSF, Howard Hughes as these deadlines are around the same time.
• Request letters of recommendation early.
• Order transcripts in plenty of time to meet deadlines.
• Submit fellowship application early; where possible utilize on-line applications.
• Read and follow all instructions carefully and accurately.
• Late applications are never accepted.

• Promotes professional development.
• Some awards considered prestigious.
• Graduate programs are very interested in students applying for these funds.
• More inclined to be supportive of these students.
• Shows students’ academic preparedness and motivation.
• Best financial packages offered through some of these programs (i.e., per year award substantial and usually covers multiple-year period).
• Along with departmental support, relieves concern of how educational/living expenses for duration of degree will be covered.

Possible need for financial aid, need-based loans

• Loans should only be considered when financial need cannot be met.
• Contact campus-based Financial Aid Office for information. (See below for specific loans available.)
• Select the loan option (long- or short-term) over the use of personal credit cards.
• No monthly payments incurred with loans.

• Merit-based stipend (plus fees) provides funds for books, supplies and the cost of living.
• Single or multi-year.
• Will likely include TA or GSR/RA.

• Salaried position which requires attending professor’s class, preparing discussion section, grading, reading and otherwise assisting faculty member with course instruction.

• Usually in a laboratory environment where you learn research/technical skills while assisting a faculty member on his/her research project and eventually conduct your own project.

• Range of support varies and is provided mostly to supplement students’ income or pay fees.

• Provides an opportunity for more advanced graduate students to teach a course.

• Grants to institutions to support various numbers of students in discipline-specific fields.

• Need-based support, formulated on student’s income rather than that of parents.
• Eligible for Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans (available through Financial Aid Offices).

• Provides practical experience (usually relevant to student’s research interest) during a summer or academic year and may be furnished by the student’s home campus or an outside institution or agency (government, private industry).

• Usually provides fees and tuition for one year or multiple years.
• Fee differential may be provided when student employed.
  

• Applicants must be ABD.
• Committee selected.
• Dissertation proposal created.
• Degree completion usually required by end of academic year but may be extended to include summer and/or fall quarter.
• Often plays major role in promoting the completion of the dissertation/degree as it allows the student to focus.

• Maintaining minimum Grade Point Average fellowship requirement.
• Taking/passing all required departmental coursework, exams, etc.
• Fulfilling any TA requirements satisfactorily.
• TA recipients awarded fellowships must also meet fellowship GPA requirements (normally exceed TA requirement).
• Filing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) required.

• Continuation of award contingent upon meeting academic standards.
• Reporting requirements.
• Maintaining required courseload.
• Fulfilling advancement to candidacy requirements.
• Not exceeding maximum (8 units) incomplete, "F" and/or NC grades.
• Annual FAFSA filing by Spring deadline.
• Reporting any change in status immediately (e.g., change in degree objective, change of field/department, leave of absence, extended absence from class or withdrawal must be reported to Graduate Division/Graduate School immediately).
• Responsible for reporting fellowship awards when filing taxes.

• All students should seek these funds.
  
• If not successful first time, apply again.
• First-year graduate students and seniors eligible to apply.
  
• Apply directly to funding agency/foundation.
  
• Multi-year award (usually three years of fellowships and fees).
  
• Award may include the use of unused cost of education (COE) allowance for students’ own research and other educational needs (i.e., purchasing a computer, a printer, or attending conferences, etc.).
  
• Award amounts are usually substantial (i.e., $16,000+).
  
• Often twelve-month awards.
  
• Important professional experience.
  

• May be need-based award.
  
• Stipend plus fees.
  
• Usually multi-year.
  
• Recipient must qualify for each year awarded.
  
• Level of funding based on level of need.
  
• Could be awarded less than the maximum.
  
• Filing FAFSA required for many states.
  

• Fellowships, teaching assistantships, researcher positions, equipment through department.
  

• Mostly need-based with residency required to be eligible.
• Dollars not transferable from one state to the next.
  

• Available through various U.S. agencies, foundations and departments including National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education and Energy.
  
• Fellowship programs include Jacob K. Javits, Grants for Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN), and loan program such as Stafford Direct and Indirect Loans.
• Work-Study for graduate students may be administered by a financial aid office or the Graduate Dean.
  

• Funding provided in specific areas or for specific groups.
• Ford funds predoctoral, dissertation-year and postdocs, specifically for minority students.
• Howard Hughes funds predoctoral students in the biological sciences.
• Mellon awards in the predoctoral humanities.
  

• Provide various amounts of awards for students in particular fields, for particular purposes and sometimes for particular individuals.

• Fellowship – no work involved.
• Teaching assistantship – gives you teaching experience.
• Research position – learning to conduct research while earning salary.
• TA and/or GSR/RA position promotes socialization of the student into the program/department environment.
• TA may be core requirement of graduate program.

• Total teaching assistant – too demanding.
• Total fellowship – lack of teaching experience, lab experience.
• Total research position – does not provide teaching experience; may not allow you to work on your own research (some exceptions).

• Most institutions consider all their admitted applicants for support.
• Admission application may allow selection of interest in financial support, including type of support (e.g., TA, GSR, fellowship, etc.).
• Department/Program sends Graduate Dean nomination requests for new or continuing student(s).
• Decision to award made.
• Student informed of admission/award package simultaneously.
• April 15 national deadline for notification of acceptance/declination of admission/award.
• Notify declinations to institutions as soon as decision made as may allow reallocation of funds to other students.
  

• File FAFSA.
• For nonresidents, after arriving in institution state, immediately begin establishing residency.
• Open a bank account.
• Register to vote.
• Obtain state driver’s license or I.D.
• File initial residency paperwork with Office of Registrar.
• By no later than twelve months later, file additional required paperwork with Office of the Registrar.
• Nonresident tuition paid first year only.

• U.S. citizen.
• Permanent resident.
• California resident. (If not resident, must obtain residency status by the next academic year.)
• Follow all application instructions to the letter.

• High quality academic standing based on bachelor’s record and/or master’s record.
• Strong letters of recommendation from faculty advisors.
• Strong GRE scores.
• Good research experience.
• TA experience.
• Publications.
• Accomplishments.
• High quality writing sample.
• Department program interview.

All or several of the above items will be required no matter where you apply to graduate school, especially academic standing, GRE scores, letters and research experience. Also, some of the same requirements may be applicable for extramural awards. Other criteria relevant to successful completion of a graduate degree may also be considered. Often, the graduate dean will provide some oversight with the administration of both campus and extramural awards. This is the case even when fellowship stipends are paid directly to the students. The fee portion of the award is always administered by the institution and is usually included in what is termed "cost of education allowance." Any excess of the educational allowance not used for fees and/or tuition may (in some cases) be requested for use by the student for other educational costs (e.g., attending a conference, purchasing research supplies or equipment, computers or printers, etc.).

Association of American Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

All But Dissertation

American Psychological Association

American Sociological Association

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Society for Engineering Education

Academic Year

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Cost of Education Allowance

U.S. Department of Education

Environmental Protection Agency

Educational Testing Service

Financial Aid Form

Free Application for Federal Student Assistance

Federal Insurance Corporation of America (Social Security Tax)

Federal Direct Student Loan Program

Fiscal Year

National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science

Graduate Record Exam

Graduate Student Health Insurance Program

Graduate Student Researcher

Higher Education Act

Department of Health and Human Services

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Academy of Science

National Institute of Health

National Institute of Mental Health

National Research Council

Nonresident Tuition

National Science Academy

National Science Foundation

Personnel Action Form

Partial Fee Remission

Research Assistantship

Student Aid Report

Student Contribution

Social Security

Teaching Assistantship

Teaching Fellow

United States Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Education

United States Department of Education

Demonstrating good academic standing and overall performance in program requirements, based on an approved graduate program time frame.

After completing all university and graduate program requirements, student must pass a series of written and oral qualifying examinations.

Final requirement for dissertation and the final oral examination on doctoral candidate’s dissertation.

A statement of the dissertation topic, how the research will be conducted, what it will entail and what it will accomplish.

A listing of all financial aid student has received while attending a particular institution

The process of determining the estimated income student will need to successfully progress through degree (usually required annually).

This is the approximate amount of time in which a student should go from graduate admission to filing the dissertation.

An advanced graduate student teaching a lower division course to a group of students, under faculty supervision.

The highest degree offered in a given graduate program.